Jane Zankman

Jane is a third-year doctoral student in audiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WashU Med), specializing in pediatric audiology. She earned her bachelor’s degree in linguistics and educational studies, along with speech-hearing sciences, from WashU in 2018. Following this, she pursued her passion for education by becoming a Teacher of the d/Deaf and h/Hard of Hearing (TODHH), completing her master’s degree in Deaf Education in 2021 from the same institution.

Her professional journey began in Maryland, where she was raised, where she first learned and engaged with the Deaf community. Before returning to St. Louis, Jane worked as a TODHH in the Philadelphia area, working at both OPTION and public schools. Her current interests focus on developing evidence-based practices to support the d/Deaf + community, emphasizing holistic family approaches, at-home carry-over strategies, and multimodal/multilingual communication. Jane is particularly passionate about preventing language deprivation and fostering collaboration between audiologists and other professionals to enhance community support.

In addition to her studies, Jane actively participates in professional organizations. She currently serves as the programs co-chair for the national Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) Board of Directors and as a student liaison for the AAA Professional Development Council. Locally, she is the Vice President of her SAA chapter and has held various roles, including education and advocacy chair since 2023. 

This year, Jane aims to advocate for audiology students and collaborate with the Academy board to support both current and future professionals. Outside of her academic and professional commitments, she enjoys film photography, exploring new restaurants with friends, listening to live music, and scuba diving with her husband. Jane is excited to continue building connections through her involvement in the national organization and her local chapter.