Hearing & brain health masterclasses

Frank Lin, MD PhD was at the time of recording a Professor and Director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. As an otologic surgeon and epidemiologist, he has translated his experiences caring for adults with hearing loss into foundational public health research and policy. These efforts include establishing the impact of hearing loss and hearing interventions on dementia risk and other health outcomes, collaborating with policy makers to secure federal passage and enactment of the U.S. Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, and launching the Hearing Number awareness initiative. Dr. Lin serves as a member of the Board on Health Sciences Policy and the Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence at the National Academies and is also an independent contractor to Apple.

Dr. Anitha Rao is a physician executive with a unique combination of clinical expertise, entrepreneurial acumen, board governance, and strategic leadership. Dr. Rao is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in Cognitive Neurology, a national board member for the Lewy Body Dementia Association, current section Chair for the American Academy of Neurology's Geriatric Section and had a successful tenure as the CEO and Head of Analytics at Neurocern. Her research and work on “Dementia Neurology Deserts” was covered by the Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, and Society of Actuaries. Dr. Rao has a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Toledo College of Medicine, a Master's in Medical Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University, a Neurology Residency from Case Western Reserve University, and Fellowship training from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Megan Quilter, Au.D is a Lead Audiologist with GN Hearing Global Audiology team and primarily focuses on research, adult and pediatric amplification and cochlear implants. Her background includes clinical adult and pediatrics, neuro-vestibular audiology, equipment manufacturing. Dr. Quilter effectively communicates with a variety of levels of key opinion leaders, customers, colleagues, and patients. Dr. Quilter currently holds a Doctorate of Audiology and resides with her family in Chicago, Illinois.

Helen obtained her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Leicester (UK) in 2011. She is currently a Senior Research Fellow, Chartered Psychologist, and Research Leader at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, UK. She collaborates with international clinical and academic colleagues, and her research portfolio in hearing encompasses aspects of healthy aging, health behavior, cognition, and multimorbidity. Helen holds several professional roles in academic and professional audiology organizations, including Chair of the British Society of Audiology's (BSA) Cognition in Hearing Special Interest Group.

Sigurd Brandt is a medical doctor and earned his medical degree from Copenhagen University. As a clinician, Dr. Brandt worked within family medicine and internal medicine, but has built the majority of his career working within the pharmacological and medical device industry. Dr. Brandt has worked within medical affairs in the pharmaceutical company LEO Pharma, focusing on medical communication and research, stakeholder partnerships and advisory with KOL’s. Later Dr. Brandt worked as a medical advisor and project lead in a digital clinical research organization, working on novel GCP-compliant decentralized clinical trial projects with multiple sponsors and government entities such as the Danish Medical Agency. Most recently Dr. Brandt has worked with GN Hearing as the medical director, focusing on advancing digital health and the importance of hearing health on overall quality of life.