AudiologyOnline celebrates 20 years of serving profession

AudiologyOnline, the premier provider of online continuing education for audiologists, is celebrating 20 years of serving the profession. 

Founded in 1999 by audiologist Aimee LaCalle and her husband, Bill, AudiologyOnline was the first-of-its-kind website offering online continuing education in the hearing care profession and has since grown to serve thousands of audiologists and hearing instrument dispensers. 

“As a young audiologist, I saw how rapidly the profession was changing with technological advances, particularly with cochlear implants and digital hearing aids,” said company co-founder Aimee LaCalle, AuD. “We wanted to create a community for audiologists to stay up to speed on the latest advances and also form a network of colleagues. It's amazing to see how many people are now on the platform and how many people we've ultimately helped through the training of professionals.”

In its infancy as the first online community for audiologists, AudiologyOnline provided a place for hearing device manufacturers and other experts in the profession to share information about products and for practitioners to obtain information in real time. The site grew to offer online courses developed by leading audiologists and industry experts, which allowed busy professionals to earn CEUs conveniently and affordably online. 

Over the past 20 years, more than 7500 courses have been produced with over a million course completions. Currently, AudiologyOnline offers more than 1400 courses in its ever-evolving library, including weekly live webinars for real-time interaction and learning. 

AudiologyOnline also provides a hub for training and education for industry-leading partners, from hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturers to other companies in the hearing industry. 

Additionally, AudiologyOnline’s Career Center is one of the top online destinations for professionals seeking work in the audiology field.

"I think we’ve managed a great balance of staying at the forefront of industry trends while also covering the basics, best practices, and topics professionals want and need to serve them in their daily, life-changing work with patients." - Carolyn Smaka, AuD

Since its inception, AudiologyOnline has collaborated with distinguished leading experts from around the world to share the latest research, skills, tips, and cases from the field. 

“Take a cursory review of our library, and you’ll see countless names of experts who have shaped our profession as we know it. Their contribution to our success cannot be underestimated, and thanks to these leaders, the caliber of AudiologyOnline content is second to none,” said Carolyn Smaka, AuD, longtime editor of AudiologyOnline and now editor in chief of Continued's family of online continuing education websites. “I think we’ve managed a great balance of staying at the forefront of industry trends while also covering the basics, best practices, and topics professionals want and need to serve them in their daily, life-changing work with patients.”

AudiologyOnline was the catalyst for Continued, a family of continuing education websites that offers educational content on the latest topics in audiology, speech-language pathology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and early childhood education and is continuing to grow into additional specialties. Completely virtual from its inception, the company has always placed the highest value on its culture of collaboration and innovation, a practice that started with a handful of employees and remains paramount as the company has grown to now surpass 100 team members. 

“The success of AudiologyOnline is a reflection of our wonderful team, partners, and members, who collectively have made it what it is today.” - Tony Perlak

“The success of AudiologyOnline is a reflection of our wonderful team, partners, and members, who collectively have made it what it is today,” said company CEO Tony Perlak. “It’s exciting and humbling to reflect on the accomplishments of AudiologyOnline, which was the springboard for Continued and our family of education websites that now serves thousands of professionals across multiple professions. For two decades, we’ve held a steadfast commitment to our mission of providing an exceptional learning experience that enhances the lives and careers of those we serve, and we look forward to what’s to come in the next 20 years and beyond.”