In this final but heartwarming episode of season 3 of the Hear Here Podvcast, Nimrat Chani connects with her former Speech Language Pathologist from India, Dr. Gurinder Kaur. She explores and explains the unique challenges and triumphs in the field of speech therapy across cultural backgrounds. Dr.Kaur shares her journey from early career inspiration about 30 years ago to creating memorable moments working with young patients, including working with Nimrat Chani. Together they discuss the differences in healthcare systems and resources between India and Canada, how it evolves on technology, community support and economic factors shapes the practice of speech therapy. This episode dives in heartfelt conversation about power of speech therapy and resilience required to innovate in low resources settings, and the impact on early childhood interventions.

In this episode, Annika Gasee interviews Angela Bottley, a clinical sales manager related to electroneurophysiology from Vivosonic. Angela discusses the technical aspect of the program that is used to diagnose hearing loss, which consists of an infant screening program and the recording responses from babies. Additionally, we learn about the work she does with Audiologists and customers worldwide to provide support for the products that she sells to them from Vivosonic. She shares her unique career path along with how she anticipates her career and products will change overtime with AI.

In this episode, we dive into the inspiring journey of a paediatric audiologist who was once a patient herself. Sofia Olaizola sits down with Dana Song, audiologist, who offers a unique perspective on how her personal experiences shaped her career, discusses common concerns about wearing hearing devices, and reflects on how her shared experiences with families foster deep connections and trust. She shares what a day in the life of an audiologist looks like in a paediatric hospital and how each day varies with the diverse range of cases seen in children with hearing loss.

In the second episode, we are exploring the what is it like to study Audiology. Maria Khan is joined by Danielle DiFabio, a Combined MClSc-PhD student in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorder at Western University. Danielle discusses her PhD thesis, developing a clinical framework to enhance caregiver participation in family-centered virtual care, looking at the methodology, results so far, and future goals. She also shares how she finds the clinical portion of the program so far and what she does to balance a Masters and PhD.

In the first episode of season 3, May Wang joins Dr. Renee Michelle Banakis Hartl, an otolaryngologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Banakis Hartl sheds light on the pivotal moments that influenced her unique career journey, starting with her earlier experiences that inspired her to study speech-language pathology in university and become an audiologist, followed by her decision to pursue a career in medicine as an otolaryngologist. Dr. Banakis Hartl shares some of the highlights and challenges she encountered during the career transition, and also provides insightful advice to aspiring audiology and medical students.

Dr. Hannah Stewart is a pediatric, cognitive auditory neuroscientist at Lancaster University and Dr. Carly Anderson is a Sir Henry Welcome Postdoctoral Research fellow at the University College London. The pair talk about life as early career researchers; research communication and their own podcast, Unscientific;  as well as the importance of  peer support in academia.  

Dr. Hannah Stewart’s Profile 

Dr. Carly Anderson’s Profile

Sofia Olaizola and Maria Khan, the students behind Hear Here talk about how they got involved in cochlear implant research, why audiology is important to them and what it's like to run the Hear Here Podcast. 

S2E2 Transcript

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction to the Episode

(01:40) Introductions to the Podcast Team

(03:54) Getting Involved with CI Research and Role of Audiology 

(25:24) The BTS of Creating this Podcast

Dr. Monita Chatterjee, Senior Scientist and Director of the Auditory Prostheses and Perception Lab, Boys Town National Research Hospital, talks about her journey from electrical engineering to neuroscience;, how cochlear implants work; why it’s important to hear emotion in speech; and leadership through the hearing community for Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) network. 

Dr. Monita Chatterjee’s Profile 

Auditory Prostheses and Perception Laboratory 

S2E1 Transcript  

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Introductions and Monita’s Journey in Academia; Electrical Engineering to Neuroscience

(09:12) Electrical Stimulation within the Cochlea

(17:05) Cochlear Implants, Emotion Perception and Communication 

(23:32) Engaging Teenagers and Young Adults in Research 

(27:44) BIPOC Network within the Auditory Community