A Fireside Chat with Audiology Students and Professionals with Hearing Loss

Join the national SAA for an engaging panel discussion with students and audiologists with hearing loss. Through this discussion, you will get an opportunity to hear about the unique challenges and opportunities that they face in the clinic, in classes, and in their everyday lives. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding panelists experiences and to foster a discussion regarding accessibility and support for those with hearing loss.

Register

Speakers

Sarah Sparks, AuD

Dr. Sparks is a full-time educational audiologist within the Baltimore City Public School system. She also has a small online business focused on audiology education, counseling, and consulting, and she teaches as an adjunct instructor within both audiology doctoral programs and master’s programs in deaf education. Dr. Sparks is a proud alumna of Gallaudet University’s AuD program. She is deaf herself, communicates in both American Sign Language and spoken/written English, and is a bilateral cochlear implant user.

Michelle Hu, AuD

Dr. Hu is the powerhouse behind the Instagram account Mama Hu Hears, a vibrant community space where she blends her personal journey with her professional expertise to uplift hearing parents of d/Deaf or hard of hearing children and inspire her d/Deaf or hard of hearing peers. As the author of the must-read guide, “My Child Has Hearing Loss, Now What?”, Michelle brings over 15 years of experience as a pediatric audiologist, specializing in everything from diagnosis and amplification to cochlear implants and aural rehabilitation.

Mary Rose Bethel, AuD

Dr. Bethel received her bachelors in Speech-Language-Hearing sciences from Loyola University Maryland, and her clinical doctorate in Audiology from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Her clinical interests include hearing aids, cochlear implants, and clinical education. Dr. Bethel has published three articles based on her research regarding the clinical experiences of d/Deaf or hard of hearing audiology graduate students. She completed her clinical externship year at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and now works as a clinical audiologist at UPMC Eye and Ear Institute. She currently supervises graduate audiology students from the University of Pittsburgh in clinical activities and arranges observation opportunities for undergraduate students pursuing audiology.

Natalia Matteo

Natalia is a third-year audiology doctoral student at WashU Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Health Sciences in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida. Currently, she is in her second year with the national Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) Students with Hearing Loss Subcommittee and serves as the Secretary for the WashU SAA Chapter. Natalia’s clinical interests include pediatric audiology, early identification and intervention, and healthcare accessibility. She looks forward to working with children and families to empower them on their individual hearing loss journeys.

Mindee Anderson

Mindee Anderson is a third-year audiology doctoral student at Utah State University. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Brigham Young University in Communication Disorders. She is the current chair of the national Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) Students with Hearing Loss Subcommittee and the Vice President of the USU SAA Chapter. Her clinical interests include doing almost anything except for cerumen management. She particularly loves working with hearing aids and tinnitus patients.

Nicole Genser

Nicole Genser is an audiology doctoral student at Montclair State University and is currently completing her residency at the Center for Hearing and Communication in New York City. Her clinical interests include aural rehabilitation and amplification. She has engaged in multiple educational, research. and advocacy-based initiatives related to promoting equal access for deaf individuals. Being d/Deaf and a hearing-aid user herself, she is motivated towards fusing her academic, work, and personal experiences to help close substantial gaps in these areas.