January 30, 2019

Dear Valued MAA member:

Thank you again for your support and attendance of the Maryland Academy of Audiology's previous conventions.  Our most recent convention "Raising the Bar" (November 2018) was a huge success with a diverse group of presenters, attendees, and vendors.  

As you know, MAA's convention is held in the fall each year and often falls within a week or two of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology's (ADA'S) annual event (AuDacity).  We are excited and honored that ADA is not only bringing their AuDacity Conference to Maryland this year, but furthermore that our organization was invited in partnership for 2019! Given the proximity in date and location, MAA and ADA have agreed to share one educational program under the AuDacity banner!

In order to conduct this conference merge in a manner that promotes the interests and needs of MAA audiologists, several conditions were negotiated and agreed upon:

1. ADA has generously agreed to our negotiated registration cost of $400 (full 3-day) or $200 (any 1-day) for any current MAA member. This $400 cost is $50 more than the regular MAA full-convention 2-day registration and $425 less than the regular 3-day AuDacity registration. This is an excellent opportunity to attend a more expansive educational program with more lecture topics to choose from while earning about double the CEUs as our usual MAA program. Make sure your MAA membership is in good standing to get this rate!
2. MAA will have the opportunity to conduct our usual business meeting and luncheon for our members, in private, at the AuDacity conference. We believe that it is imperative to have as many of our MAA members present to contribute to our business meeting, for this reason we have established the meeting to allow entrance of any and all MAA members to the business meeting/luncheon, free of charge, regardless of whether you are registered/attending AuDacity or not.
3. In order to represent the interests and educational expectations of MAA members, ADA has agreed to have multiple MAA board members as representatives on the AuDacity Conference Education Committee for planning the program. You can expect a survey to be distributed to MAA members in the future.

As professional membership associations serving audiologists, the Maryland Academy of Audiology (MAA) and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) have much in common. The two organizations support advocacy initiatives that promote high ethical standards, professional autonomy, and improved patient access to audiologic care. For years, each organization has worked to develop and maintain relationships with industry partners and manufacturers and to provide their members (as well as other audiologists and key practice staff) with the tools and resources that they need to succeed in whatever practice setting they choose. Finally, ADA and MAA strive each year to educate the public and our lawmakers about the importance of hearing and balance health, and the important role that audiologists play in delivering audiologic care. It is through these core mutual missions and the overlapped time/location that we see an obvious and advantageous opportunity to unite for a spectacular conference in 2019. 

ADA has collaborated with other state audiology academies in a similar and successful way in the past. Please be assured that the MAA Annual Convention will return to it's usual program and system in the year of 2020. We look forward to welcoming you as a special MAA guest to the AuDacity Convention this year and welcoming you to our routine MAA convention in 2020! If you are interested in helping to plan the 2020 MAA convention, please contact Sofia Roller at sofieaudiology@gmail.com!

The AuDacity Conference will be held November 14-16, 2019 at the Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me by phone at 410-646-3100 or email at sofieaudiolog@gmail.com. Thank you once again for your support and membership!

Sincerely,
Sofia Roller, Au.D.
AuDacity Education Co-Chair 2019
MAA President-Elect 2019