July 1, 2020 Connor Hamilton

Joan McKechnie - Lead Audiologist

After qualifying as a Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist Joan has spent most of her 20 year career in hearing-care related roles. She is HCPC registered.

She has accumulated a wealth of experience within the hearing aid and hearing rehabilitation fields in particular; working in private and public healthcare settings. Joan also spent time working in manufacturing environments with two hearing aid companies, one of the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturers ReSound.

As ReSound's UK Product Manager, Joan spent time in the Danish headquarters working with the development teams on new product ideas. Her role also involved rolling out the new technologies via various training events and conferences to other hearing care professionals around the world, and in the UK - particularly within the NHS.

Throughout her career Joan has also enjoyed teaching students; and has been employed as an ad-hoc clinical supervisor and lecturer at the University of Cape Town and the University of KwaZulu-Natal when based in South Africa in 2002-2004; and again in 2013-2015.

Joan has been involved with Hearing Direct since its launch in 2010; and enjoys the online retail environment which seeks to provide easier access to hearing products and accessories. Being in constant communication with hearing-impaired customers and their families across the globe provides ongoing challenges to find the best products and services to support them remotely.

Joan is also a regular writer and speaker on the causes of hearing loss, living with hearing impairment and future breakthroughs that could help support those affected by hearing loss. You can find a number of Joan’s articles below on the subject:

Risk & Safety Plus - What Was That You Said?

Caring Homes - Guideance on Managing Age Related Hearing Loss

Enable Magazine - Hearing Loss in the Ageing Population

Starkey - Should You Wear Earplugs at Night?

Cirrus Research - Noise Induced Hearing Loss: An Introduction

Deaf Umbrella - The Importance of Dealing with Hearing Loss

CuraCare - Age related Hearing Loss Factsheet

Armscare - An Article from Hearing Direct

ASHA Leader Live - How Gene Therapy is Revolutionising Hearing Loss Restoration

designed2enable - Guest Blog - Joan McKechnie, (BSc Hons Audiology & Speech Pathology) of Hearing Direct

Disability Horizons - Hearing aids: the end to a muted world

Evenbreak - Guest blog: Employing people who are deaf or hard of hearing