In a recently-released video, career military health professional and the HCE’s Interim Director, Col(s) Mark Packer, M.D., answers the questions, “What is the Hearing Center of Excellence?†and “Why Is It Important?†His responses shed light on the magnitude and complexity of the problem that the HCE was founded to address, including current gaps in military hearing loss prevention, clinical care, collaborative research and education and the technological, organizational and cultural barriers that have traditionally disrupted progress.