Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences - PACS at WashU Medicine

We are happy to announce that Destiny Kramer, (3rd-year AuD) has received her second AMBUCS Scholarship for audiology! Since 1955, AMBUCS has been awarding scholarships to therapy students pursuing degrees in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology and audiology. To date, more than $9.1 million in scholarships have been awarded to over 16,000 students. Great job, Destiny!

Applications for our AuD, MSDE and PhD programs open on September 1! Our program offers exceptional graduate education in audiology, deaf education, and speech and hearing sciences. You can find all of the details including application instructions on our website, https://pacs.wustl.edu/admissions/.

We love hearing about our externs meeting up for regional training! Audrey and Jenna (4th-year AuD) are both doing externships in the Northeast and were able to attend a manufacturer training together.

We are proud to share that Jane Zankman (4th-year AuD) has been named a recipient of the 2026-27 Jerry Northern Scholarship in Pediatric Audiology from the American Academy of Audiology Foundation. This scholarship is awarded to only three students nationwide each year who demonstrate a strong commitment to pediatric audiology. Recipients receive a generous monetary award, as well as a travel stipend to attend the 2027 AAA annual conference, which will be held in St. Louis! Jane was recognized for her exceptional academic record, strong recommendations, and commitment to advancing pediatric audiology. Congratulations, Jane, on this incredible accomplishment!

PACS Director of Deaf Education, Casey Reimer, PhD, joined Jessica Williams, MD and Kristina Petersen, PhD, for the Department of Otolaryngology’s Grand Rounds presentation titled, “Disability Access in Otolaryngology: Patients, Trainees, and Colleagues.” The goals of the session were: 1) Learn about the epidemiology and models of disability and how clinical spaces can be designed to work better for everyone; 2) Use practical ways to communicate with and care for patients with disabilities in clinics and operating rooms; 3) Understand how these same accessibility strategies support trainees, faculty, and staff with disabilities; and 4) Identify department-internal resources that help make healthcare accessible for both patients and healthcare team members.

The third student doing a summer research project is Maddie Hauenstein (2nd-year AuD) who is working in the Pitch & Time Lab with Katie Berg, AuD, PhD. Dr. Berg is Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at WashU and directs the Pitch & Time Lab. Her research program focuses on optimizing cochlear implant outcomes and developing patient-centered approaches to device programming.

This summer, Maddie is analyzing data in collaboration with Dr. Lisa Davidson to examine the relationships between speech recognition, sound quality, and quality of life in adolescent cochlear implant users. She is also interviewing adult CI patients to learn how they describe the sound quality of their implant and how it changes over time. Together, this work supports the development of a patient-reported outcome measure for CI sound quality that could help audiologists better measure and improve sound quality through programming changes.
Learn more about the Pitch & Time Lab: https://pitchandtimelab.wustl.edu/

The second alumna we’re excited to highlight at Children’s Wisconsin is Noa Dimbert (AuD, ’24)! While at WashU, Noa received a scholarship funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant and earned the Pediatric Audiology Specialization.

Noa enjoys working with children and the variety her role offers: “At Children’s Wisconsin, I see pediatric patients of all ages for diagnostic audiological testing and providing hearing aid care. This includes completing audiological testing using behavioral testing methods in the clinic and for natural sleep and sedated auditory brainstem response (ABR) evaluations as well as for air and bone conduction hearing aid fittings. I also am one of our audiologists who works with the Collaborative Care Clinic and sees patients through our Down Syndrome Clinic to provide a collaborative, team approach to care. What I most enjoy about my job is the opportunity to work with children of all ages and develop meaningful relationships with the patients and families that I am fortunate to serve. Every day is a new and interesting adventure!”

The second AuD student doing research this summer is Ashton Randolph. She is working with Kate McClannahan, AuD, PhD, and Callie Boren, AuD, who is also in our PhD program. Dr. McClannahan's research focuses on age-related hearing loss and cognitive aging and how psychological factors, such as personality and cognitive ability, contribute to self-reported hearing difficulties and hearing loss treatment decisions in older adults.

Ashton talks about her experience: "This summer I've joined Dr. McClannahan's Auditory Wellness Lab. I've participated in ongoing journal club meetings investigating the literature on auditory wellness and auditory communication difficulties. I attended the Cognition, Aging, and Speech Communication Conference at WashU to learn about global perspectives on aging, hearing loss, and communication. I'm also assisting Dr. McClannahan and Dr. Boren with their project looking into auditory communication difficulties and empowerment in older adults with hearing loss." Learn more about Dr. McClannahan's research at https://oto.wustl.edu/people/kate-mcclannahan-aud-phd/.

The PACS administrative team enjoyed a fun retreat at the Museum of Illusions this week, which provided an opportunity to step away from the office, connect, and plan for the exciting year ahead. We're grateful for the time together before we kick off the new academic year and welcome our incoming students during Welcome Week next month! The PACS administrative team includes key faculty and staff who are responsible for direction, leadership and support of our undergraduate and graduate programs in PACS. Learn more at https://pacs.wustl.edu/about-pacs/contact/.

We’re always happy to highlight our alumni, but especially when we have several alums working at the same site! Today, we’re featuring Rachel Lynch (AuD, ’21), a pediatric audiologist at Children’s Wisconsin who sees patients for diagnostic hearing evaluations through behavioral testing, as well as natural sleep or sedated auditory evoked potential testing. She is transitioning into more specialized testing, including evaluations for patients in the NICU, and is helping establish the hospital's first pediatric vestibular evaluation program.

Why Rachel loves her job: “The kids! There is never a boring moment when you are helping provide care for a child. There is nothing more rewarding! I also really love the opportunity to always be learning and testing my skills to become the best audiologist I can be.”