Thomas P. White, MA

In 1981, Tom White, a pioneer in the field of audiology had the foresight to found Hearing Evaluation Services (HES) as a freestanding non-profit audiology practice. Prior to founding HES, Tom was the Director of Audiology for Buffalo Otolaryngology Group (BOG), a large ear, nose, and throat practice in Buffalo. Tom had a strong relationship with Dr. Irwin Ginsberg of the BOG and together they evaluated and treated thousands of individuals with hearing loss in WNY.

In 1981, Tom White and Dr. Ginsberg developed a proposal to establish HES as a freestanding non-profit audiology group. This allowed HES audiologists to fit hearing aids in a highly ethical manner. This mission formed the heart and soul of the organization.

Tom developed a professional model at HES, whereby the audiologist would take more of a counseling approach to the fitting of hearing aids. The patient’s best interests would always be at the forefront of the treatment process, even if that meant the audiologist would only counsel and educate the patient in cases where a hearing aid was not appropriate. The audiologist’s compensation would never be tied to the number of hearing aids sold and all patients would be treated like family.

Over the years, HES expanded its scope from a strictly hearing aid dispensing practice to one that offers a full range of audiological services. In 2000, Tom White retired from the organization and was succeeded by Dr. Ann Stadelmaier, and then by Dr. Anne Orsene. Although Tom retired from the organization, he was committed to helping ensure the future growth of the organization and was an active member of the Board of Directors at HES.

Tom was truly committed to the development of our staff and to the field of audiology. He was an instructor at the University of Buffalo and was actively involved in training university students to help ensure the future success and growth of our profession. Tom fully believed that audiologists should own our profession. Tom was at the forefront of the audiology movement and one of his goals was to transition all existing HES audiologists from masters-level to doctoral-level audiologists. The organization supported their continuing education and in 2008, HES became the largest organization in WNY to be fully staffed with Doctors of Audiology. Tom was extremely proud to know that HES continues to grow and currently employs 14 Doctors of Audiology. He will truly be missed.

A memorial fund has been set up in Tom’s honor. It will serve as a scholarship fund for Doctoral Audiology students. To make a donation, please send a check to:

The Thomas P. White Scholarship Fund at the Philanthropic Fund
2640 North Forest Road
Getzville, NY 14068

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