Sarah Anthony

Why are you interested in joining the national SAA Board of Directors?

I really enjoyed being involved with my undergraduate’s audiology-interest club and would love to continue sharing my passion for audiology. I am most excited by the prospect of meeting other audiology students. I’ve made such incredible connections in the field of audiology with other students who have encouraged me to be the best clinician I can be. As students in such a small field, it’s important to band together and support one another through the challenge of graduate school.

What unique traits or skills will you bring to a leadership position with the national SAA?

One skill I can bring to the national SAA board is my technological expertise. In past leadership experiences, I have developed a strong understanding of various virtual communication platforms such as slack, groupme, zoom, and others. Additionally, I have practiced my skills with graphic designing on platforms such as Canva to serve the purpose of disseminating information on social media platforms.

If you could change one thing about the profession of audiology, what would it be?

One major concern about the future of audiology is the lack of accessibility of reliable audiological care. With an aging population, the demand for audiologists will continue to grow. Unfortunately, there are not enough audiology students to fill this forecasted demand. This leaves hearing care services inaccessible for many people, especially those in rural areas. The FDA regulation of over-the-counter hearing aids was designed to address this problem; however, it conflated the availability and affordability of hearing aids with the accessibility of knowledgeable hearing professionals.

More audiologists are necessary to appropriately treat the growing number of Americans with hearing loss and counsel them about the many options for hearing amplification devices. Therefore, I’m passionate about sharing my excitement for the field of audiology and encouraging others to enter the field to improve access to audiological care.