Celebrating hearing loss prevention collaborations with Public Health Programs and prestigious Education and Research Centers (ERCs)
Hearing loss prevention and hearing conservation are, at their core, preventive services. Our training of occupational hearing conservationists directly targets the reduction of hazard-related impacts—not just for employees and employers, but for the families and communities surrounding each individual. The true effect of a job well done in this field can be difficult to quantify. How do you measure the value of someone not struggling to hear their grandchildren’s voices for years longer than they otherwise might have? Or the economic benefit of a retiree who continues to enjoy restaurants, concerts, and community events because their hearing remained intact despite a career in noise?
In many ways, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a public health poster child: it is pervasive, prevalent, and entirely preventable. Some of the most effective prevention tools are remarkably simple and affordable—education, motivation, awareness, and consistent use of low-tech personal protective devices. Properly deployed, these interventions can change occupational hearing loss from an apparent inevitability to an avoidable injury.
My ongoing collaboration with prestigious schools of public health has elevated the quality of the CAOHC Hearing Conservation credentialing courses offered by Earmark. It has also deepened my focus on the broader impact of our work in hearing loss prevention. From the beginning, we partnered with two prominent universities with NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERCs): the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Rutgers School of Public Health.
Map of NIOSH ERCs in the United States
Earmark provides CAOHC courses for the only two centers in the Mid-Atlantic region - Johns Hopkins University and Rutgers School of Public Health (part of New York-New Jersey Education and Research Center).
For those unfamiliar, ERCs were established in 1977 to address a critical shortage of trained occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals while promoting cutting-edge research and best practices. Now approaching 50 years of service, these programs have educated thousands of professionals who, in turn, have helped safeguard millions of workers from workplace injury and illness, including hearing loss. Considering that each worker is connected to their family and community, this work touches every corner of society.
From my experience, ERC programs are staffed by some of the most dedicated, hardworking individuals in the public health world. Their collaboration has significantly expanded the reach of our hearing conservation efforts—both geographically and professionally. For instance, courses we have co-presented with ERCs have been eight times more likely to attract international attendees. Clearly their reputation has a far reach in the world, which helps to achieve CAOHC’s core mission of advancing hearing conservation worldwide.
Unfortunately, the future of these programs is currently in question. If you are interested to learn more about the response to the recent changes to NIOSH funding, please read the open letters addressed to the Department of Health and Human Services by the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) and the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC).
I remain hopeful that we can continue advancing hearing loss prevention across society. Without these towering institutions of excellence, the climb will be steep and progress may slow, yet we remain committed to delivering the highest-quality education and support services—and to forging new partnerships wherever we can.
To engage with the very best virtual continuing educational experience available - the same quality that NIOSH ERCs trust with their own students - please register through this link. If you would like to show support for the ERCs and the mission of public health, I invite you to select one of the dates marked “Co-Presented with Johns Hopkins” or “Co-Presented with Rutgers University”. For your convenience, the available co-presented course dates and registration links are listed below:
July 24, 2025 (Co-Presented with Johns Hopkins)
September 10, 2025 (Co-Presented with Johns Hopkins)
July 16, 17, and 18, 2025 (Co-Presented with Johns Hopkins)
August 6, 7, and 8, 2025 (Co-Presented with Johns Hopkins)
September 3, 4, and 5, 2025 (Co-Presented with Rutgers University)
I look forward to seeing you in an upcoming CAOHC course!
Sincerely,
Frank Wartinger, AuD
Audiologist / CAOHC Course Director / Owner
Earmark Hearing Conservation