Profile

What is your background in audiology?

I am an associate professor and clinical audiologist at UNC Chapel Hill. My work focuses on adult aural rehabilitation and tinnitus. While I love teaching classes on hearing aids to our graduate students, I also have a special interest in interprofessional education and community outreach.

Why do you volunteer with the Academy?

To quote Hamilton the musical, I want to be in “The Room Where It Happens.” Volunteering places me alongside the changemakers of our profession, with an inside view of the impact and efforts of our Academy membership. Being part of the Foundation is especially rewarding because I get to give away y’all’s money to those audiologists and students who are most deserving!

What is one thing that you can say volunteering has done for you and your personal success as an audiologist?

I enjoy getting to meet other leaders in our field. Audiology is small and I know that the relationships that I am forming now will carry on past my term with the Foundation. In the future, I will be able to reach out to these amazing colleagues for collaborations, and they will also know they can count on me.

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?

I very much wanted to be a music teacher. I played several instruments growing up and auditioned for entry to a school of music. Unfortunately, I was told to practice more and try again next year. While soul crushing, it ultimately allowed me to pivot to audiology. Each day I would return from my Intro to Communication Disorders class and sit my undergrad friends down so I could tell them about all the cool things I had just learned! Music is still a big part of my life as a vocalist, and I joke that it’s easier to be an amateur musician than an amateur audiologist! And I ultimately got to fulfill my dream of teaching in a way I could not have imagined at age 18.

If you could call anyone in the world and have a one-hour conversation, who would you call?

The comedian and actress Carol Burnett. I’ve always admired her completely unapologetic charisma and expressive presence. My sisters and I loved to imitate her amazing performance as Ms. Hannigan from the 1982 film Annie, complete with feather boa and glass bottle. I think a phone conversation with a 92-year-old Carol would be hilarious.