American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF) Board Members

Barbara L. Chertok serves on the National Advisory Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. Ms. Chertok was suddenly deafened at age 21 due to Cogan's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. She has been a successful cochlear implant user since 1998 and founded two cochlear implant support groups in Florida.

Ms. Chertok is a freelance writer for journals related to hearing loss. She was a lipreading teacher for ten years and is a longtime advocate for the rights of people with hearing loss through writing, consulting and lecturing. She has lectured at conferences and conventions both in the United States and abroad, taking her to Jerusalem and Australia.

Ms. Chertok was certified in 1979 as a Reverse/Oral Interpreter (visual-to-spoken). In 1982 she was selected as the first person with hearing loss to serve on a jury in Maryland and was assisted in the courtroom by an Oral Interpreter. Ms. Chertok is listed in 1995/96 Marquis' Who's Who of American Women.

Lawrence A. Hable serves on the Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation.

Mr. Hable is currently General Manager and Certified Hearing Aid Dispenser for Charles A. Lowe and Associates, Chicago, Illinois. He is also an Adjunct Instructor in the Marketing Department, Triton College, River Grove, Illinois; and Co-Supervisor for graduate students in Audiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

Mr. Hable is a Certified Hearing Aid Dispenser, and is a member of the National Hearing Aid Society and the Illinois Hearing Aid Society. He is also a lecturer and consultant on hearing-related topics.

Timothy C. Hain, M.D. serves as Vice President of the American Hearing Research Foundation, and serves on the Foundation's Research Committee as well. Dr. Hain also serves on Medical Advisory Board of the Vestibular Diseases Association, and on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Vestibular Research and Contemporary Medicine International.

Dr. Hain is currently Associate Professor of Neurology and Laryngology at Northwestern University. His clinical practice focuses on evaluation and treatment of conditions that produce dizziness. He has also received several National Institutes of Health grants to investigate causes and treatments of dizziness and imbalance.

Dr. Hain is a member of several professional organizations, including the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, the American Academy of Neurology (Fellow), the American Neurological Association, and the American Neurotology Society.

Dr. Hain holds an M.D. from the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago.He has published many articles in scientific journals, as well as chapters of textbooks, regarding the diagnosis and treatment of dizziness.

Suzanne Himmel-Pollack is president of the Kiwanis Club of Chicago and has been president for a total of seven years. She is the first woman president of the Chicago Kiwanis Club.

She has volunteered extensively at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at the reception desk, and greeting and directing visitors and patients, and has been volunteering in Chicago hospitals since she was 15.

Himmel-Pollack graduated from the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has completed graduate work at Roosevelt University in the Lawyer�s Assistant Program, and at the University of Chicago in the Interaction Management Program.

She will be serving as the attendance coordinator for the AHRF�s 50th anniversary event, to be held on November 8, 2006. She is also a member of the media relations committee.

Marvin T. Keeling serves on the Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. He also serves on the Board of St. James Hospital Association.

Mr. Keeling is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of WGN Medical. He has a successful history of building businesses in the medical industry, telecommunications, software technology, and finance. Mr. Keeling founded a finance company that provided over $4 billion in financing for medical equipment to hospitals.

Mr. Keeling has been an initiator of capital and idea development through philanthropic activities and foundations, and has been active in community development and management for 30 years.

Dr. Klodd is a practicing audiologist with 29 years of experience. He sees a wide range of patients from neonate through geriatric. His areas of expertise involves audiological evaluation and management in patients with facial nerve disorders, vestibular/balance disorders, and other otoneulogic hearing disorders such as acoustic neuroma and NF2. He sees patients for hearing aid evaluation and fitting as well as auditory implants. Audiology implant intrest is in the areas of cochlear implants, BAHA implants and most recently auditory brainstem implants (ABI). He also serves on the AHRF's Research Committee.

In the Au.D. program he teaches classes in amplification, instrumentation, vestibular evaluation/rehabilitation and professional issues. Dr. Klodd has served on the Audiology Advisory Board for the Chicago Hearing Society and curretly serves on the advisory board for the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science of Syracuse University. He has served on numerous departmental and medical school committees including being the immediate past Chairman of the Committee on Admissions.

Dr. Klodd recent ares of invesitigation have been mentored with Rush Au.D. and Rush medical students. Topics of some of some of these projects have involved: (1) The use of Interpeters, (2) Nuerofibromatosis type 2: Audiologic and rehabilitative trends, (3) An Alternative Hearing Device: The Bone Anchored Hearing Aid, (4) Audiological Manifestations of Arnold Chiari Malformation, and (5) Microorganisms and Hearing Aids: Considerations for Infection Control.

Daniel J. Knight serves on the Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. He is also the treasurer of the American Hearing Research Foundation.

Throughout his career Mr. Knight has held a variety of senior level finance positions. Currently Mr. Knight is Treasurer of La Petite Academy, a leader in the business of serving to provide early education and day care services via its more than 625 locations located throughout the United States.

Mr. Knight holds a B.S. from Loyola University in Chicago and a Masters of Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago.

John D. Loucks, M.D., serves on the Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. His primary responsibility is to develop AHRF membership in the Southeastern region of the United States.

Dr. Loucks is currently Chief of Staff at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Cliff Hagen Boys Club in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Dr. Loucks holds an M.D. from West Virginia University. He is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Council of Otolaryngology, the American Medical Association, the American Cleft Palate Association, and the Kentucky Medical Association.

Robert McKenna�s business experience has been primarily with Radio Flyer, Inc., manufacturer of the famous red Radio Flyer wagons, in addition to other products. He has served as vice president of manufacturing, executive vice president, and chief operations officer for the company from 1973 to 1995.

McKenna received his bachelor�s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and attended DePaul University, Chicago for post-graduate law courses.

McKenna is a board member of Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc., one of Chicago�s largest and most effective non-profit social service agencies with more than 30 program sites. McKenna also serves as business advisor to St. John Berchmans Church. McKenna will be on the AHRF�s media relations committee.

Kenneth L. Means serves on the Honorary Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation.

Mr. Means is currently head of his own business, Executive Planning Services. He is a Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Counselor. He has been an officer and Director of the Chicago Association of Life Underwriters, the Association of Advanced Underwriters, and the Chicago Chapter of Chartered Life Underwriters. He is also a member of the American Society of Pension Actuaries, and the Chicago Estate Planning Council.

Mr. Means holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois. He has received many civic awards, including the Silver Beaver award from the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was also recognized as a Baden-Powell Fellow for his support of World Scouting.

Alan G. Micco, M.D., serves as President of the American Hearing Research Foundation, and is Chairman of the Foundation's Research Committee. He is also a member of the Board of the Chicago Hearing Society.

Dr. Micco is currently Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at Northwestern Medical School. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Chicago Medical Society, the Chicago Laryngology and Otological Society, and the American College of Surgeons (Associate Fellow).

Dr. Micco holds an M.D. from Northwestern University. He has published many articles in scientific journals and has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Scientific Presentation from the International Politzer Society.

Enrico J. Mirabelli has been serving on the Foundation's Board since 1983. He also serves on the Foundation's Audit Committee.

He is a founding principal of Nadler, Pritikin & Mirabelli LLC. He received is undergraduate degree from St. Mary's College, Magna Cum Laude, and his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois (1981).

Mr. Mirabelli is currently a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors and has served on the ISBA General Assembly and Family Law Section Council. He is also a member of the American Bar Association.

Mr. Mirabelli, Past President of the Justinian Society of Lawyers (1997), was twice a recipient of the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Corporation Distinguished Service Award (1984 and 1993) and recipient of the John Marshall Law School Distinguished Service Award (1995) in 2000. He was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court and currently serves as a 1st District Member of the Committee on Character and Fitness.

In 1997, Mr. Mirabelli was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley as a Member of the Personal Board of the City of Chicago and presently serves in the position until 2004.

Dennis M. Moore M.D. serves on both the Board of Directors and the Research Committee of the American Hearing Research Foundation. He is affiliated with Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Dr. Moore received his medical degree from Loyola University School of Medicine and continued with his residency in General Surgery there and in Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA. He was a Fellow at the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery where he merited an NIH National Research Service Award in Neurotology, as a Fellow in Neurotology. He was also a Fellow in Neurotology at the University of Iowa. He is an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Medical School.

Dr. Moore's medical society memberships include the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Medical Association, North American Skull Bank Society, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Society of Neuroscience and the American Neurotology Society. He is the author of numerous articles that have focused on Head and Neck Surgery and Laryngology.

Mark R. Muench serves as Vice President of the American Hearing Research Foundation. He has served on the board since 1996. He recently led the effort to implement a new web site for the Foundation that allows individuals to access clinical content on a variety of hearing and balance disorders.

Mr. Muench has worked actively in the healthcare industry for over 20 years. Currently, he is vice president in the professional services organization of Cerner Corporation, a leading provider of clinical and management software for healthcare providers.

Mr. Muench holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Richard G. Muench serves as Chairman of the Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation.

Mr. Muench is currently Founder and President of Campion Corporation, a venture capital provider. Previously, he was involved in investment banking, commercial bank operations, and the investment department at a major insurance group.

Mr. Muench has provided leadership and guidance to Chicago Associates, an investment club from Northwestern University Graduate School.

John W. Muldoon serves on the Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. Mr. Muldoon's background has embraced most facets of the property and casualty, and the life and health insurance industries. He has been listed in Who's Who in Insurance, Who's Who in the Midwest and Who's Who in America.

At the time of his retirement in late 1996, Mr. Muldoon was a Vice President of Swett and Crawford, a wholesale property and casualty insurance broker. Subsequent to his retirement, he served as a consultant to risk managers, retail insurance agents and brokers, and wholesale brokers.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Muldoon worked in a variety of underwriting, marketing and management positions with a number of insurance companies. In the early 1980s, he began to specialize increasingly in directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions, professional liability, and malpractice insurance coverage.

Mr. Muldoon is a graduate of DePaul University and Harvard University Graduate School of Business. He also attended the U.S. Army War College.

Albert G. Nicholson serves on the Honorary Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. Mr. Nicholson also serves on the Board of the Evangelical Hospital Association, and is Chairman of the Christ Hospital Executive Council.

Mr. Nicholson is currently Chairman and President of Worth Federal Savings, as well as Loan Chairman of Tinley Park Bank. In addition, Mr. Nicholson is Chairman of Glass Specialty Co. and owner of the Worth Insurance Agency.

Mr. Nicholson retired from the United States Air Force as a Lt. Colonel. During World War II, he served as a troop carrier pilot and received an Air Medal for combat flying in the European Theater of Operations.

Mr. Nicholson is a life member of the VFW and Reserve Officers Association. He is a member of a Masonic Lodge, a Medina Shrine Ambassador, Chairman of the Osgood Point Marine, and a founding member of the American Air Museum in Duxford, England.

Dan B. Sedgwick serves on the National Advisory Board of the American Hearing Research Foundation. He is also the AHRF representative for Washington state. Mr. Sedgwick previously served as AHRF's Treasurer, and as its Representative for Texas.

Mr. Sedgwick retired as President of Detex Corporation of New Braunfels, Texas and continues to serve as Director. Mr. Sedgwick's career includes positions in the office equipment and plywood industries, followed by management consulting and manufacturing company management positions.

Mr. Sedgwick holds a B.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle. He served in the United States Army during World War II and was discharged with the rank of Major.

Phillip A. Wackym, M.D., serves on the Research Committee of the American Hearing Research Foundation.

Dr. Wackym is currently Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He has received many research awards, including the William H. Call Research Award from the Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society; the Vice President's Research Award and the Shirley Baron Research Award from the Western Section of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.; and the Nicholas Torok Vestibular Award of the American Neurotology Society.

Dr. Wackym's clinical emphasis is on the surgical rehabilitation of congenital hearing losses, including aural atresia and microtia repair, cochlear implantation, vestibular disorders, and hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma surgery. Dr. Wackym has performed close to 40 cochlear implants.

Dr. Wackym holds an M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville Tennessee. He has published more that 100 articles and books, primarily relating to otologic pathology and molecular biology.