AuDacity 2023 — Speaker Bios
Speaker Biographies:
Debbie Abel, Au.D.
Debbie Abel, Au.D. spent 13 years in private practice in Alliance, OH after moving an existing practice from the Alliance Eye and Ear Clinic, where she was employed for 14 years, taking the ENT with her. She also supported two ENTs in Poway CA for 8 years.
She is the manager of Coding and Contracting Services for Audigy, has authored several chapters in Plural Publication texts and is the editor of The Essential Guide to Coding in Audiology: Coding, Billing and Practice Management, published in December 2017. She is a Past President of ADA and is currently the Chair for the Audiology Academy of the National Academies of Practice.
Robert Allen, Au.D.
Robert Allen, Au.D., is the co-founder and CCO of two specialty practices/businesses in Atlanta, Ga. Founded seven years ago, Topple Diagnostics began as a mobile vestibular diagnostics company that has grown to encompass all aspects of vestibular evaluation and management, including education and training, devices and software, and consulting along with the thriving mobile services division. From Topple, Dr. Allen spun off a separate business focusing on concussion evaluation and management. The Concussion Center, also based in Atlanta, is currently one of few multi-specialty practices dedicated to full spectrum concussion care. The practice includes include neurology, speech language pathology, and physical therapy affiliates. Recently, the practice has also launched into the concussion baseline and management space to help improve diagnosis and care for athletes of all ages. Dr. Allen currently serves as the Chief Scientific Advisor for the US with Neuroflex and is a member of GAA.
Katie Armatoski, Au.D.
Dr. Katie holds a degree from the collaborative program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. With 9 years of experience working at a busy private practice ENT clinic, Dr. Katie discovered her talent for marketing, which eventually led her to start her own business.
For the past 6 years, Dr. Katie has been dedicated to helping audiologists develop effective physician marketing strategies and create engaging digital online content. Her expertise lies in blending clinical insights with innovative marketing techniques to enhance the visibility and reach of audiology practices.
Dr. Katie is passionate about sharing her knowledge and helping fellow audiologists navigate the complexities of marketing. She is excited to bring her insights and strategies to this conference, aiming to empower attendees with practical tools to elevate their marketing efforts.
Amy Badstubner, Au.D., CPC
Dr. Amy Badstubner is a certified career and executive coach and co-owner of dB Coaching Group. As a previous owner of a concierge audiology private practice, she has over 20 years of experience in business, leadership, consulting, and professional coaching. She has worked with individuals across the lifespan in a variety of settings and gets great joy from supporting and uplifting individuals and businesses to (re)discover their limitless potential. Dr. Badstubner has published numerous articles, presented locally and nationally including more recently at the Women in Academic Medicine Leadership Symposium, and been an invited guest on several podcasts.
Andrew Bellavia
Andrew Bellavia is the founder of AuraFuturity, a go-to-market and branding consultancy in the hearing, hearables, and broader communications spaces. He is also on the advisory board of Tuned, a groundbreaking benefit program for delivering holistic hearing care. Previously at Knowles in the Hearing Health Tech division, Andrew was involved in the creation of many innovative hearable devices from the very beginning. He has been deeply embedded at the intersection of hearables and hearing health, frequently speaking and writing on developments in these markets. He has appeared in multiple publications and is a co-host of Hearing Health & Technology Matters' This Week in Hearing podcast. Andrew has also been a strong advocate for hearing care innovation and accessibility, work made more personal when he faced his own hearing loss.
Jan Blustein, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor Blustein is a researcher with decades of experience teaching basic statistics at New York University. Her studies on health and health care have been published in New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, British Medical Journal, and other leading journals. For the past decade she has focused on hearing loss and its consequences for health and quality of life. She has a longstanding hearing loss, is involved in hearing loss advocacy, and has served on the board of the Hearing Loss Association of America.
Jana Brown, Au.D.
Jana Brown, former owner of Allegany Hearing & Balance, earned her Doctor of Audiology Degree in 2004 from the Arizona School of Health Sciences. She holds a Master of Science Degree from West Virginia University. Dr. Brown is Board Certified by the American Board of Audiology and is the past president of the Maryland Academy of Audiology, serving on their executive board for six years. Dr. Brown was recently appointed by Maryland’s Governor to be on the Maryland Board of Examiners for Audiology, Speech Language Pathology, Hearing Aid Dispensers, and Music Therapy. She has received six Academic Scholar Awards from the American Academy of Audiology. She is a member of ADA and was honored with the Leo Doerfler Award in 2017. She has also received the Gerber Process Award and the Rich Burba Community Award from Audigy. She has served on the executive board of the Dove Center, a domestic violence and sexual assault center, and Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing.
Kari Dermer, Au.D., CPC
Dr. Kari Dermer helps audiologists create a career plan with confidence without sacrificing their family or sanity in the process. She began her career at the University of Miami Department of Otolaryngology as the Founding Director of the University of Miami Children’s Hearing Program. Dr. Dermer managed a multi-million dollar budget while gaining international recognition. Dr. Dermer has served as the President of the Florida Academy of Audiology. She is the co-owner of dB Coaching Group with over 15 years of experience teaching, mentoring, presenting and coaching. Dr. Dermer is a bench coach for NextUp, an organization that supports executive women in business.
Erin Downard, Au.D.
Dr. Downard serves as the Director of Provider Engagement at TruHearing. She spent two years as a clinical trainer before joining the TruHearing team. She previously worked in a variety of clinical settings but spent most of her career in a private practice setting. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the Ohio State University in 2013 and a Doctoral degree in Audiology from Ball State University in 2017.
David Kemp
David Kemp is the Director of Business Development at Oaktree Products, a Wholesale Distributor of Clinical Supplies to the Hearing Professional. David's parents, Bob and Margy, started Oaktree Products back in 1992 out of the basement of their home with their flagship brand, Audiologist's Choice. Oaktree is now a second generation small family business, where David and his two siblings operate and manage the day-to-day operations, alongside their VP and Ph.D. Audiologist, A.U. Bankaitis-Smith.
Natalie McKee, Au.D.
Natalie M. McKee earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL and a Clinical Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D.) from Salus University. Dr. McKee purchased Bloomington-Normal Audiology in 2012, after 7 years of understudy with the original owner. BNA was the first private practice audiology clinic in Bloomington-Normal when it began in 1990; building a reputation of providing state-of-the art technology in audiology to Central Illinois residents of all ages. She currently serves as the Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Illinois Academy of Audiology.
Emily McMahan, Au.D.
Dr. Emily E. McMahan is an audiologist and the owner of Alaska Hearing & Tinnitus Center in Anchorage. In addition to her physical practices in Alaska she serves high needs tinnitus patients via Telehealth and in-person field clinics across the United States. She holds multi-state licensure in order to help patients receive access to care closer to home. She is passionate about tinnitus patient care, audiology, and best practices. In addition to seeing patients, she dedicates a considerable amount of time to educating audiologists on evidence-based tinnitus care and how to establish a tinnitus clinic. Dr. McMahan earned her Doctorate in Audiology and graduated from Salus University.
Carrie Meyer, Au.D.
Carrie Meyer, Au.D., is Director of Clinical Programs for Amplifon Hearing Healthcare. Dr. Meyer is an audiologist with over 30 years of clinical experience in diagnostic assessment of hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance dysfunction as well as hearing aid evaluation, fitting, and verification. In her role as Director of Clinical Programs, Dr. Meyer works with providers, health plans and members to optimize member hearing health outcomes by improving clinical care pathways through provider innovation, member education, and health plan support. Dr. Meyer is Chair Elect of the American Board of Audiology and a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology as well as the Academy of Doctors of Audiology. Dr. Meyer is a member of the Concordia University St. Paul Board of Regents and chairs the Academic Committee.
Brandon Pauley, Esq.
Brandon is a Member in Brennan Manna Diamond’s (BMD) Columbus, Ohio office. Brandon counsels businesses, professional associations, and healthcare providers in areas involving financing arrangements, ownership disputes, ethics/licensure, cybersecurity and real estate transactions. Brandon has a national healthcare practice focusing on representation of audiologists and other participants in the hearing healthcare industry. Brandon’s depth of experience on a wide range of matters impacting audiologists provides the knowledge and skill necessary to help his clients navigate complex legal issues in a highly complex industry.
Tish Ramirez, Au.D.
Dr. Tish Ramirez is the Global Commercialization Officer for Neuromod. In this position she is responsible for customers, interactions with consumers, as well as offering, launching, and introducing products to meet strategic commercial objectives. Before Neuromod, Tish was vice president of clinical education and product management for WSAudiology. Prior to this, she held roles in clinical education, sales management and as a clinical audiologist at Sivantos/Siemens, Phonak and CIGNA Healthcare. Tish holds a doctorate degree in Audiology from A.T. Still University, an MS from Arizona State University and a BS degree from the University of Arizona.
Michael Santucci, Au.D.
Michael Santucci, Au.D., is an award-winning audiologist and president and founder of Sensaphonics, Inc., Chicago, IL. Sensaphonics designs, develops and manufactures custom-in-the-ear products for the music industry. For over 35 years he has provided Audiological treatment and hearing protection strategies to Chicago area musicians, sound engineers, and many of today’s most prolific music performers /engineers. Michael is the Chair of the Music Induced Hearing Loss Task Force for the National Hearing Conservation Association, is Chair of the Technical Committee on Hearing and Hearing Loss Prevention for the Audio Enineering Society, consults for the Grammy foundation / Musicares, and has been a core member of the World Health Organization’s Listen Safe Initiative since its inception in 2015.
Steve Taddei, Au.D.
Steve Taddei, Au.D. is the Lab Director at HearAdvisor, America's leading hearing aid sound performance lab. He holds a degree in audio engineering from Columbia College Chicago and a doctorate in audiology from Northern Illinois University. This unique blend of expertise underscores his passion for the audio arts and his commitment to enhancing auditory experiences through hearing loss awareness and advanced hearing technologies.
Dr. Taddei is also a Senior Contributor at HearingTracker.com, where he provides in-depth consumer-centric hearing aid and earplug reviews. His dedication to the field extends to academia, where he serves as an adjunct faculty member at several colleges. Through his teaching, he aims to empower the next generation and inspire students to discover and pursue their own passions.
Chelsea Treseder, MBA
Chelsea Diles Treseder has extensive experience in the hearing aid industry, beginning with alphabetizing files in her family's audiology practice when she was a kid. While Chelsea has worked in other medical device spaces such as diabetes and dental, audiology & hearing care are her true passion. She spent a number of years at InSound Medical launching Lyric and thereafter at Phonak before transitioning back into her family businesses. Along with her siblings, she currently runs their 7-location audiology practice, Kenwood Hearing Centers; Pivot Hearing, a practice development services group; and most recently, My Vitals Pro, the hearing care industry's business intelligence and data analytics company. She is proud to be carrying on the 5-generation legacy that her great, great grandmother started in this industry. Chelsea holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Communication Sciences & Disorders from California State University, Chico.
Frank Wartinger, Au.D.
Frank Wartinger, Au.D. is the founder of Earmark Hearing Conservation, a music audiology clinic in Philadelphia. He serves on the CAOHC (Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation) Council representing the American Academy of Audiology, is an adjunct faculty at George S. Osborne College of Audiology and Wayne State University, and co-authored the AAA 2020 Clinical Consensus Document “Audiological Services for Musicians and Music Industry Personnel”. Additionally, Dr. Wartinger created and hosts “Talking Ears”, a musician-focused hearing health podcast.
Barbara Weinstein, Ph.D.
Dr. Barbara E. Weinstein received her Ph.D. from Columbia University where she began her academic career as a young faculty member. A Professor and Founding Executive Officer of the Health Sciences Doctoral Programs at the Graduate Center, CUNY, Dr. Weinstein also holds a position as an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in NYC. The author of both editions of Geriatric Audiology, Dr. Weinstein is the 2022 recipient of the Distinguished Almunus Award from her alma mater, Columbia University. Professor Weinstein developed the world’s most widely used tools to identify patients with hearing loss which has been translated into 20+ different languages and is used globally to document the negative health effects associated with age related hearing loss and the outcomes associated with hearing aid use, audiologic rehabilitation, and counseling. Dr. Weinstein’s primary research interests include psychosocial impacts of age related hearing loss.