Tom Muller, AuD, was selected by his peers to receive this year's Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education in the field of audiology.

In presenting the award to Dr. Muller, Todd Murray, president of Beltone North America (http://www.beltone.com/), cited his "extraordinary contributions to the field of audiology and the hearing care industry. We are grateful for his ongoing efforts to improve our industry through continuing education and innovation."

"I am honored to be chosen for this award by my colleagues," said Dr. Muller, clinical associate professor and clinical division leader for audiology at the University of Arizona. "It is very rewarding to be recognized as an educator and advocate within the industry that is a passion of my life."

Dr. Muller has been on the university faculty in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences since 1997, starting as a clinical instructor. For seven years he was director of the Audiology Department at Thomas-Davis Medical Centers in Tucson.

Dr. Muller also manages the Pima County Hearing Aid Bank, a cooperative program of the Sertoma, the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf, and the University of Arizona Hearing Clinic, where low-income individuals can obtain hearing aids at a very low cost.

In 2010 he received the Innovation in Teaching award from the College of Science at the university for his work in developing a model of clinical provision and supervision to foster independence in third-year AuD students. He is also a commissioner for and past chair of the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a member of the American Academy of Audiology, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

The Mauldin Award was created to honor the accomplishments of the late Larry Mauldin, especially for his work and commitment to education in the field of audiology. His passion was to advance the knowledge of audiology and hearing aid fittings to as broad an audience as possible. Presented annually since 1999, the award is given to an industry leader committed to continuing education and unselfishly giving back to the profession, the community, and individuals who are hearing impaired.