Ohio Academy of Audiology Academy Awards & Honors

These awards were created in 2007 in order to recognize three deserving individuals each year who have made significant contributions to our profession and the Academy.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2010 Ohio Academy of Audiology Awards

Dr. Mitchell is a Past-President of the Ohio Academy of Audiology and is an OAA Representative to the Ohio Speech and Hearing Governmental Affairs Coalition (OSHGAC). She has served as a Planning Committee Chair for the Ohio Audiology Conference from 2005-2009 and as the OSHGAC Legislative Breakfast Planning Chair from 2004-2008. She has also served on the Ohio Task Force: Service Delivery to Children with Cochlear Implants and has participated in Ohio Department of Health committees addressing pediatric services in Ohio. Dr. Mitchell is a recipient of the American Academy of Audiology 2007-2008 Scholar Award. As Director of Audiology & Hearing Aid Services at Columbus Speech & Hearing Center, Dr. Mitchell manages a practice which provides services to nearly 4000 children and adults in Central Ohio each year.

Dr. Cola-Schuh has been practicing for over 24 years and has served as the Director of Audiology for Diseases of the Ears, Nose, and Throat, Inc. since its inception in 1988. Recently, Dr. Cola-Schuh’s interest in vestibular and balance disorders prompted the concept of a full service diagnostic and rehabilitative balance center: Columbus Balance Center. This facility combines state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment with the expertise of otolaryngologists, audiologists, and physical therapists in a single location. Dr. Cola-Schuh’s innovation and tireless work have led to the exceptional coordination of care, improved patient outcomes, and greater convenience to the patient. Dr. Cola-Schuh is a Past-President of the Ohio Academy of Audiology, Planning Chair for the Ohio Audiology Conference, and Planning Chair of the 2010 OSHGAC Legislative Breakfast.

Dr. Hunter is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of the Audiology Division at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She is the principle investigator of a National Institutes of Health project on Newborn Hearing Screening and Diagnosis, and has completed several research grants in Otitis Media and Hearing Loss in Children. Dr. Hunter has authored over 50 publications on otitis media, pediatric audiology and diagnostic audiology, and has given over 100 national and international presentations. She was cited in The Hearing Journal’s Best of 2008: Clinical Articles. Dr. Hunter has chaired numerous committees for national professional organizations and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education as well as a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Audiology.

Honors of the Academy

Clinical Excellence

Research Award

Third Annual OAA Awards Announced Feb 20, 2009, at the Ohio Audiology Conference

Dr. Kukula is President and Audiologist for Advanced Audiology Concepts in Mentor, Ohio. She is a consultant to the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital Shaker Campus. In 2008, she was appointed by Gov. Strickland to serve on the Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. She is a Past-President of the OAA and Past-Planning Chair of the Ohio Audiology Conference. Dr. Kukula is Past-Chair of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) Ethical Practices Committee. She was the recipient of the 2008 AAA President’s Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Reikowski is Owner & Director of Audiology for Cardinal Union Hearing Centers, Inc. and Family Hearing Center, Inc. He developed the RJ Hearing Program, a one-day workshop to help people with hearing loss & significant others better understand their hearing loss and improve communication. He is a volunteer for I-Care International, a non-profit organization that provides people with donated eyeglasses and hearing aids. In 1999, he participated on a team that traveled to Mexico to fit adults and children with donated hearing aids.

Dr. Roup is Assistant Professor of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the Ohio State University. Prior to joining the faculty at OSU, she worked as both a research and clinical audiologist with the Department of Veteran's Affairs. Her research interests are in the area of speech perception and aging. Dr Roup was the recipient of the 2007 American Academy of Audiology Foundation New Investigator Award. She was acknowledged in the Hearing Journal’s “The Best of Audiology Literature 2006” for an article that was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. This article discusses dichotic word recognition in the aging.

The second annual OAA Awards were announced on February 20, 2008 following the Legislative Breakfast. The awards recognize three deserving individuals who have made significant contributions to our profession and the Academy.

Erin L. Miller, Au.D. was awarded Honors of the Academy for her advocacy, teaching, mentoring, and clinical practice. Dr. Miller is the Coordinator of the Hearing Aid Dispensary at the University of Akron and is a clinical preceptor for students in the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium. She serves as the NAFDA faculty advisor, is a Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), member of the AAA Ethical Practices Committee, and chair of the Ohio Speech and Hearing Governmental Affairs Coalition (GAC).

Gail Whitelaw, Ph.D. was awarded the Clinical Excellence Award for her significant contributions to clinical practice. Dr. Whitelaw is the Director of Clinical Instruction and Research at The Ohio State University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic. She is an Audiology Faculty member on the Leadership in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program. Dr. Whitelaw has become a well respected expert in the field of auditory processing disorders in Ohio and across the country. “Gail is well-loved by her patients and their families and she is a true advocate for their needs both educationally and socially.”

Sharon Sandridge, Ph.D. was awarded the Research Award. Dr. Sandridge is the Director of Clinical Services, Co-Director of the Audiology Research Lab and Co-Director of the Tinnitus Management Clinic at the Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute. Dr. Sandridge recently completed a research project which evaluated the longitudinal benefits from satisfaction with the Baha® Hearing System for patients with acquired unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and will be published this spring in Otology and Neurotology. In 2007, Dr. Sandridge co-authored two chapters in Clinical Otology as well as an article in Progress in Brain Research.

The Ohio Council of Audiology was founded in 1975. It was the Nation’s first formal State professional Audiology association. It had a very successful history of serving as the professional voice of audiology in Ohio. The Ohio Council of Audiology was the first chartered Affiliate to the American Academy of Audiology in 1995. The name Ohio Academy of Audiology was registered with the Secretary of State in 1995.