Energy-Free Stress Management Strategies - CANCELLED
2026-04-15 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
What tools do you have at your disposal to manage stress?
The question isn’t whether you’ll face challenges, but how prepared you’ll be when they arrive.
Stress management isn’t one-size-fits-all. Individual variability necessitates that we all determine what uniquely works best for ourselves. There are countless ways to respond to stress.
After a brief introduction to the stress response and ways to cultivate self-awareness, this presentation offers a collection of practical, accessible strategies for managing stress in real-time without requiring significant energy expenditure or resources.
Each strategy is designed to interrupt the stress response and promote recovery through simple, intentional practices. Whether you have just a moment or several minutes, these techniques can help shift your mental and physiological state to increase executive functioning and resilience.
The techniques are broken into two categories: sensory approaches and cognitive interventions. Not every strategy will work for everyone or every situation. The goal is to build a personalized toolkit that works for you.
As a special member benefit, registration is free and only available to national SAA members.
Register

Speaker
Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Kyle H. Shepard, AuD, is an Audiologist for the United States Navy. He has also been a stress management/resilience instructor for the Navy for ten years and ran the stress management program at Naval Hospital Guam for two and a half years, which became recognized for several best practices and the #1 CgOSC program in Navy Medicine at the time. He is also an Assistant Certified Fitness Leader for the Navy and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Kyle has been a fitness and martial arts instructor in his community for over four years. In 2021, he set a Guinness World Record for most chest-to-ground burpees in three minutes.

Brewing Success: A Coffee Talk with ACEN & National SAA
2026-05-06 19:00 - 20:00
Pull up a chair and join us for a warm, conversational “coffee talk” between ACEN and the national SAA designed to give students a clearer, more confident path through the ACEN application and clinical placement process.
In this panel style session, ACEN will walk us through their highly informative presentation covering the full program timeline, what students can expect at each stage, and what clinics look for throughout the process. Together, we’ll break down key milestones, common questions, and the realities of staying on track.
To make the conversation even more valuable, ACEN will also share practical tips for crafting a strong application and strategies for keeping up with the ACEN timeline without feeling overwhelmed. With insights from both ACEN and national SAA, attendees will get a balanced, supportive look at how to navigate the journey successfully.
This is your chance to hear directly from the people who know the process best—an open discussion to help you feel prepared and empowered.
As a special member benefit, registration is free and only available to national SAA members.

Register

Speakers
Mary Henry, AuD

Mary Henry, AuD, works at Swedish Medical Group in Seattle, Washington. She primarily provides adult diagnostic and amplification services in addition to vestibular testing. She has enjoyed serving as Swedish’s Audiology Student Coordinator for several years and finds working with students to be a rewarding part of her job. Dr. Henry enjoys traveling and exploring unique cuisine.

Charlotte Mullen, AuD

Charlotte Mullen, AuD, is a pediatric Audiologist and the Specialty Audiologist for Education and Training for the audiology program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Mullen is a founding member of the Audiology Clinical Education Network (ACEN) and remains on the steering committee for that group. She founded the Sound Outreach to Schools educational audiology program. She is the primary Audiologist to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Mullen has given numerous presentations to professional, student and parent groups. Her clinical work initially identified an increased incidence in hearing loss among children treated by extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Working closely with the Developmental Medicine Program, Dr. Mullen developed a clinical practice guideline for audiological monitoring which led to incorporation into the 2007 Joint Committee on Infant Hearing recommendations. Dr. Mullen is also an adjunct professor at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Rachel Kansky, AuD

Rachel Kansky, AuD, is an audiologist currently employed by the Miami VA Healthcare System. She obtained her clinical doctorate in Audiology from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Kansky is Board Certified in Vestibular Audiology, with specialty areas of practice that include: vestibular diagnostics, vestibular rehabilitation therapy, and student experiences. Her other clinical applications involve Whole Health, audiologic assessment, amplification, aural rehabilitation, and Clinical Video Telehealth. She is a Certificate Holder – Audiology Preceptor from the American Board of Audiology and serves as a student preceptor for third- and fourth-year prospective doctoral students. Professionally, Dr. Kansky is an active member of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), Association of VA Audiologists (AVAA), and American Balance Society (ABS). She is also an active participant in the Audiology Clinical Education Network.
Stacy O’Brien, AuD

Stacy O’Brien, AuD, is the founder of Eartrainment, an audiologist-led hearing and brain-health innovation company developing next-generation solutions that protect, enhance, and optimize how people hear and connect, across everyday life, work, and recreation.
Dr. O’Brien is on the Board of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology as a Director-at-Large, as well as Treasurer, and on the ACEN steering committee representing private practice, to improve the student externship process. She is the founder of Atlantic Hearing, Balance and Tinnitus Centers, and the Audiology4All Foundation, which funds audiology treatments, student scholarships and projects in local communities and abroad for those financially in need.
Dr. O’Brien was inspired to become an Audiologist when her youngest daughter suffered middle ear issues and the treatment process she went through instilled a dream within Stacy to help others in a similar manner. She loves spending her time traveling and at the beach with family.
Kaylee Smith, AuD

Kaylee Smith, AuD, completed her graduate degree at Northern Illinois University. Following completion of graduate school, she completed a fellowship in the vestibular sciences at Vanderbilt Medical Center. She is now a senior staff audiologist at Henry Ford Health and an academic and clinical instructor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University. Additionally, she serves as the extern and balance coordinator at Henry Ford Health.
