What Is the Starkey Hearing Institute?

Updated

The Starkey Hearing Institute is a program of Starkey Hearing Foundation that trains hearing care professionals in the developing world. It was created to address the shortage of hearing healthcare professionals globally, and the professionals it graduates return to their home communities to provide hearing services. The first institute opened in 2016 in Lusaka, Zambia, and a second location in the Philippines is set to graduate its first class beginning in 2024.

How the Institute fits into Starkey Hearing Foundation

Starkey Hearing Foundation's stated mission is to give the gift of hearing to those in need. Its work centers on training, educating, and building the capacity of the next generation of hearing care professionals in the developing world — the people who then deliver hearing care in their own communities.

The foundation frames hearing as "a vehicle to reflect caring" and as a way to improve the lives of individuals, their families, and communities. The institute is the mechanism through which that capacity-building happens.

What the institute does

Rather than sending outside professionals in temporarily, the model trains local students who then return home to serve their own communities. That approach is intended to leave lasting hearing care capacity in places that previously had little or none.

Starkey Hearing Institute in Zambia

  • Founded in 2016 in Lusaka, Zambia — the first Starkey Hearing Institute.
  • To date, 103 students from 19 African countries have graduated.
  • Graduates have returned to their home communities to provide hearing services.

Starkey Hearing Institute in the Philippines

  • Beginning in 2024, Starkey Hearing Institute Philippines will graduate its first class.
  • That first class consists of 33 students from 3 cities near Manila.

Starkey Hearing Foundation at a glance

Measure Figure
Hearing health care services provided worldwide More than 1.5 million
Countries reached 100+
Years of work 40+
Graduates of the Zambia institute 103 students from 19 African countries
First Philippines class 33 students from 3 cities near Manila (graduating from 2024)

How to get involved

Starkey Hearing Foundation invites support through donations, describing donors as helping spread the gift of hearing and create the next generation of hearing healthcare leaders through the Starkey Hearing Institute. The foundation's site provides a "Donate Now" option.

If you are looking for hearing care as an individual rather than information about the training program, note that the institute is an education and capacity-building program — it is not described here as a direct clinic or patient service. For specific questions about applying, donating, or partnering, the foundation's own site is the authoritative source.