Courtesy Photo | Dr. Theresa Schulz received the National Hearing Conservation Association’s Lifetime...... read more read more
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Dr. Theresa Schulz, who has dedicated her career to maintaining warfighter readiness through hearing conservation, was recently presented with the National Hearing Conservation Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, its highest honor.
Schulz, a doctor of audiology and the former hearing loss prevention chief and currently a senior audiologist with the Defense Health Agency’s Hearing Center of Excellence, was recognized for more than 35 years of work in hearing loss prevention, research, policy, leadership, and mentorship across the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and DHA. The honor, awarded in February 2026, celebrates individuals whose contributions have shaped the field and inspired generations.
“I am thrilled to have been recognized,” said Schulz. “I always say that my job is to save the hearing of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians. Hearing is often under-appreciated but is as critical for survivability and lethality.”
From military service to protecting service members’ hearing
Schulz joined the U.S. Army after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin as an audiologist, then later transferred to the U.S. Air Force. She retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2004. She continued her work through the VA, NIOSH, and DHA, where she served as a senior audiologist, leading the prevention and surveillance section at the DHA HCE. Even after retiring in 2025, she kept working as a senior audiologist.
Her work on warfighter hearing conservation isn’t an afterthought in military medicine — her dedication has a direct impact on DHA Director Rear Adm. Darin Via’s first line of effort to deliver medically ready warfighters. For the Department of Defense, good hearing is essential for being fit and ready for duty.
Her career has advanced warfighter medical readiness in many ways across her military and civilian careers. One of her proudest moments was helping develop DOD Instruction 6055.12, a policy update that added a requirement for hearing protector fit testing. She called it a years-long effort that will “truly make a difference in the hearing health of current and future warfighters.”
Focus on the future of hearing conservation
Her work has also strongly supported the DHA director’s second line of effort — delivering medical warrior currency — with decades of helping military and civilian professionals keep pace with new science, tools, and standards in audiology and hearing conservation. Schulz said she “enjoys mentoring young audiologists and encourages them to build careers in the military or in support of the warfighter.”
That mentorship has shaped careers and furthers her impact on warfighter readiness.
Col. Jeffrey Wisneski, chief of DHA HCE, said Schulz “has dedicated her professional life ensuring that our warfighters are the most capable on the battlefield by protecting life and enhancing their hearing abilities.” Schulz pushed for technology and regulation that improved the evaluation, treatment, and mitigation of hearing loss, he said, while helping “maintain the most lethal fighting force on the planet.”
He described her as a scholar and teacher whose influence spread far beyond her own office, becoming known across DOD and beyond as a subject matter expert, spending decades conducting and reviewing research, and training the next generation, “including me. She mentored and gave me the opportunity to excel.”
Aligning with DHA’s third line of effort to deliver joint warfighting capabilities, Schulz’s work is paramount. At HCE, she spearheaded teams to work across DOD to establish evidence-based best practices and enterprise-wide solutions. Schulz pointed to the Hearing Protector Fit Testing Task Force, which brings people together each month from across the department to solve problems tied to the new fit-testing requirement and support those on the front lines.
Schulz said HCE’s knowledge products are applicable across the board — to the military, civilians, and family members. “Although our focus is on the warfighter, hearing health is important in every aspect of life. Prevention of noise-induced hearing loss is a lifelong pursuit.”
For DHA, her legacy has reached beyond audiology, demonstrating how the devotion of Schulz’s career can strengthen readiness, sharpen joint capabilities, train the force, and improve care across the enterprise — delivering high-quality health care services to all beneficiaries.
Above all her accomplishments, Schulz urged continued awareness of DOD hearing conservation to keep service members “in the fight, and lethal.”
“Hearing conservation is more than just a hearing test,” she said. “Despite the noise exposures that are inevitable with modern warfare, the DOD hearing conservation programs can show success in keeping warfighters ready.”
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2026 11:30 |
| Story ID: | 561732 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sound of success: Defense Health Agency audiologist awarded for decades of warfighter hearing health, by Robert Hammer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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