ASHFoundation Awards More than $572,000

The ASHFoundation demonstrated evidence of excellence as it honored its generous donors and extraordinary awardees during its annual Founders Breakfast in Atlanta, Georgia, November 16, 2012. The ASHFoundation recognized 64 students, research scientists and clinical professionals with $572,214 in scholarships, research grants and awards. Nearly 350 individual and corporate donors, award recipients, and friends of the ASHFoundation were in attendance at this "whale of a celebration" at the Atlanta Aquarium to celebrate the gifts of the ASHFoundation's 2012 awardees and donors.

The breakfast program also recognized some of the ASHFoundation's 2012 fundraising successes: the Wayne and Marilyn Olson fund, which has grown to over $138,000 and will provide support for research grants in audiology beginning in 2013; the Eleanor Semel Fund to which Dr. Semel has committed to continue building in excess of $100,000 in support of new investigators in the area of neurogenics; and the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) Scholarship Fund which supported its first scholarship, which was awarded at the Breakfast. The NSSLHA Council announced during the Convention that it will donate another $20,000 to the Fund this year to commemorate its 40th anniversary, allowing the Fund to grow to a grand total of $147,800.

The morning concluded with Peter 'Skip' Scheifele, MDr, PhD, LCDR USN (Ret), Assistant Professor and Director of the FETCH Lab, University of Cincinnati and University of Cincinnati Medical Center, who surprised the audience by appearing inside the Ocean Voyager tank. The 6.3 million gallon tank houses whale sharks, squadrons of small and large stingrays, an enormous grouper and several other schools of predatory species. A diver who is also under contract with the Atlanta Aquarium to monitor sound and protect the Aquarium marine life, Scheifele described in clear audio connection his work and research on the Aquarium's behalf. Several of his students presented posters on related topics throughout the Convention.

The ASHFoundation's celebrations of Gifts of Giving throughout the Convention offered special recognition of the organization's mission to further groundbreaking research, train the next generation of professionals, and improve clinical care. 

ASHF Board member Howard Goldstein introduces 2012 Clinical Research Grant Recipients (left to right) Gayla Poling, Laura Gingrich and Carolyn Baylor. Not pictured: Amanda Awen Van Horne.	Nearly 350 donors, past award recipients and ASHF friends attended the Founders Breakfast to congratulate the 2012 award recipients.	ASHF President Jon Miller congratulates New Century Scholars Research Grant recipients Ling-Yu Guo and Cara Stepp. Not pictured: Benjamin Hornsby.

 View our entire gallery of 2012 Founders Breakfast photos.