It’s a good thing Jesse Sinclair likes sports: with four brothers and four sisters, his family practically had its own sports team. Now, with four kids of his own, family is still everything to him – and it even inspired him to switch careers and become a clinical audiologist.

“I started my career as a software engineer, working on various projects from web development to software that runs cellular networks,” says Jesse. “But I got tired of sitting in front of a computer all the time, and I always had an interest in healthcare. My brother-in-law is an audiologist and introduced me to the field. After spending a day working in his clinic, I instantly fell in love.”

Jesse then went back to school to study the subject and began working as a clinical audiologist – a healthcare professional that deals with hearing loss and rehabilitation. 

While he really enjoyed the work, Jesse soon realized he wanted to do something that had an even bigger impact. He and his family packed their bags for a new city as Jesse joined Unitron’s corporate audiology team in 2016. 

“Now, I get the best of both worlds,” says Jesse. “Some days we’re doing clinical trials and I get to work with a lot of people. Other times, I'm working with R&D to optimize hearing aid features. I even use my programming skills to program new tests and help create prototypes.” 

“I really enjoy helping to create technology that brings real benefit to people,” he adds. “There is a lot of data that shows the negative impact of untreated hearing loss. It's a huge problem throughout the entire world, and there's a lot of stigma around hearing aids.”

One of his favourite parts of the job? Putting new technologies through their paces with field trials. 

Most clinical trials have two phases: First, Unitron brings in people, tests their hearing, and then selects candidates based on certain characteristics such as their age, hearing loss and previous experience with hearing aids. 

Next, participants are fitted with hearing aids and then put through a series of tests, depending on the technology being used. The results can help audiologists understand what’s working well and what might need further development.

“It's really great to work on something and then test it with people and we see it provides measurable benefit,” says Jesse.  “A lot of people participate in the trials to help other people with hearing loss and help us make the products better. But then they'll try one of our new hearing aids and then they won't want to give them back.”

Ultimately, it’s helping people live fuller lives that motivates Jesse and his team.

“We can create products that sound really great and are really easy to use,” adds Jesse. “And you know somebody who’s going to wear it is going to do better than they would have done otherwise without a hearing a solution.”