At Hearing People, our goal is to provide deep insights and expert viewpoints on topics related to hearing loss and hearing technology. We’re proud of our regular contributors, who bring a broad range and diversity of experiences to the conversation.
Luis Zuluaga
CEO of Florida Hearing Institute
Mr. Zuluaga is the founder and CEO of Florida Hearing Institute, an innovative hearing health enterprise in South Florida, focused on bringing high-tech hearing devices at affordable prices to people with hearing loss. He also served as President and COO of Zounds Hearing Inc., a hearing aid manufacturer that recruited him after he successfully built his first hearing health center in Miami in 2013.
Erin Edwards
aud, towson university
Erin Edwards received her Doctor of Audiology degree from Towson University in 2015 and her Ph.D. in Education and Leadership from Pacific University in 2022. She has worked with patients of all ages in a variety of settings and has a specific interest in cochlear implants, the relationship of hearing loss and dementia, and interdisciplinary healthcare.
Buddhini Dolapihilla
MB at Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dr. Dolapihilla is a medical doctor (MBBS) and a research assistant at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She is a clinical research physician-scientist and an enthusiastic academic writer with over 6 years of experience in clinical research.
Munawar Malik
Assistant Professor in Department of Special Education
Munawar Is an Assistant Professor in one of the leading university in Pakistan. He holds a career of 31 years in the field of hearing, speech, language and special needs education as a clinician, consultant and a mentor. He has to his credit a series of articles and write ups in leading journals. More recently he has been on board with hearing people and contributing through his unique way of written expression.
Ivonne Baixeras
Florida-Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Ivonne Baixeras is a Florida-Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist with a track record of almost three decades treating hearing problems in Miami-Dade County and serving the needs of thousands of satisfied patients. Ivonne is a graduate of both Miami-Dade College & Florida International University and worked for many years at the largest national chain of hearing clinics in the US where she’s received multiple awards.
Eleftheria Georganti
Research & Development at Phonak
Eleftheria’s world revolves around sound – She has a professional career spanning over 15 years and a strong research record (over 40 articles and patents) and has been the driving force behind top-notch products at leading hearing aid and audio tech companies.
Lusine Mamikonyan
ENT Physician
Dr. Lusine Mamikonyan is an ENT physician with a public health background. She graduated from Yerevan State Medical University and earned her Master's in Public Health from the American University of Armenia. She is experienced in conducting various audiological evaluation tests, providing treatment, and working with hearing aids and patients with cochlear implants. Besides medicine, she enjoys reading, dancing, and spending time with family and friends.
Contributors
Gael Hannan
Hearing Loss & Hard of Hearing Consultant
Gael Hannan is a renowned humorist, author, and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is a leading international hearing health advocate whose work, which includes awareness programs, dramedy performances and writing, helps people better understand the life with hearing loss – both its impact and to live more successfully. She regularly writes for hearing-related publications such as Hearing Health & Technology Matters and Canadian Audiologist.
James (Jim) A. Henry, PhD
Doctor of Audiology
Dr. Jim Henry received his PhD from the Oregon Health and Sciences University in 1994. He currently holds the post of research career scientist at the Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System in Portland, Oregon. He also serves as a research professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, and adjunct professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.
Joey Remenyi
Vestibular Audiologist & Neuroplasticty Therapist
Joanna "Joey" Remenyi (BA 2005 Arts, GDipAudSc 2007, MClinAud 2008) is a vestibular audiologist who specialises in rehabilitation for people who suffer from conditions caused by the inner ear such as dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus. She is the only audiologist in Australia who specialises in this field of vestibular rehabilitation and is renowned globally for her expertise in mindfulness. She is a registered Senior Yoga Teacher with over 7000 hours of training and 18 years of experience in the field of mind-body medicine.
Anna Baluch
medical content writer
Anna Baluch is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoys writing about a variety of health and personal finance topics. When she’s away from her laptop, she can be found working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family. You can find her content on Forbes, TheBalance.com, Investopedia.com, VeryWellHealth.com UsChamber.com, USNews.com and many more places.
Jim Russell
Principal Consultant at Hear Room | Advocating for inclusion for HoH/Deaf individuals
Jim Russell, Principal Consultant at Hear Room, is a highly experienced audiologist with 20 years of expertise in hearing technology. He is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with hearing impairments through his patient-centric approach and customized solutions. As a licensed Audiometrist, Jim possesses extensive knowledge of the latest hearing aid and assistive listening device technologies.
Shannon Stocker
Hearing Loss Children's Book Author
Shannon Stocker is an award-winning author and proud word nerd who loves all letters equally. She lives with her husband, Greg, and her children, Cassidy and Tye, in Louisville, KY, where she molds the alphabet into picture books and songs all day. Shannon currently serves as SCBWI social co-director for Louisville, a judge for Rate Your Story, and created the blog series, Pivotal Moments: inHERview, highlighting transitional life stories of female picture book authors.
Dr. John Greer Clark, PhD
Associate Professor of Audiology
Dr. Clark has outstanding contributions to the field over the past 40 years through his teaching, research, clinical work, and as an author of seminal texts in audiology. Dr. Clark received his clinical training at the University of Texas at Austin and his doctorate at the University of Cincinnati. He maintains a private practice in Middletown, Ohio and is on the faculty at the University of Cincinnati’s doctoral program in audiology. He also holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.
Dr. Drianis Duran, AuD
Licensed Audiologist
Dr. Duran has a master’s degree in audiology (2000) and received her doctorate degree in audiology in 2006. She has been a licensed audiologist in Florida since 2001 serving patients from Cape Coral to Naples. Dr. Duran has also worked in the hearing aid manufacturing field, teaching other audiologists and hearing aid professionals all over the country and the Caribbean how to best program and fit hearing instruments. She also is fully bilingual in both English and Spanish.
Genevieve Yusuf
Hearing Loss Book Author
I was born in Colchester, Essex in 1978. I studied at the University of Sussex and I have a degree in Linguistics and Spanish. I have been a private Spanish tutor to children for many years and picked up along the way, what interests children, and what makes them tick!
Vanessa VanCleave
Hearing Loss Book Author
Vanessa VanCleave, a Mvskoke citizen from rural Oklahoma, is on a mission to inspire, encourage, and motivate others to connect with God and fulfill their unique purpose. With a bachelor’s degree in English/writing from East Central University and a master’s degree in education curriculum and instruction from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. Vanessa is also a published author and her work has been recognized with awards for creative nonfiction and poetry. Her articles have appeared in reputable publications such as Today’s Christian Woman and Guideposts magazines. She is the author of "Hearing AIDS: How a Deaf Child with AIDS Taught Me to Hear God’s Voice".
Tanya Saunders
Hearing Loss Book Author
Tanya Saunders is a writer, artist and lover of wild places. The road that eventually led to her founding AVID Language and writing books for deaf children started unexpectedly back in 2016. Tanya and her husband Ian were living and working in a remote corner of the African wilderness (where Tanya had grown up with elephants literally on her doorstep) when their life was suddenly turned upside down overnight. One of their two year old twin daughters was diagnosed with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD).
Karen Hardwicke
Primary Teacher of the Deaf and published author of 4 books for deaf children
Karen Hardwicke is a Teacher of the Deaf but if she were a stick of rock, at her centre it would say ‘parent’. She is mum to a daughter and two sons; one of whom is deaf. The diagnosis of the latter’s deafness changed everything. Initially there was shock and grieving for the future she thought was in store. And the grieving never really went away but remained buried under layers of time and positivity and a determination to make the best of things. The journey was also characterised by trainspotter levels of excitement about language development; in particular, sign language!
Anna Biggins
Senior Audiology Manager at Phonak
Anna Biggins is currently the Global Clinical Development and Training Manager for the In-the-Ear team with a focus on Phonak Lyric. She joined Phonak HQ in Switzerland in August 2008. Anna has worked in the field of audiology and hearing aids for 25 years and is passionate about all things audiology.
David G. Myers
Communicator of Psychological Science
David Myers is a well-known social psychologist who communicates the science of psychology to both college students and the general public. His wide range of writings cover subjects such as happiness, intuition, and the relationship between psychology and faith. Additionally, Myers is a dedicated advocate for individuals with hearing loss, actively involved in promoting improved assistive listening technology through his work with hearingloop.org.