A Star Is Born's tinnitus troubles discussed by Bradley Cooper's real life otolaryngologist

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The most recent remake of “A Star Is Born” has captured our hearts here at Sound. If you’ve walked into our office over the past few weeks you may have heard a song or two from the soundtrack blasting in our waiting room, and not only for the catchy tunes, but for the close connection the plot has to the world of audiology.

You might be asking yourself, why is a speech and hearing clinic talking about “A Star Is Born?” One of the central storylines of “A Star Is Born” is the struggle Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) has with hearing loss and tinnitus. Throughout the movie, his condition is made worse by the fact that he’s a famous musician performing live concerts and exposing himself to dangerous sound levels on a daily basis.

In a recent article on the site AV Club, interviewers Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin had the opportunity to sit down with Bradley Cooper’s real life otolaryngologist, Dr. William Slattery, who plays Jackson Maine’s otolaryngologist in the film. In the film, his doctor advises him to wear in-ear monitors (which our audiologists highly recommend as well) to help prevent future damage, and manage his condition. Enjoy the interview with Dr. Slattery, further explaining the condition that impacted Maine, and over 30 million people in the United States.

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Jody Vaynshtok

Jody is a California-licensed speech language pathologist with eight years of industry and clinical experience. She has worked with both adult and pediatric populations during her time at private practice, birth-to-three, and hospital facilities. She is experienced in the assessment and treatment of a variety of communication and cognitive disorders. In addition, Jody has a passion for working with adults looking to achieve clearer communication. Jody received her BS in Speech and Hearing Sciences and MS in Medical Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Washington. She was a part of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford’s cleft and craniofacial clinic participating in the multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of children born with craniofacial abnormalities. She holds a staff position at UCSF and is the lead speech language pathologist for the department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’s Hearing Loss Clinic. When she's not busy having fun with her clients Jody enjoys spending time with her husband, Anton, friends and family. And if she's not headed out somewhere fun for dinner, you might find her at Bar Method working out!