Tammy Riegner-Vitale, AuD

About Dr. Riegner-Vitale

What are your clinical interests?
Pediatric audiology has my whole audiology heart although I enjoy helping patients in all age ranges. I am very passionate about electrophysiology and auditory processing disorders in particular.

What do you/did you love the most about your job?

The patients. No matter what happened the day before, I know that each day brings its own surprises and what I like to call “Little Miracles”.

What company or organization do you work for right now? If you’re retired, where did you last work?

Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center, a community nonprofit that provides in-center as well as outreach service all over Polk County.

What’s a project you’re working on right now? Why is it meaningful to you?

Currently, I am working with my pediatric colleague, Dr. Amanda Hidalgo, to improve our newborn hearing screening and early diagnostic process. We hope in the future to add auditory processing disorder evaluations to our offered services. We are a unique center in that our audiologists work side-be-side with our speech-language pathologists and an APD program could be tailored for not just diagnosis but also potentially therapeutic interventions.

How has your career benefited from being a member of the Academy?
I think the Academy provides an opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues for resources and recommendations. We cannot be everything to everyone, but we can be a resource to all.

Any tips or advice for new members on how to best leverage their Academy membership?

My advice to newer members is to get to know some Academy members! I find that many of our Academy colleagues are willing to answer questions and help mentor newer members (and some of us older ones as well)! We are here to serve others and that can mean our colleagues as well as our patients so that we are providing the most ethical and comprehensive hearing healthcare possible.

Fun Facts

Where is your hometown?
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. Go Steelers! and then went to WVU for both my bachelor’s and my master’s degrees.

If you could bring back one TV show that was canceled, which one would you bring back?

I miss Firefly, that show was just all kinds of SciFi fun.

What are you reading or listening to at the moment?

I am reading the novel Remarkably Bright Creatures and if you haven’t read it, get it.  It is a beautiful novel and an easy read.

Best vacation you’ve ever been on?

I love any new place and I have found something special everywhere I go, but my favorite, above all, was my trip to Sedona, Arizona.  It was truly a spiritually uplifting time when I needed it the most.

Who is your hero, and why?

To be cliche, my husband Chris.  He served the public trust for 32 years with integrity and courage.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

I think of this often, believe it or not, and I think to be able to understand and communicate in every language on Earth would be the most AMAZING power.