Arlene: “Helping to develop hearing aids gives me a sense of purpose”

Arlene Meidahl, Radio Frequency (RF) Design Engineer, has worked in Lynge, Denmark, for five years. Arlene plays a crucial role in the integration of various components in hearing aids. Her work includes optimizing and integrating key elements such as IC chips, Bluetooth modules and designing Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) antennas.   

Her passion  

What makes Arlene most proud of her job is knowing that her work has a direct impact on people’s lives. “Helping to develop hearing aids gives me a sense of purpose,” she says. “Knowing that my contributions improve someone’s quality of life inspires me to come to work every day.” 

What keeps Arlene motivated is both the work and the people she works with. “I am surrounded by brilliant, talented people from whom I am constantly learning,” she says. “Working on challenging projects gives me the drive to push forward and deliver future innovations.” 

Never give up  

Innovation is at the heart of Arlene’s job. Her natural curiosity about how things work and how they can be improved drives her to constantly seek new solutions. In RF engineering, interference and crosstalk between components can degrade performance. When she and her team find a way to mitigate these issues -whether by designing a new antenna or repositioning components- they know they have achieved true innovation.  

One of the biggest challenges in her field is ensuring high RF performance while working within the constraints of a tiny form factor. With a strong focus on NFMI antenna design, she was instrumental in developing the 10.6 MHz near-field magnetic induction antenna used in WS Audiology’s hearing aids.  

Getting better and better 

For Arlene, growth comes from continuous learning and embracing feedback. She views feedback as a valuable professional development tool that helps her become more self-aware and refine her skills. “Feedback is not criticism – it is a roadmap to becoming the best version of yourself,” she explains. “It shows you where you can grow and excel, and that’s an amazing opportunity.”