Embedded Files
Registration for the virtual 2025 ARA Institute is now open! Join us on September 8 and 9.
Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture at the ARA Institute
Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture at the ARA Institute
Caitlin Barr, PhD 2025 Presenter.
Caitlin Barr, PhD 2025 Presenter.
Bio: Dr Caitlin Barr (formerly Grenness) is an audiologist, researcher, and advocate committed to transforming hearing care through a whole-person, whole-life lens. A Herbert Oyer ARA Award recipient, Caitlin is CEO of Soundfair, an Australian not-for-profit focused on humanising hearing, and founding CEO of Soundcare, a wellbeing-focused audiology social enterprise that reinvests in community impact. Her work bridges the clinical and consumer worlds, shaped by a research background in person-centred care and the psychosocial dimensions of hearing loss and tinnitus. Through Soundfair, she leads initiatives that centre lived experience, reduce stigma, and challenge systems that exclude. Caitlin’s leadership and research have influenced policy, clinical practice, and service innovation across Australia. Deeply aligned with the values of Dr Patricia Kricos, she champions the idea that hearing care must go beyond devices and diagnostics — toward restoring identity, connection, and belonging.
Title: Crossing the Floor: What I Unlearned About Expertise, Empathy, and Change
Summary of presentation: What if the most transformative thing we can do as hearing care professionals is to step aside — and truly listen? In this inaugural Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture, Dr Caitlin Barr draws on her journey from clinician and academic to CEO of a lived-experience-led nonprofit to challenge assumptions about expertise, empathy, and change. Through stories from the community and reflections on her own unlearning, she invites us to rethink audiological rehabilitation as more than clinical care — but as the restoration of identity, connection, and power. Honouring the legacy of Patricia Kricos, this lecture calls on us to centre human experience, question our professional reflexes, and imagine a future shaped with, not for, the people we serve.
Honoring a legacy of excellence in AR
Honoring a legacy of excellence in AR
ARA is proud to announce the establishment of the Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture, an annual address at the ARA Institute, honoring the life and contributions of Patricia Kricos, PhD, to the fields of aural rehabilitation, aging, and patient-centered care.
Dr. Kricos was a trailblazer in AR, deeply committed to improving communication for individuals with hearing loss, fostering interprofessional collaboration, mentoring future generations of audiologists and researchers, and advancing patient-centered care. Her impact on the field and the ARA community, including her role as President, was profound, and through this memorial lecture, we ensure that her dedication and passion continue to inspire and educate.
The Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture will be a centerpiece of the ARA Institute each year, featuring a distinguished speaker whose work reflects the values and contributions of Dr. Kricos. The lecture will feature groundbreaking research, clinical innovations, and advocacy in AR and hearing healthcare. Attendees can expect an emphasis on patient-centered care, a reinforcement of the holistic approach to hearing healthcare that Dr. Kricos advocated for. The annual lecture will inspire the next generation of clinicians and AR researchers to advance the field.
Each year, ARA will select a speaker to deliver the Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture. Potential speakers may include researchers and clinicians who have made significant contributions to the field of AR, educators and mentors who embody Dr. Kricos’ passion for mentorship and training the next generation, and advocates and policymakers who are driving change in access to AR and hearing healthcare.
Recipients will receive: Call for Nominations
Recipients will receive: Call for Nominations
ARA welcomes nominations for future Patricia Kricos Memorial Lecture speakers. If you know of an individual whose work aligns with Dr. Kricos’ legacy and would make a compelling contribution to the ARA Institute, please submit:
A nomination letter outlining the nominee’s contributions to AR and why they are a strong candidate for this honor.
A brief bio or CV of the nominee
Relevant publications or key contributions related to AR, patient-centered care, or advocacy (if applicable). Up to two letters from students or colleagues may be submitted as evidence of key contributions.
The submission deadline is now closed: Deadline was June 1, 2025
Donate: Consider making a donation to support this important initiative.
Donate: Consider making a donation to support this important initiative.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse