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National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR)
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Our Staff
National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR)
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Our Staff
The NCRAR is cultivating a community of clinicians, research scientists, and scholars who can address the communicative, economic, psychosocial, and vocational issues associated with auditory disorders. The Center is unique because of the broad range of professionals who work together with a focus on delivering rehabilitative therapeutics within the lifetime of the Veteran, with the greatest effectiveness and in a way that promotes efficiency.
Currently, more than 40 professionals are engaged in a variety of research and development activities of the NCRAR. Working alongside auditory research scientists and audiologists, it is commonplace to find such other professionals as healthcare educators, immunologists, otolaryngologists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, oncologists, and speech-language pathologists.
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Administration
| Dawn Konrad-Martin, Ph.D. | Director |
| Sarah Theodoroff, Ph.D. | (Interim) Associate Director |
| Patrick Helt, M.A. | Deputy Director, Administrative Officer |
| Christine Kaelin, MBA | Program Manager |
| Marianne Pierson, M.A. | Health Science Specialist |
Core and Associate Investigators
| Curtis Billings, Ph.D. | Electrophysiology, auditory plasticity, and aging |
| Naomi Bramhall, Ph.D. | Electrophysiology, “hidden” hearing loss |
| Kathleen Carlson, M.S., Ph.D. | Epidemiology, Health Services research, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), tinnitus |
| Khaya Clark, Ph.D. | Implementation science, Health Services research, tinnitus, ototoxicity |
| Riley DeBacker, Au.D., Ph.D. | Ototoxic hearing loss prevention |
| M. Patrick Feeney, Ph.D. | Peripheral auditory function, hearing screening, and aging |
| Robert Folmer, Ph.D. | Hearing conservation, tinnitus |
| Frederick (Erick) Gallun, Ph.D. | Psychoacoustics and cognitive processing |
| Angela Garinis, Ph.D. | Ototoxicity, physiologic measures of peripheral and central auditory processing |
| Timothy Hullar, M.D. | Vestibular disorders, multisensory integration, cochlear implantation |
| Tess Koerner, Ph.D., Au.D. | Electrophysiology, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) |
| Dawn Konrad-Martin, Ph.D. | Peripheral auditory function, aging, diabetes & ototoxicity |
| Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D. | TBI/PTSD, sleep, rehabilitation, multisensory sensitivity |
| Michelle Molis, Ph.D. | Speech perception |
| Melissa Papesh, Ph.D. Au.D. | Clinical auditory neuroscience |
| Kelly Reavis, Ph.D., M.S., MPH | Epidemiology, Population and Military Hearing Health, Infectious Disease |
| Robert Peterka, Ph.D. | Balance control, sensory integration, vestibular disorders |
| Sarah Theodoroff, Ph.D. | Tinnitus, decreased sound tolerance disorders, psychoacoustics |
Research Support Staff
| Daniel Claypool, MPH | Research Assistant |
| Serena Dann, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Stephanie Edmunds, MS | Research Coordinator |
| Melissa Frederick, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Matthew Hamilton-Sutherland, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Anne Heassler, AuD | Research Audiologist |
| Wendy Helt, M.A. | Grants Administrator, Lead Research Audiologist |
| Michelle Hungerford, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Michele Hutter, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Sean Kampel, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Joseph Nadeau, B.A. | Research Assistant |
| Desiree Odgers, B.S. | Research Assistant |
| Daniel Putterman, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Chandra Random, B.A. | Research Assistant |
| Sambith Rout, B.S. | Research Assistant |
| ShienPei Silverman, M.A. | Research Coordinator |
| Anneka Sonstroem, B.A. | Research Assistant |
| Sachyea Spackman, B.S. | Research Assistant |
| Hunter Stuehm, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Samrita Thapa, MPH | Research Assistant |
| Emily Thielman, M.S. | Research Coordinator & Statistician |
| Jay Vachhani, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Chantal Van Ginkel, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
| Nicole Whittle, Au.D. | Research Audiologist |
Engineer and Technical Support Staff
Postdoctoral Fellows
- Jennifer "Niffer" Brodsky, Ph.D.
Au.D. 4th Year Externs (2024-2025)
- Laura Infante, B.S.
- Devan Lander, B.S.
T35/Summer Students (2024)
- Kelsey Butz, B.A.,
- Artemis Lopez, B.S.
- Derica Parathundil, B.S.
- Hector Sanchez, B.S.
Affiliate Investigators
- Michelle Cameron, M.D., PT, MCR, Falls, imbalance and functional mobility in multiple sclerosis
- Royce Clifford, MD, Otolaryngology, genetics of functional decline in the auditory and vestibular systems
- James A. Henry, Ph.D., Tinnitus
- Laurie King, Ph.D., PT, Traumatic brain injury, gait and balance, rehabilitation
- M. Samantha Lewis, Ph.D.
- Kate R. Oppegaard, PhD, APRN, cognitive and psychological impacts of cancer and its treatment, patient reported outcomes, patient self-management
- Gabrielle Saunders, Ph.D., Hearing aid outcomes & hearing conservation
- Peter Steyger, Ph.D., Mechanisms and pre-clinical models of ototoxicity
Affiliate Clinicians
- Tricia Milnes, MHA, AuD, CCC-A, AIB-VAM, Chief, Audiology and Speech Pathology Services, Charlie Norwood VAMC, Augusta, Georgia
- Tara Zaugg, Au.D., CRH REC Consultant, VISN 20 and REC ICC Clinical Lead, VISN 20
