Riley DeBacker, AuD, PhD

Members-at-Large Nominee: Riley DeBacker, AuD, PhD

Riley DeBacker, AuD, PhD, is a research audiologist at the VA’s National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) and an assistant professor in the department of Otolaryngology at Oregon Health and Science University. His research focuses on predictive statistical modeling of ototoxic hearing loss and novel use cases for artificial intelligence in audiology.

Dr. DeBacker is also a member of the American Academy of Audiology Guidelines and Strategic Documents Committee and 2025 recipient of the Academy’s Early Career Audiologist Award. He previously volunteered for the Academy as an advisor for the “Beyond the Booth” series, chair of the 2023 Scientific, Clinical, and Research Posters Sub-Committee, president of the Student Academy of Audiology, and member of the Nominations Committee, Honors and Awards Task Force, Audiologists’ Role in Pharmacology Task Force, Academic and Professional Standards Council, and ACAE board.

Outside of the Academy, Dr. DeBacker is the managing director of Northwest Workers Clinic, a free clinic for farmworkers and other low-income patients, and founder of Queer Empowerment for Audiologists, Researchers, and Students (QuEARS), an LGBTQ+ affinity group.