Our authors & experts

Karl Strom is the editor-in-chief of HearingTracker. He was a founding editor of The Hearing Review and has covered the hearing aid industry for over 30 years.

Dr. Bailey is a leading expert on consumer technology in the audiology industry. He is a staunch advocate for patient-centered hearing care and audiological best practices, and welcomes any technological innovation that improves access to quality hearing outcomes. Dr. Bailey holds an Au.D. from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

David Copithorne is a longtime hearing-loss blogger and regular contributor at Hearing Tracker. In 2002, he suffered a sudden and severe hearing impairment. Since then, he has dedicated himself to sharing the valuable information he has learned along his journey.

Steve Taddei, Au.D., merges his audio engineering degree from Columbia College Chicago with his doctorate in audiology from Northern Illinois University to advance hearing technologies and raise hearing loss awareness as the Lab Director at HearAdvisor. He also contributes consumer-focused hearing aid and earplug reviews at HearingTracker.com, and inspires future professionals through his adjunct faculty roles at several colleges, encouraging the next generation to discover and pursue their passions.

Carly Sygrove is a hearing loss coach and a hearing health writer who has single-sided deafness. She writes about living with hearing loss at My Hearing Loss Story and manages an online support group for people with hearing loss. She is also the founder of the Sudden Hearing Loss Support website, a source of information and support for people affected by sudden hearing loss.

Angela Flores received her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of South Alabama and completed her CFY at Mayo Clinic.  She received her AuD from Salus University in 2009.  She worked clinically with Mayo Clinic and the University of Florida Pediatric Program for over 8 years. Dr. Flores currently works as an adjunct professor for the University of New Hampshire and as a consultant.

Julia Métraux is a health and culture writer with hearing loss and a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Check out her portfolio.

Shari Eberts is a passionate advocate, author, and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog and online community for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of We Hear You, an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her co-authored book, Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues. Visit Shari at LivingWithHearingLoss.com.

Tina Sieber is a technology journalist with over 10 years of experience and a PhD in Biochemistry. Following an episode of sudden one-sided hearing loss, she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 2018. She has since started writing about hearing loss and reviewing hearing aids for major tech publications.

Matthew Allsop is the Video Content Manager at HearingTracker.  He has nearly two decades' experience in audiology, and has practiced in both the NHS and the private sector. He is accepting new patients at Harley Street Hearing in London.

Digby Cook is a veteran journalist with a wide range of experience in television news, documentaries, and newspapers. As a person with severe to profound hearing loss, his interest in the science of hearing is both professional and personal.

Dr. Gerhart is an audiologist with experience in pediatrics through geriatrics who has worked in a variety of settings, including private practice and ENT clinics. She previously oversaw the audiology program in the Philadelphia School District. Her passion is helping those with hearing loss get the most benefit from their technologies and guiding them on their journey to better hearing.

Brad Ingrao, AuD is a Doctor of Audiology who grew up around hard-of-hearing people. He has been practicing clinical audiology since 1992. Known as an early adopter and supporter of disruptive technologies and practices, he is always on the lookout for ways to improve access to quality hearing care.

Dr. Chad Ruffin is an ear, nose, and throat doctor in Seattle who specializes in hearing restoration and ear surgery. He is one of the first people born with severe hearing loss to become a surgeon using cochlear implants. He performs cochlear implants and hearing restoration surgery and teaches his patients how to live to the fullest with hearing loss. In addition to treating patients in the clinic, he also researches and develops technology for hearing loss.

Mara Brooks is a longtime journalist and native New Yorker now living in Barre, Vermont. She is the communications coordinator for the Community of Vermont Elders and editor for community newspapers The Charlotte News and The Hardwick Gazette. In her spare time, Mara studies law and classical music.

Kristen Fischer is a copywriter and journalist from New Jersey. She is the author of "Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids." Learn more about Kristen.

Stu Nunnery is a writer, speaker, recording artist and hearing activist. He has recently returned to making music after a 35-year hiatus and presents workshops and performances about his journey with bilateral hearing loss.

Seka Palikuca is a health writer and editor who covers auditory health for Hearing Tracker. She served as an editor at the Chicago Tribune and her byline has appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business, Crain’s New York Business, and Modern Healthcare. She has developed content for physicians, medical students, healthcare leaders, and consumers.

David Cochran is a retired design director who worked for over 40 years in biomedical communications, broadcasting, and publishing in Philadelphia. He now lives in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Bill Bielski, AuD, is a Senior Marketing Manager for the Phonak US Marketing team. In short, Bill focuses mainly on the Roger product portfolio with the mission to execute product launches and marketing campaigns both in the pediatric and adult worlds. Bill has a long history in the hearing health care universe including previous tenure in private practice and also within Phonak developing new channels for Roger product adoption. He has a passion for hearing healthcare and the technology that can serve as a conduit to meaningful communication and human connection.

Journalist Nina Malkin’s work has appeared in the The New York Times, Essence, Entertainment Weekly and many other publications. She is involved in feline rescue and is the author of An Unlikely Cat Lady: Feral Adventures in the Backyard Jungle.

Mark Truong is the host of The Hear Me Out Audiology Podcast and has recently started the Hearing Tech News Youtube channel focused on providing in-depth reviews on the latest in hearing technology. From apps to hearing aids, headphones to hearables, he covers a vast number of topics and aims to provide as many tips and tricks to help the average consumer. He believes that “Hearing Health is essential to all facets of life and everyone deserves the opportunity to hear!”

Dutch-born audiologist and TEDx speaker Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens, AuD, has over four decades of experience in audiology, hearing rehabilitation, and assistive listening. She was previously a co-owner of a multi-clinic audiology practice in Wisconsin. Thanks to grant funding from the David and Carol Myers Foundation, Dr. Sterkens has been on her encore career since 2012 as an advocate for hearing loops and other assistive technology with the Hearing Loss Association of America. She has fostered some thousand hearing loop installations in, and many more outside, Wisconsin. She has received several awards for her work, including the American Academy of Audiology Presidential and Wisconsin Audiologist of the Year awards. She serves on the board of HEAR-in-the-Fox Cities, a non-profit that helps pay for hearing aids for children in North-East Wisconsin.

Dr. Pickup is the owner of Mt. Harrison Audiology in Rupert, Idaho. Dr. Pickup follows a medically-based approach to diagnosing and treating hearing disorders that is compassionate and personalized to each patient.