Department of Audiology Represents at World Congress of Audiology 2026 in Seoul

From 24–27 May 2026, eight representatives from the Department of Audiology attended the 37th World Congress of Audiology (WCA 2026 Seoul) in Seoul, Korea. This year's congress attracted 1,540 attendees from 82 countries, with 310 speakers delivering 1,018 presentations. Australia was the second most represented country with 155 attendees. The congress featured an intensive scientific program with 11 parallel streams, exploring the breadth of audiology under the theme ‘Broadening the Horizon of Audiology’.

Throughout the congress, our Department representatives showcased groundbreaking work through oral and poster presentations whilst actively engaging in the scientific program. Plenary sessions explored critical themes including future perspectives on audiology and artificial intelligence, the intersection of auditory neuroscience and clinical practice, and audiology in low-resource regions. The Department's diverse representation across auditory processing, telehealth, global healthcare, musician's hearing care, and listening in educational settings demonstrated the breadth of expertise within our discipline.

A highlight of the congress was the performance by Big Ocean, a South Korean boy band comprising members with varying degrees of hearing loss, at the congress dinner - a powerful reminder of audiology's role in enabling participation and inclusion across all communities.

Congratulations to our WCA 2026 presenters:

Oral presentations:

• Dr Alisha Isaac Gudkar: Exploring the relationships between auditory processing, speech sound identification, language, cognition and reading in children with listening difficulties.

• Dr Alisha Isaac Gudkar: Modelling the contributions of auditory, speech, language, and cognitive processes to speech-in-noise perception in school-aged children: Diagnosing children's listening difficulties.

• Dr Christopher Waterworth: Addressing the global gap: Mapping audiology workforce and training disparities towards pathways of equitable access.

• Dr Christopher Waterworth: Global disparities in hearing care services and infrastructure: Findings from an international provider survey.

• Prof Dani Tomlin: Exploring the relationship between speech-in-noise recognition and academic performance in primary school children.

• A/Prof Kelley Graydon: Co-developing sustainable audiology services in low and middle income settings: A case study in Cambodia.

• Lucy Shiels: Benefits of classroom remote microphone technology for inattentive children.