Academy of Doctors of Audiology

On January 1, 2021, Dr. Victor Bray will begin a one-year term as President of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA). Dr. Bray is an associate professor at the Osborne College of Audiology at Salus University. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Speech & Hearing Science fro the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Kristin Davis will begin her term as President-elect for the organization. Dr. Davis, who currently serves as ADA Secretary, is a clinical audiologist and owner of Davis Audiology, with three practice locations in upstate South Carolina.

Also beginning three-year terms of service in January are Dr. Jason Leyendecker and Dr. Dawn Heiman. Dr. Leyendecker is a clinical audiologist and owner of Audiology Concepts, a private audiology practice with five locations in Minnesota. Dr. Heiman is a clinical audiologist and owner of Advanced Audiology Consultants, a private audiology practice located in Woodridge, Illinois.

Returning to the ADA Board of Directors for 2021 are Dr. Debbie Abel (Immediate Past President), Dr. Audra Branham (Treasurer), Dr. Stephanie Sjoblad (Director-at-large), Dr. Tim Steele (Director-at-large).

ADA would like to thank Immediate Past President Dr. Ram Nileshwar and Treasurer Dr. Rachel Magann Faivre, who are completing their terms of service on the ADA Board of Directors on December 31, 2020. They have made tremendous, long-lasting contributions to ADA that will help ensure its success in the years to come.     ADA is pleased to announce that third-year University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences student B. Renee McDowell earned first place honors and an $8,000 cash grant during the 2020 ADA Student Business Plan Competition, held virtually in October 2020. McDowell’s proposed business, Magnolia Industrial Hearing Services, LLC, features a mobile testing unit and will allow for scalability in terms of size and services.

The ADA Business Plan Competition is geared for audiology students seeking meaningful hands-on business experience, and the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and creativity. Early-round activities included development of a written executive summary and business plan, which was judged on creativity, feasibility, completeness, cohesiveness, professionalism and polish.

“The business acumen and resourcefulness demonstrated by Renee over the past six months of competition exemplifies what it takes to own a practice,” said ADA President Deb Abel, Au.D. “The level of knowledge and resourcefulness displayed by all of the 2020 finalists offers great assurance that the future of audiology is secure!”

ADA 2020 Student Business Plan Competition honorable mentions go to Jade Faulkner, Au.D., a recent graduate from the City University New York, who finished in second place and Miranda McDonnell, a second-year student at Northwestern University. Competition Judges included Tom Tedeschi, Au.D., Charlie Stone, Au.D., Bob Traynor, Ed.D., MBA, and Stacy O’Brien, Au.D.

ADA is grateful to Amplifon for its tremendous support of the ADA Student Business Plan Competition, particularly throughout this difficult year. Amplifon’s donation of time and resources allowed this important program to continue and provided a much-needed opportunity for audiology students to build resiliency and build practice management skills. We are also grateful for the judges for teaching these students valuable lessons that will allow them to flourish in whatever practice setting that they choose.     AudiologyOnline, a worldwide leader in continuing education for audiologists, has selected Luz Angela Sanchez Carrillo and Jennifer Maikell as recipients of the inaugural Emerging Leaders Scholarship Awards, which recognize Student Academy of Doctors of Audiology (SADA) members who demonstrate academic excellence, contribute to their community outside of the classroom, and have a compelling vision for audiology’s future.

Carrillo, a 2023 Au.D. candidate at the Long Island Au.D. Consortium, is described as a focused and compassionate clinician, dedicated to helping those around her function at their best. Ms. Carrillo’s aspirations to deliver international pediatric care will be aided by her fluency in both English and Spanish and her unique experiences, which include earning a degree in speech therapy and audiology from the Universidad Nacional de Columbia and working as a speech language therapist in Columbia.

Maikell, a 2021 Au.D. candidate at Wayne State University, routinely receives accolades for her clinical and academic performance. Beyond the classroom and the clinic, she demonstrates servant leadership as a volunteer in her church, her local Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) chapter, and through her service to children at the University of Michigan Family Matters Conference and the A.G. Bell Michigan Community Expo. Maikell is a passionate advocate and a regular participant in SAA Lobby Day where she meets with Michigan legislators to advance policy initiatives that support exceptional patient care.

SADA would like to thank AudiologyOnline for its commitment to future Doctors of Audiology.     When it comes to social distancing, six feet can feel like six million miles. ADA’s conventional convention was out of the question this year, but our desire to convene, connect, learn, share, grow, and socialize was stronger than ever!

On October 16-17, 2020, AuDacity brought together 12 associations, 40 companies, and more than 700 audiologists, students, and industry professionals! We enjoyed fast-paced panel sessions, and keynote presentations devoted to design thinking, along with a cadre of innovative workshops, designed to provide practical information and innovative new ways to network in a virtual environment!

If you missed any of this great programming—you are not too late. You can still register to access more than 40 hours of CE programming, which will be available through 2021. For more information, visit audiologist.org.