AuD

Stacey Armas, Au.D., is a bilingual pediatric audiologist with over a decade of experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Disorders from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Doctorate of Audiology from the joint program at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. Currently, she serves as the Director of Audiology at the John Tracy Center in Los Angeles, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families of young children with hearing loss through early intervention, education, and global outreach. Dr. Armas has extensive experience working on interdisciplinary teams and providing care to children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and craniofacial abnormalities. In addition to her clinical leadership, she is the CEO and founder of Little Listeners Publishing, which creates inclusive children’s literature to support early listening and spoken language development in both English and Spanish. She frequently presents on pediatric audiology, early intervention, and culturally responsive care.

Disclosure Statement: Director of Audiology at the John Tracy Center. CEO and Author at Little Listeners Publishing. Two authored children’s books will be shown briefly as examples of culturally responsive literature. These materials will not be sold or promoted during the session

AuD

Kimberli Davenport, AuD CCC-A, has been a Clinical Territory Manager with Cochlear Americas supporting the Greater Los Angeles area since 2015. She earned an MS in Communication Disorders/Audiology in 2004 and focused on pediatric audiology, RM-HAT, and cochlear implants at Tucker-Maxon School, a private listening and spoken language program in Portland, OR, subsequently earning her AuD in 2010 from Salus University. In 2011 she moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a Territory Manager for Phonak until returning to her first love, cochlear implants, in January 2015.

Disclosure Statement: Employed and salaried by Cochlear Americas since 2015 as Clinical Territory Manager.  

Jim is a seasoned leadership development trainer with 30+ years of experience empowering individuals and organizations to achieve peak performance. He has developed a range of impactful training programs to help healthcare professionals build thriving workplace cultures, enhance team performance and equip leaders with modern skills needed to succeed.

Disclosure Statement: Employed and salaried by Fuel Medical.

Jason Galster PhD, CCC-A, FAAA

Dr. Jason Galster is Vice President of Clinical Research Strategy at Sonova Group, where he leads global clinical development, regulatory affairs, and scientific collaborations focused on advancing hearing aids and cochlear implants. He is passionate about translating clinical evidence into solutions that improve lives and is internationally recognized as an author, lecturer, and adjunct professor in audiology.

Disclosure Statement: Employed and salaried by Sonova Group.

 AuD, CCC-A

Anastasia “Stasia” Grindle, Au.D. (she/her) is an Oticon pediatric account manager serving the Midwest US. Stasia obtained her Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Doctor of Audiology degree from Northern Illinois University in 2019. She began her audiology journey as a T35 Student, Audiology Extern, and then Staff Audiologist at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, NE. Next, she served as a Pediatric Clinical Audiologist at UW Health American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Stasia is a committee member for the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and President-Elect for the Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association (WSHA). She is an American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Distinguished Early Career Professional, recipient of the Nebraska Speech-Language-Hearing Association Young Leadership Award, and the 2024 Oticon Pediatrics Account Manager of the Year.

Disclosure Statement: Employed and Salaried by Oticon, Inc. Anastasia is an elected member of the Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology Audiology Association (WSHA) Executive Board

AuD, PhD, CCC-A

Dr. Kelsey Klein is a pediatric research scientist at the House Institute Foundation. In 2020 she received her AuD and PhD from the University of Iowa under the research mentorship of Drs. Elizabeth Walker and Bob McMurray. Her research focuses on the effects of auditory access and cognitive skills on the listening and spoken language outcomes of children who use hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. She is particularly interested in identifying malleable audiologic, language, and environmental factors that support effective communication for school-age children and adolescents in everyday life.

Disclosure Statement: No relationship to disclose.

AuD

Han Nguyen, Au.D. received her clinical doctorate in audiology from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI. She has been a Clinical Specialist for Electrophysiology and Vestibular Applications at Interacoustics US since 2022. Her clinical expertise includes diagnostic testing for pediatric (natural sleep and sedated ABR, hearing evaluations) and adult (audiometry, ABR, VEMP, ECochG, VNG) populations, in both sub-specialty (neurotology) ENT and hospital settings. In her current role, Han provides product demonstrations, training, and clinical support for electrophysiology (Eclipse), balance assessment (VisualEyes 525 VNG, EyeSeeCam vHIT, rotational chair), audiometry (Affinity Compact, Evo), fitting (Affinity Compact), OAE, and tympanometry products.

Disclosure Statement: Employed and salaried by Interacoustics US as an audiologist and Clinical Applications Specialist. 

MD

Dr. Kevin Peng was raised in Southern California and attended undergraduate studies and medical school at Caltech and the University of California, San Diego. He was drawn to the field of otolaryngology toward the end of medical school. He completed residency training at the University of California, Los Angeles, followed by a fellowship at the House Ear Clinic, where he continues to practice. His passion for otology and neurotology has led to dozens of publications in peer-reviewed journals. He maintains busy surgical practice, with a particular focus on vestibular schwannomas, also termed acoustic neuromas; hearing loss and cochlear implantation; and otosclerosis and chronic ear disease. He speaks annually at the Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery meetings, and gives courses covering topics such as external ear infections, vestibular migraine, and stapedectomy surgery. He remains active in the national societies of otolaryngology, and is a Fellow of the Triological Society, the oldest society focused on academic and clinical otolaryngology.

Disclosure Statement: No relationship to disclose.

AuD

Lauren Sandberg is a Clinical Specialist in the Southwest Region at Advanced Bionics, LLC. Prior to most recently joining AB, Lauren worked as a pediatric and educational audiologist in the Los Angeles area. She has also previously held roles in Clinical Product Development and Sales at AB. Dr. Sandberg received a B.S. in Communications from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and an Au.D. from Rush University in Chicago, IL.

Disclosure Statement: Employed and salaried by Advanced Bionics.

MD

Dr. William H. Slattery, III, M.D., is a leading expert in otolaryngology and neurotology, with over 30 years specializing in the treatment of Neurofibromatosis Type II (NF2), acoustic neuromas, cochlear implants, and facial nerve paralysis. Dr. Slattery joined the House Clinic in 1993 for a clinical fellowship in neurotology and continues to serve patients there today. In addition to his busy clinical practice, he has maintained a strong presence in the field as a respected clinical researcher. Dr. Slattery’s innovative research and compassionate approach have transformed treatment outcomes and improved the lives of countless patients worldwide.

Disclosure Statement: No relationship to disclose.

AuD, ABAC, CCC-A

Dr. Navid Taghvaei, AuD, ABAC, CCC-A, is a Board-Certified Audiologist and Lead Clinical Education Specialist at WS Audiology (WSA), where he designs and delivers advanced training on audiological technology, software, and clinical applications. With over two decades of clinical and academic experience, Dr. Taghvaei has led audiology departments in the U.S. and internationally, specializing in pediatric and adult hearing aid and cochlear implant fitting and rehabilitation. He is the Director of Audiology at A&A Audiology in Arizona and formerly served as Head of Audiology at hearLIFE Clinic. Dr. Taghvaei earned his Doctor of Audiology and Master’s in Hearing Science from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and holds dual undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Religious Studies from Arizona State University. He has contributed to clinical education as a university lecturer and preceptor and is an active researcher and speaker at national and international conferences, with numerous publications on hearing healthcare and technology. 

Disclosure Statement: Employed and salaried by WS Audiology. Dr. Taghvaei is the Director of Audiology at A&A Audiology in Arizona.

MA

Claudia Villegas-Avalos is the patient navigator at House Children’s Hearing Center. She has previous experience as a school counselor, domestic violence advocate/ counselor, and mental health administrator in the Lennox School District. She also served as the Director of Programs at the Richstone Family Center, developing culturally diverse and equitable programs in partnership with the Department of Children and Family Services, First 5 Los Angeles, and the Hawthorne School District. Claudia’s journey has been shaped by her own experience with hearing loss, and she received a cochlear implant at the House Ear Clinic in 2015. She knows that her personal experience will serve the patients she works with.

Disclosure Statement: No relationship to disclose.