Our authors & experts

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.

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.

Andrew Bellavia has more than 10 years’ experience in the hearing field and is currently the founder of AuraFuturity, a go-to-market and branding consultancy in the hearing and broader communications spaces. He frequently speaks and writes on developments as well as co-hosts the This Week in Hearing podcast. Andrew is a strong advocate for hearing care innovation and accessibility, work made more personal when he faced his own hearing loss. He has had a professional relationship with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a not-for-profit industry association that writes standards and verifies compliance, since April 2024.

Shaeleen Fagre is an Audiologist and Audiology Clinical Supervisor in the Davis Speech-Language-Hearing Center. She supervises graduate students enrolled in our audiology clinical doctorate program as they provide audiology services.

Abigail Poyser, AuD, MBA, has over a decade of experience at Phonak, where she's held roles in Sales, Training, Product Management, and Marketing, and is now the Senior Brand Manager. Before Phonak, she worked in clinical settings, conducting audiometry and leading newborn hearing screenings in Washington D.C. Abby graduated from DePauw University with degrees in Psychology, French, and Music, and holds a Master's and Doctorate in Audiology from Indiana University, along with an MBA in Digital Marketing from the University of Illinois. Outside of work, her interests include cooking, wine tasting, playing the cello, and family time.

Cary W. Tucker is a former paralegal who transfigured into a paraplanner. He obtained a Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from the University of California Irvine and went on to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ or CFP® professional. He enjoys providing treatments for financial health.

Constantine is a hearing aid user for 20+ years and is currently Sr. Embedded Security Systems Engineer at TrustPoint Innovation Technologies, Ltd. He received his B.A.Sc in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto and has 8+ years in software design and development in secure real-time communication for embedded systems. At TrustPoint he is the Technical Lead for V2X Security Technology, is a contributor to IEEE 1609.2 / SCMS protocols for secure vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and collision avoidance, and works on general IoT security solutions.

Gael Hannan is a writer, speaker and advocate on hearing loss issues. In addition to her weekly blog for HHTM, she is a regular contributor to FindHearing.com, an online resource for consumers with hearing loss. Gael is also the author of the acclaimed book “The Way I Hear It: A Life with Hearing Loss.” She is regularly invited to present her uniquely humorous and insightful work to appreciative audiences around the world. Gael has received many awards for her work, which includes advocacy for a more inclusive society for people with hearing loss. She lives with her husband on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Tony Schwartz is a marketing and sales leader with 15 years of experience spanning eCommerce, B2B, direct to consumer, and mass media industries. He represents HearingTracker, HearAdvisor, and Audiologists.org as clients.

Matt Hay is the Director of Audiology Sales for Redux, the developer of a patented and award-winning drying system for hearing instruments, hearables and personal electronics. Using vacuum chamber drying, Redux removes all moisture within minutes with the push of a button while providing a real-time measure of the amount of moisture removed. This technique has been used effectively for hearing aids, hearing implants, ear buds, cell phones and numerous other electronic devices. Matt can often be found (slowly) running, biking and swimming across the Midwest to support non-profit hearing care and Neurofibromatosis organizations.

Jon Douglas is an Assistant Professor and Audiologist at the University of South Florida (USF) Hearing Clinic in Tampa, Fla, and has over 18 years of experience in audiology and tinnitus management. He also has a hearing loss and has worn hearing aids since age 3. Dr. Douglas has practiced at Mayo Clinic, the University of Wisconsin, and he is accepting new patients at the University of South Florida Hearing Clinic.

Scarlet Lewitt is a writer for Hear Care Direct. She also freelances for other healthcare organizations. She earned her bachelors in English, and Master’s in English Literary Research from Nottingham Trent University. She can be reached at scarlet@hearcaredirect.com.

Brandy Pouliot, Au.D., is the Director of Audiology and Education for Sonova, US. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Nova Southeastern University and practiced privately until she joined Phonak in 2012 as a Lyric Clinical Trainer. Brandy has presented informative sessions regarding Sonova products, thought leadership topics such as eAudiology, Family Centered Care, cognition, social-emotional and physical well-being, and led experiential trainings locally and globally. Dr. Pouliot is passionate about supporting audiologists and patients live a life without limitations.

Steve O. Frazier received his formal training as a Hearing Loss Support Specialist from the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) and has more than 20 years of experience providing support and advocacy for those with hearing loss as a chapter and state HLAA leader. He chairs the Loop New Mexico initiative and is a member of HLAA's national Get in the Hearing Loop campaign task force, and sits on the New Mexico Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing Practices Board. Contact him at loopnm@gmail.com.

Dr. Ana Anzola, CCC-A, FAAA, ABA is CEO and President of Ascent Audiology & Hearing serving Northern Virginia and Maryland. She views the practice of audiology as a mix of art and science in an effort to find the best solution for each individual. Dr. Anzola received her Doctorate degree in Audiology (AuD) from the Arizona School of Health Sciences, and her Master’s Degree in Audiology and her Bachelor's Degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from Towson University.

Erin Schoen Marsh is a hard of hearing writer and yoga teacher from the Midwest. She specializes in writing about parenting, education and deafness.

John Loeppky is a freelance disabled journalist and theatre artist. His work has appeared with FiveThirtyEight, CBC, Poynter, Publisher's Weekly, and many others.

Edmund Farrar is a medical doctor and the co-founder of Oto Health, a UK based startup that is improving access to therapy for people with tinnitus or hearing loss using a simple mobile app, Oto. Built in collaboration with ENT surgeons and hearing therapists, Oto combines AI-powered hearing health tracking with tinnitus therapy and personalised hearing training.

Dr Crovato is an audiologist at the Hearing Associates of Northern Virginia, where the mission is to provide a personalized, hands-on approach to hearing health care, with the knowledge that each person who walks through our door has their own individual communication needs.

Dr. Baxter primarily practices clinically while supervising students and also teaches as part of the Doctor of Audiology curriculum. Current courses taught include Hearing Aids I and II and Adult Hearing Disorders.

Dr. Goyne is an audiologist at Aberdeen Audiology in Wayne, PA. He has extensive experience in pediatric and adult diagnostics for both hearing and balance.

Jo-El M. Grossman is the Communications & Content Manager for Phonak U.S. She is an avid storyteller, as well as an accomplished, creative and qualified marketing and editorial leader with a multi-media background.

Dan Halliday is a technology consultant with a focus on audio. He has spent the last 15 years working with startups on everything from consumer apps to low-level systems.

Douglas L. Beck, AuD, is Adjunct Clinical Professor of Communication Disorders & Sciences at State University of New York at Buffalo and Senior Director of Audiology Professional Affairs at Nuance Audio / EssilorLuxottica.