The American Academy of Audiology Foundation’s mission is to promote philanthropy in support of public awareness, research, and education in audiology and hearing and balance science.
Offering a variety of scholarships to students pursuing degrees in audiology is one way in which the Foundation fulfills its mission to support education. The Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its scholarship programs in 2021.
Sadanand Singh Memorial Scholarship
The Sadanand Singh Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a minority and/or international student who shows exceptional promise in audiology research. The scholarship was established to honor Dr. Sadanand Singh, an educator, scientist, publisher, and philanthropist, to celebrate his dedication to research and the next generation of hearing scientists.
The 2021 scholarship award of $500 was presented to Donguk Lee from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Donguk is a fifth-year PhD student whose area of interest is investigating medial olivocochlear fibers.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Judith Blumsack Scholarship
The Judith Blumsack Scholarship is awarded to a student who demonstrates outstanding clinical skills and who shows promise in terms of clinical research and service to the professional community and/or the community at large. Dr. Blumsack was on the faculty at Auburn University and a former member of the AAA Foundation Board of Trustees. She retired in 2014, at which time students, colleagues, family, and friends came together to create a $500 scholarship in her name.
The 2021 Judith Blumsack Scholarship winner is Claire Dorey from The University of Florida. Claire is a fourth-year AuD student who aspires to make contributions to the field of audiology through translational research practice with an emphasis in neurophysiology.
The University of Florida
Continued Achievement Scholarships
The Continued Achievement Scholarships, sponsored by AudiologyOnline, are awarded to students who show exceptional promise in providing outstanding patient care as clinical audiologists. This scholarship program provides a $2,000 award for two students each year.
In 2021, these scholarships were awarded to Madalyn Anderson from the University of Iowa and Karl Velik from The Ohio State University.
Madalyn is a third-year AuD student who aims to be a pediatric audiologist. Karl is a third-year AuD student and an audiology extern at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan.
Jerry Northern Scholarships in Pediatric Audiology
The Jerry Northern Scholarship in Pediatric Audiology, generously funded by Dr. Jerry Northern, is awarded to students who show exceptional promise as clinical audiologists with a focus on the specialty of pediatric audiology. Winners of this scholarship program receive $10,000 and a $500 stipend to attend the Academy’s annual conference.
The 2021 recipients are Alicia Gonzalez from The Ohio State; Emily Thompson from Vanderbilt University; and Meredith Braza from The University of North Carolina. Their biographies can be viewed online below.
Empowering Students Scholarship Program
The American Academy of Audiology Foundation’s Empowering Students Scholarship of $5,000 is awarded to six students who show exceptional promise as a clinical audiologist. This scholarship program is generously funded by Oticon, Inc. $30,000 in scholarship funds were available, and Oticon designated up to $20,000 of these funds for Black/African-American students.
The 2021 recipients are Casey Crane from the University of Oklahoma; Samantha Espinal from Gallaudet University; Rhonda Labib from the University of the Pacific; Hunter Stuehm from Western Washington University, Tawni Wallace from California State University, Northridge; and Fina Young from SUNY Buffalo. Their biographies can be viewed online below.
Improving the Conversation Scholarship Program
The Improving the Conversation Scholarship Program, generously sponsored by CapTel from T-Mobile, offers three $5,000 scholarships to students who show exceptional promise as clinical audiologists. CapTel from T-Mobile designates two of the scholarship awards to Black/African-American students.
The 2021 recipients are Chantel Brennan from Syracuse University; Traci Brinkley from The University of Texas at Dallas; and Amanda Davis from the University of North Carolina. Their biographies can be reviewed online below.
The AAA Foundation will accept applications for the Judith Blumsack Scholarship, the Sadanand Singh Memorial Scholarship, the Continued Achievement Scholarships, the Jerry Northern Scholarships in Pediatric Audiology, the Empowering Students Scholarships, and the Improving the Conversation Scholarships for the 2022–2023 academic year beginning January 15, 2022.
The application deadline is April 30, 2022, for the Sadanand Singh Memorial Scholarship, Judith Blumsack Scholarship, and Continued Achievement Scholarships. The application deadline for the Jerry Northern Scholarships in Pediatric Audiology, the Empowering Students Scholarships, and the Improving the Conversation Scholarships is May 31, 2022.
