Bill Hodgetts, PhD, MSc, BA

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Availability

By Appointment

Area of Study / Keywords

Bone conduction hearing devices Audiology Hearing rehabilitation Hearing loss Listening effort Outcome measurement Clinical verification Patient-centred care Communication disorders

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About

I am a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Alberta. I also hold an appointment as Program Director for Audiology and Bone Conduction Amplification within the Craniofacial Care Program, where I lead clinical and research initiatives focused on improving hearing outcomes for individuals with conductive and mixed hearing loss.

My work centers on translating scientific principles into practical clinical tools that improve the consistency, accessibility, and effectiveness of hearing care. This includes developing and validating fitting and verification methods for bone conduction devices, advancing outcome measurement frameworks in audiology, and investigating the human and contextual factors that influence whether people seek and persist with hearing support.

I am particularly interested in bridging the gap between technical performance and real-world experience — ensuring that hearing care reflects not only audibility, but communication, identity, and long-term engagement with treatment.

Appointments, Affiliations and Memberships

Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (ACSLPA)

Canadian Academy of Audiology (CAA)

Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS), University of Alberta

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Research

Research

My research focuses on improving how hearing care is delivered in real-world settings. This work integrates engineering, clinical science, and behavioral science to ensure that hearing interventions are not only technically accurate, but usable, trusted, and effective over time.

A central focus of this work has been the development of fitting and verification methods for bone conduction hearing devices. These approaches address long-standing variability in clinical practice by providing standardized ways to prescribe and measure device output for individual patients. This work has contributed to tools and procedures that are now used in clinical and industry settings to improve the consistency of hearing device fittings.

More recently, my research has expanded to examine the broader factors that influence hearing care outcomes. This includes understanding how individuals perceive hearing loss, how they make decisions about seeking care, and why many people do not adopt or continue using hearing technologies even when they would benefit.

This work is organized across three interconnected areas:

Precision Fitting and Verification of Bone Conduction Devices

Bone conduction hearing devices transmit sound through vibration of the skull rather than through the ear canal. While this provides important clinical options for individuals with conductive hearing loss or anatomical differences, it also introduces challenges in determining how much sound should be delivered and how that output should be verified.

Our research in this area focuses on developing and validating methods to prescribe and measure device output on an individual basis. These approaches aim to improve the accuracy, consistency, and transparency of clinical fittings across patient populations.

This work is conducted through collaborations between the University of Alberta and the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine (iRSM).

Listening Effort, Cognitive Load, and Sensory Integration

Understanding speech is not purely an auditory task. It requires the coordination of auditory, visual, and cognitive systems, particularly in complex environments.

Our research examines how individuals allocate cognitive resources during listening tasks and how this changes in the presence of hearing loss or competing demands. For example, situations that require simultaneous listening and visual attention can increase cognitive load and affect performance.

We are also interested in how different sensory systems (auditory, visual, and somatosensory) contribute to perception and how reliance on these systems shifts in response to impairment or task difficulty. This work has implications for both assessment and rehabilitation, particularly in designing environments and interventions that reduce listening effort.

Uptake, Adherence, and Human Factors in Hearing Care

A significant challenge in audiology is that many individuals who would benefit from hearing care do not seek help, and many who do seek help do not consistently use their devices.

Our research explores the psychological and contextual factors that influence these behaviors, including expectations, messaging, and perceived benefit. For example, we have examined how different types of communication about hearing loss can influence individuals’ willingness to seek care.

This work reflects a broader shift toward patient-centered models of hearing care that recognize the importance of motivation, identity, and lived experience in determining outcomes.

Current Direction

Current work focuses on extending hearing care beyond traditional clinical settings through the development of scalable tools and technologies. This includes the use of digital platforms and machine learning approaches to improve speech understanding in real-world and virtual environments.

The long-term goal of this research program is to improve access to hearing care and to ensure that interventions are both technically effective and meaningful in everyday life.

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Teaching

I teach graduate-level courses in audiology and hearing science, with an emphasis on clinical reasoning, measurement, and evidence-informed practice. My teaching philosophy focuses on helping students develop the judgment required to apply technical knowledge in real-world clinical settings.

I am particularly interested in preparing students to navigate uncertainty, communicate effectively with patients, and integrate scientific evidence into practical decision-making.

CSD 517A - Hearing and Hearing Disorders

Study of basic hearing science, including anatomy and physiology, symptoms, etiology and prognosis of hearing disorders as well as basic audiometric testing. The course also covers the treatment strategies, counselling considerations and aural (re)habilitation for children and adults with hearing loss. Pre or corequisite: CSD 502. (Restricted to MScSLP students only). Not open to students with credit in SPA/CSD 515 or SPA/CSD 534.

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CSD 517B - Hearing and Hearing Disorders

Study of basic hearing science, including anatomy and physiology, symptoms, etiology and prognosis of hearing disorders as well as basic audiometric testing. The course also covers the treatment strategies, counselling considerations and aural (re)habilitation for children and adults with hearing loss. Pre or corequisite: CSD 502. (Restricted to MScSLP students only). Not open to students with credit in SPA/CSD 515 or SPA/CSD 534.

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Browse more courses taught by Bill Hodgetts

Cassandra Cowan, Amberley V. Ostevik, Kathleen Jones, Thi K. T. Huynh, Alex Gascon, William Hodgetts, Jacqueline Cummine

Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, Hearing and Balance Medicine. 2026 February; 10.3390/ohbm7010009

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Craig Richard St. Jean, Jacqueline Cummine, Gurjit Singh, William (Bill) Hodgetts

Audiology Research. 2026 January; 10.3390/audiolres16010012

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Cassandra Cowan, Kathleen Jones, Amberley V. Ostevik, Sara Al Souqi, William Hodgetts, Jacqueline Cummine

Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, Hearing and Balance Medicine. 2024 December; 10.3390/ohbm5020019

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International Journal of Audiology. 2021 January; 10.1080/14992027.2020.1820087

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International Journal of Audiology. 2021 January; 10.1080/14992027.2021.1872805

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International Journal of Audiology. 2020 January; 10.1080/14992027.2019.1708983

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Hodgetts, W.E., Aalto, D., Ostevik, A.V., Cummine, J.

Ear and Hearing. 2018 January;

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Hodgetts, W.E., Scott, D.K., Maas, P., Westover, L.

Ear and Hearing. 2018 January; 39 (6):1157-1164

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Cummine, J., Aalto, D., Ostevik, A.V., Cheema, K., Hodgetts, W.E.

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research. 2018 January; 47 (5):999-1014

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Hodgetts, W.E., Ostevik, A.V., Aalto, D., Cummine, J.

Canadian Journal of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. 2017 January; 41 (2):175-202

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Hodgetts, W.E., Scollie, S.D.

International Journal of Audiology. 2017 January; 56 (7):521-530

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