Jerger Future Leaders of Audiology Conference (JFLAC)

Lori Zitelli, AuD, joined the UPMC audiology department in 2012. She became Managing Audiologist in 2021. She received her clinical doctorate in Audiology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a part-time lab instructor at the University of Pittsburgh and teaches a Clinical Procedures Lab for first year AuD students. Her special interests include amplification, evaluation and treatment of tinnitus/decreased sound tolerance, clinical education, clinical research, and interventional audiology. She is an active member/volunteer of the American Academy of Audiology and a Trustee of the American Academy of Audiology Foundation.

Impact of JFLAC Conference:

I entered the 2018 JFLAC meeting hoping to discover and develop my leadership style. I left the 2018 JFLAC meeting with knowledge and resources to strengthen my leadership skills, a clearer understanding of how the Academy works, a new interest in advocacy, and 11 lifelong friends.

Why Should You Apply to JFLAC?

I was shocked to be selected for JFLAC. I am an introvert who suffers from imposter syndrome. The 2018 JFLAC meeting gave me the experience and knowledge I needed to take my involvement with AAA to the next level and the confidence to expand my participation in many other professional activities.

Jennifer Phelan is currently an assistant professor and the audiology clinic coordinator at the University of South Dakota. In this role she sees patients in clinic, precepts graduate clinicians, and teaches courses in the AuD program. Jennifer came to audiology by way of education and was an elementary school teach prior to entering graduate school. Her interests remain in working with children and those with developmental delays although enjoys seeing patients across the lifespan. A significant part why Jen went back into academia as a professor was to be able to combine her enjoyment of teaching and practice of audiology.

Impact of JFLAC Conference:

The opportunity to participate in JFLAC was life-changing for me…literally! The conference itself was informative and engaging. The content supported me professionally and renewed my fondness for the profession. If those aspects were all I got out of the conference that would have been enough, but what made the biggest impact was meeting other audiologists. The networking aspect of JFLAC was awesome. I met a group of motivated professionals that I can go to for advice or support. These connections even opened doors and a new opportunity came my way about a year and a half after attending JFLAC. My family and I made an interstate move and are happy we did!

Why Should You Apply to JFLAC?

If you are eligible for JFLAC, take a page from Nike and “Just do it”! The experience was great. I met wonderful people and it had an impact on me that I never could have anticipated. You might even get to meet your ‘audiology crush’ from the connections you make. Or at least have inside jokes with your JFLAC cohort….like having a conversation about your audiology crush!! 😊 You develop a network of peers from different settings that can support you and infuses an excitement about the profession that after practicing for many years can start to wane.

Current position: Territory Manager, Southeast Michigan Phonak US

Leadership positions since JFLAC:

• President, Michigan Audiology Coalition
• Committee member, AAA 2018 learning modules selection
• Completed my tenure as the National SAA Advisor in 2017
• Completed my tenure as chair of the Student Academy of Audiology Advisory Committee in 2017
• Co-Chair, Student Outreach Committee, Michigan Audiology Coalition
• Planned Michigan Student Leaders in Audiology Meeting for the 7^thyear

Impact of JFLAC Conference:

JFLAC was probably one of the biggest catalysts of my career to this point (along with a gentle nudge from my mentors, Brad Stach and Virginia Ramachandran, several years ago). I left JFLAC with a renewed excitement about taking on a leadership role and an active role in our organizations. Because of this, I changed the format of our Michigan Student Leaders meeting to include talks from past JFLAC attendees that reside/practice in Michigan. As a past JFLACer, we have the responsibility to share the information and excitement we gained with others and I have really taken this to heart since JFLAC 2016.

Current positions: Staff Audiologist – VA Healthcare System Pittsburgh; Audiology Assessment Lab Instructor – University of Pittsburgh

Leadership positions since JFLAC:

Since attending JFLAC in September 2016, I’ve had the pleasure of serving as the chair of the Academy’s website task force and as the chair of the Audiology Technicians task force. In addition to these roles I still serve as a member on the membership subcommittee and the nominations subcommittee. Outside of the Academy I have taken the role of lead investigator on numerous quality improvement projects at the Pittsburgh VA.

Impact of JFLAC Conference:

Attending JFLAC has been extremely beneficial for me in several ways. The most important part for me at that time and to this day remains the confidence that I developed from my experience. Prior to JFLAC I always felt that as an audiologist I should have a role in helping the Academy and our profession grow. Despite this belief I was not as active in the Academy as I am today because I felt that others would provide better service to the Academy than I could. At JFLAC I was able to meet like-minded audiologists who shared the same passion and vision for the future of audiology as I held. Being able to discuss our ideas for ways to help the Academy in a very positive and constructive manner allowed me to see that every audiologist can play a huge role in shaping the future of our profession through the Academy.

JFLAC instilled the belief in me that all audiologists have the ability, and hopefully the dedication, to make a difference for the Academy. By serving as a volunteer on a committee, heading a task force, or even running for board, all audiologists have the opportunity bring a unique perspective that can be shared among colleagues. These new and different ideas and experiences are extremely valuable for audiologists to hear so that we may provide new solutions for both new and existing issues in our field. JFLAC taught me that my experiences and ideas can be useful as the Academy continues to grow.  Having this confidence along with developing wonderful new professional relationships with my fellow JFLAC attendees provided an experience that exceeded all my expectations.