2026 Symposium

Monika obtained her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Ottawa in 2010 and worked in various clinical settings before joining Sonova Canada in 2016. Her current role within the organization is Audiology Support and Specialty Training Manager, and she especially enjoys facilitating Roger product training sessions. She joined the Better Hearing in Education for Northern Youth (BHENY) project as a volunteer, and has helped train educators in several Canadian arctic communities over the last decade.

Sponsored by

Kari Smilsky is the Senior Audiologist in the Cochlear Implant Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.  She has a Masters of Clinical Science from Western University in Communication Disorders and a Bachelor of Science from McMaster University.  Kari is a lecturer in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto.  Her research interests include bilateral cochlear implants, single-sided hearing loss, and hearing preservation.

Anne Marie is a consultant and coach who has been supporting the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) in various capacities since January 2022. She fulfilled instrumental roles on two employment and upskilling initiatives – the Employment Access Framework (EAF) Project and the Accessible Navigation to Employment (ANTE) program. Anne Marie’s role expanded to Manager Programs & Services – Education and Inclusion which she continues to fulfill on a part time basis.

Anne Marie applies her lived experience with hearing loss, along with her 25+ professional years in the human resources field, to the work she does. She educates and builds rapport through storytelling and believes strongly that curiosity lends itself to knowledge-building and change.

Sponsored by

Jenn Schumacher, AuD is an audiologist and manager of medical communications with over a decade of experience in the hearing aid industry. Jenn joined GN Hearing in 2014. Her current focus is on creating communications related to hearing aids and audiology for current and potential hearing aid users, hearing care professionals, and physicians. She has prior experience in conducting hearing aid research and clinical trials, in fitting software development and with diagnostic audiology and hearing aid fittings in hospital clinics. Jenn received both her BA in Linguistics and her AuD at Ohio State University.

Sponsored by

Chantal Belanger is an Audiologist with Sonova Canada, where she provides both audiology and product launch support. She obtained her Master’s degree in Audiology from Dalhousie University and has worked with both pediatric and adult populations in a variety of clinical settings prior to joining Sonova Canada. She is a passionate advocate for early identification and management of hearing loss in the pediatric population. Chantal recently volunteered with the Hear the World Foundation, training clinicians on infant threshold ABR testing in Cambodia, where access to audiological training is limited. She continues to promote best practices in audiological care through her professional and volunteer work.

Sponsored by

Ted Venema earned a BA in Philosophy at Calvin College (1977), an MA in Audiology at Western Washington University (1988), and a PhD in Audiology at the University of Oklahoma (1993). He was a clinical Audiologist at the Canadian Hearing Society in Toronto early on in his career, and more recently at NexGen Hearing in Victoria BC. Between those years he was with Unitron, where he conducted field trials on new hearing aid products and gave many presentations, domestically and abroad. He taught Audiology at Auburn University in Alabama, and later on at Western University in London Ontario. Ted has also taught in the Hearing Aid Practitioner programs at four different colleges: George Brown College in Toronto, Conestoga College in Kitchener Ontario, Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield Missouri, and most recently at Douglas College in BC. Ted is the author of a textbook, Compression for Clinicians. Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough on that. It’s my pleasure and privilege to be invited to speak at AHIP once again.

Sponsored by

Dr. Steve Aiken is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders as well as the Departments of Surgery, Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University. He has a PhD in Medical Science from the University of Toronto and an MSc in Audiology from Western University. He has practiced as a clinical audiologist and a consulting audiologist in the hearing industry. His research is primarily in the area of human auditory electrophysiological responses and noise-induced damage to the auditory system. Dr. Aiken has presented over 40 invited lectures and keynotes. He is a past president of the Canadian Academy of Audiology, associate editor of Canadian Audiologist, and a member of the Canadian Infant Hearing Task Force, the Knowledge and Implementation in Pediatric Audiology translational research group, and the Hearing Health Alliance of Canada.

Sponsored by

Oli Luke is the co-founder of Orange & Gray and the strategist behind many of North America’s leading private practice hearing care clinics.

Before entering the hearing care industry in 2017, he led marketing campaigns for global brands including Gucci, B , and Virgin. That experience shaped his belief that small, independent businesses can achieve extraordinary results through smarter strategy, not bigger budgets.

Today, through Orange & Gray, he helps private practice owners build trusted brands, grow sustainably, and stay ahead in a changing industry – empowering them to become locally iconic businesses that stand strong as the hearing care landscape evolves.

He also hosts The Business of Hearing Podcast – the field’s leading marketing podcast – and is soon to release his first book on how small businesses can thrive on limited resources.

Sponsored by

Andreas graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) in 2006 and a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2008. He recently earned his Master of Business Administration from the Jack Welch Management Institute in 2024. His thesis work at the National Centre for Audiology examined the sound quality impact of frequency compression technology, and he has published on this and other topics.

He regularly lectures at conferences, scientific meetings, and in the media, as well as at post-secondary institutions including the University of Toronto, Western University, Conestoga College, Humber College, and St. Lawrence College, where he is faculty.
In addition to over a decade of clinical experience as an audiologist, Andreas serves as Director of Audiology at Hearing Solutions, Ontario’s largest independently owned hearing healthcare network. In 2025, he completed his term as President of the Canadian Academy of Audiology, where he continues to serve on the Executive Board.

Sponsored by

Bobbi-Jo is a passionate Hearing Instrument Specialist (H.I.S.) who has worn hearing aids since childhood. She holds a BA in Psychology, a Master of Applied Health Sciences and a Master of Education. She is currently doing her Ph.D at Western. For 14 years she has been working for Demant supporting HCPs in various capacities. She is also a professor and course designer for the H.I.S. Program at Humber Polytechnique, specializing in clinical theory and patient counselling. Her dedication to hearing care excellence extends to her role on the Board of Directors for A.H.I.P. in Ontario and to the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL).

Bobbi-Jo hopes that by teaching Ml skills we can better equip HCPs to increase hearing adoption, thereby treating hearing loss sooner. In collaboration with Pacific Audiology Group, she created a six­week course on Ml for hearing care, as well as several educational blogs and videos. Her work on Ml has also been published in the Canadian Audiologist and her book “Motivational Interviewing for Hearing Care Professionals” just came out in November 2025.

Sponsored by

Thomas J. Aleo Sr. NBCHIS, brings more than three decades of experience in hearing healthcare and a deep commitment to patient-centered care. Mr. Aleo is a National Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist and a clinic owner with over 30 years of leadership in the field. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to advancing clinical integrity, ethical practice, and best standards of care in hearing health.

Mr. Aleo is passionate about helping hearing care professionals strengthen patient trust through clear communication, strong clinical protocols, and a commitment to doing the right thing for every patient. He will share practical insights on professionalism and clinical integrity that can elevate both patient outcomes and the overall standard of care in our profession.

Sponsored by