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ILAA Awards Three Scholarships to Audiology Doctoral Students
The ILAA Scholarship and Honors Committees and the ILAA Board of Directors are pleased to announce the 2009-2010 recipients of the annual Doctoral Scholarship Awards for selected outstanding students in an Illinois Au.D. or Ph.D. program. This is the seventh consecutive year that ILAA has offered scholarships with funds raised through the generous donors and purchasers at the annual auction and raffle.
Selection by the Honors Committee is based on 1) the potential for the student to make a significant contribution to the field of audiology, 2) academic accomplishment and intellectual ability, and 3) the applicant’s volunteer activities and leadership potential. Each recipient demonstrated outstanding academic and clinical abilities, as well as numerous personal accomplishments and activities. The recipients are Kristine Henslin, Rachel Specht, and Jay Vachhani.
Ms. Henslin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communicative Disorders prior to entering the Rush University Au.D. program. Ms. Henslin is currently Philanthropy Chair of SAA and Audiology Student Representative to the Rush University College of Health Sciences. She enjoys the medical and scientific aspects of audiology as well counseling and education. Upon graduation she would like to work in a private practice setting in Illinois and eventually own her own practice.
Ms. Specht graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She is Rush University SAA Philanthropy Co-Chair, and has organized or participated in numerous volunteer activities. Ms. Specht notes that audiology is “a mix of everything I have always been most passionate about, from languages and hearing disorders to the mechanisms and research behind it.” She looks forward to working in an environment where she can help others and is engaged with others similarly interested in a scientific profession.
Mr. Vachhani graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science, and obtained EMT certification before entering the Rush University audiology program. In addition to participating in numerous volunteer activities, he was Professional Development Chair of NAFDA at Rush and SAA National Representative for Rush University. He has participated in Grand Rounds, presented a poster session at ASHA, and co-authored an article on AudiologyOnline. In 2009 he was awarded the Audiology Foundation of America’s Outstanding Au.D. Student Scholarship. Upon graduation he would like to be involved in noise control and hearing conservation since he is a strong believer in preventive healthcare, and would like to conduct studies on the synergistic effects of organic solvents and noise.
ILAA is proud of these distinguished Illinois scholars and offers its congratulations to the three scholarship recipients.
Former Scholarship Winners
Many ILAA scholarship recipients have graduated and started their professional careers. Here's an update on your scholarship dollars at work:
Jillian Baehr Earnest, Au.D. graduated from Rush University in June 2009 after completing her 4th year externshipat GN ReSound, Lake Forest Hospital, and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. Following graduation she began work as an audiologist at the Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana.
Renee Banakis, Au.D. graduated in August of 2008 from Northwestern University. During her time at Northwestern, Dr. Banakis participated in research that for the first time showed the presence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in laboratory mice. After receiving her Au.D. degree, Dr. Banakis worked as a clinical audiologist and a research scientist at Northwestern University. In the fall of 2009, Dr. Banakis entered medical school at Northwestern University and plans to specialize in otology.
Lia Ferro, Au.D. graduated from Northwestern University in 2006 after completing her externship at the University of Chicago. As a student, she conducted research examining newborn hearing screening practices in the State of Illinois, the results of which were published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology in 2007. Dr. Ferro presently directs the cochlear implant program at University of Chicago, and has a special interest in pediatric diagnostics
Jessica Fulton Melton, Au.D. graduated from Rush University in June of 2006 after completing her externship at Lake Forest Hospital and Hines VA in Maywood. Upon graduation she worked at the Ear Institute in Chicago, providing basic and advanced diagnostics, and hearing aid, cochlear implant, and BAHA services. In August 2007 she joined Cochlear Corporations as an Educational Outreach Specialist, meeting with professionals to educate and update them on candidacy criteria and technology. Dr. Melton feels there is "a great need to increase awareness" and that her current position is a great opportunity for her "to continue the promotion of hearing healthcare while changing lives on a daily basis."
Jaimie Gilbert, Ph.D. received her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May of 2009. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Indiana University in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, continuing her research on auditory-visual speech perception. Dr. Gilbert noted that the ILAA convention was a wonderful forum for student researchers and that she received excellent input on her research after her presentation.
Blythe Holmes Kitner, Au.D. completed the first half of her 4th year externship at Resurrection Hospital, Chicago, IL and the second half at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Dr. Holmes notes that the combination of those two sites for her externship provided excellent training in both clinical and research aspects of audiology. Following graduation from Rush University in 2009, Dr. Holmes worked at Lake Forest Hospital, and is presently at Tri-City Balance in Geneva where she conducts neurodiagnostic testing. Dr. Holmes is currently serving as Vice President of Membership of ILAA.
Erin Maierle, Au.D. completed her 4th year externship at the UCLA Medical Center and began working there as a Senior Audiologist after her graduation from Rush University in June, 2007. Dr. Maierle states she enjoys working at UCLA due to the dedicated and collaborative staff of audiologist from all over the United States with a variety of specialties and clinical backgrounds, the wide variety of services provided, including electrophysiologic testing, aural rehabilitation, amplification, and implantable devices, and the close relationship with UCLA’s Head and Neck Department and Craniofacial Team. She is pleased to work with a diverse population which provides an opportunity to use her Spanish-speaking skills.
Megan Mulvey, Au.D. graduated from Rush University in June 2008 after completing her externship at the Mailman Center for Child Development (part of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami) in Miami, Florida. Following graduation, Dr. Mulvey began working as an audiologist at NorthShore University Healthcare, formerly known as Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. Dr. Mulvey is currently serving as the ILAA Vice President of Public Relations.
Magdalene Sikora, Au.D. completed her 4th year externship in Phoenix, Arizona at the Banner Baywood Medical Center, the Banner Desert Medical Center, and the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, where she notes she was able to “interact with a diverse group of patients in a wide variety of settings.” She also participated in a medical mission trip to Guaymas, Mexico where over 200 patients were tested. Upon her graduation from Rush University in 2008, Dr. Sikora began working at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and its Outpatient Treatment Center in Westchester where she enjoys working with pediatric patients where she states “every day I am met with new challenges, which keeps my job new and exciting.” She is especially interested in electrophysiology and vestibular evaluations. Dr. Sikora is currently serving as ILAA co-Vice President of Ways and Means and as a member of the ILAA Hearing Screening committee and the ILAA Doctoral Scholarship committee.
Hillary Snapp, Au.D. graduated from Rush University in June 2007 after completing her 4th year externship at the University of Illinois Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Snapp is currently working at the University of Miami Ear Institute in Miami, FL where she notes she sees a “wide variety of rare pathologies…and unique cases.” Dr. Snapp also has been involved in a number of clinical research projects. An article by Dr. Snapp and a co-author, “A Recommended Protocol for BAHA Assessment and Verification for Individuals with Single-Sided Deafness,” was published in July/August 2008 issue of Audiology Today. In December 2008 she was a co-presenter of an American Academy of Audiology web seminar “Avoiding Medical Errors in Audiology.”
Beth Tanner, Au.D. completed her externship at the Jesse Brown VA in Chicago and continued working there upon her graduation from Rush University in June of 2006. Dr. Tanner states she loves her job and "couldn't be happier." Dr. Tanner served as the CEU Coordinator for ILAA for two years.
Blair Tenllado, Au.D. completed her 4th year externship in the Audiology and Intraoperative Monitoring Services Department at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Tenllado states that she had a fulfilling clinical experience due to the comprehensive services provided, which included intraoperative monitoring. After completing her externship and graduating from Rush University in June 2007, Dr. Tenllado accepted a full-time position at St. John's Mercy Medical Center as a clinical audiologist where she enjoys providing diagnostic, amplification, vestibular, hearing screening and intraoperative monitoring services.
Darrin Worthington, Au.D. graduated in August of 2007 from Northwestern University after completing his externship at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Eye and Ear Institute. He is presently working as an audiologist at the North Chicago VA in North Chicago, IL, and notes that his special interests are diagnostics, electrophysiology, and musicians and the prevention/rehabilitation of hearing loss. Dr. Worthington served as ILAA Vice President of Membership from 2008 to 2010.
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