Diversified Hearing Services serves as one of the University at Buffalo’s off-campus externship sites for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year Au.D students. Off campus sites allow our graduate students to experience and work with a variety of different clients who have communicative disorders, and to gain more hands on practice. Diversified Hearing Services is a multi-office practice owned by Dr. Salvatore Gruttadauria, Au.D. As one of the largest practices in Western New York, Diversified also provides care to area hospitals, nursing homes and educational programs. With seven different locations in the Buffalo area, Diversified Hearing Services offers several services including audiological evaluations, hearing aid dispensing, sale of hearing aid accessories including assistive listening devices, electronystagmography (ENG testing of balance system function), videonystagmography, otoacoustic emissions (OAE testing of cochlear function), auditory brainstem response, central auditory processing evaluations, as well as services for hearing protection. Click on 'read more' to learn more about Diversified Hearing Services.

Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center serves as one of the University at Buffalo’s off-campus externship sites for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year Au.D students, and 2nd year SLP Masters students.

CDS students gain additional clinical experience and are familiarized with several different clinics during their externship experiences. Off campus sites allow our graduate students to experience and work with a variety of different clients who have communicative disorders, and to gain more hands on practice. Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center provides comprehensive treatment for adults and children with speech-language and hearing impairments, and also offers several specialized programs including the oral deaf education program, language to literacy program, the early childhood program, as well as the speech-language pathology and audiology programs. Click on 'read more' to learn more about the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center.

"Helping Hands" is a student volunteer program for SLP graduate students designed to assist in feeding patients at the VA hospital. Volunteer student clinicians go to the VA hospital during lunch and dinner time to feed patients with dysphagia (difficulties swallowing) and patients who need extra assistance in feeding themselves. Student clinicians do basic swallowing evaluations under direct supervision, and can receive clinical hours working with patients with dysphagia. Overall, 21 students have been involved in the Helping Hands program. This program is an excellent way for students to volunteer in the community, gain clinical experience, and receive clinical hours. To learn more about the program or to get involved contact Dona-Hue Ritter-Schmidt at dhrs@buffalo.edu or Rachel Castricone at the VA hospital.

Dr. Eric Bielefeld, Ph.D., a current adjunct faculty member here at the University at Buffalo, graduated from the University at Buffalo with his Ph.D. in audiology in 2005. His research focuses on noise and age related hearing loss. Dr. Bielefeld teaches Diagnostic Audiology I, a required course taken in the first year for audiology students. He is also employed at Delaware Audiology Group, in which his work focuses on audiometric diagnostics and hearing aids.

On October 3, 2007 NAFDA (The National Association of Future Doctors of Audiology) Au.D. graduate students participated in a successful community service effort, providing hearing screenings at the Wellness Fair at the Amherst Center for Senior Services. NAFDA members provided otoscopy, tympanometry, pure-tone screenings, and follow-up counseling to those attending seniors. An information booth was also set up to provide information on healthy hearing and hearing loss. This was an excellent community event for our Au.D. graduate students to provide their services to the public. Thank you to the Amherst Senior Center for providing us with the opportunity to promote hearing health and the field of audiology, as well as to offer our screening services.

Dr. Kris Tjaden recently received a 5-year grant entitled “Therapeutic Approaches to Dysarthria: Acoustic and Perceptual Correlates”, from the National Institutes of Health, to continue her research in dysarthria. Dysarthria is a neurologic disorder thought to result from abnormalities in speed, strength, range, steadiness, tone or accuracy required for control of speech breathing, phonation, resonance, articulation, and prosodic aspects of speech production. This speech motor control disorder is often associated with reduced speech intelligibility and naturalness. Persons with dysarthria secondary to Parkinson’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis will be studied by Dr. Tjaden. Click on 'read more' to learn about Dr. Tjaden's research.