Minnesota Academy of Audiology

2024 Speakers

	Debbie Abel, Au.D. spent 13 years in private practice in Alliance, OH after moving an existing practice from the Alliance Eye and Ear Clinic, where she was employed for 14 years, taking the ENT with her. She also supported two ENTs in Poway, CA for eight years. She is the manager of coding and contracting services for Audigy, has authored several chapters in Plural Publication texts, and is the editor of The Essential Guide to Coding in Audiology: Coding, Billing and Practice Management, published in December 2017.
	Young Sil Kim Allgor, M.Ed was born in South Korea and adopted at the age of 11 to the small Minnesota town of Sleepy Eye. She has 40 years experience teaching the deaf/hard of hearing mostly in the itinerant setting. Kim taught in St. Paul Public Schools with students who are primarily first and second generation immigrants with mild/moderate hearing loss. As a lifelong learner, she earned her BA at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD and her MA in instructional design at St Mary’s University in Winona. While teaching in St. Paul, she struggled to effectively advocate for and educate her students in the inner city. To that end, she participated in Seeking Equity in Educational Diversity (SEED) programs in the Twin Cities and continued for 20 years. Within that program she was introduced to the ideas of intersectionality.
	Nicole Carreon, LMFT is a dedicated mental health professional with a diverse background in the industry, transitioning from leadership roles in managed care to full-time clinical work. Her commitment to impacting lives led her to serve as the mental health director at a medication assisted treatment center, offering support to individuals battling opioid use disorders. Over the last seven years Nicole has focused on providing treatment to individuals with tinnitus, misophonia, and hyperacusis at her private practice in Minnesota. Partnering with Dr. Jason Leyendecker, Nicole co-created an integrated behavioral health treatment model at Audiology Concepts. This approach addresses emotional and physiological aspects. Nicole’s expertise spans across several therapeutic modalities such as EMDR, CBT, MBSR, Havening Techniques, solution-focused brief therapy, and attachment-based treatment.
	Dr. Amanda Griffin is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where, from 2008-2015, she worked simultaneously on both her clinical and research doctorates in audiology. Dr. Griffin joined Boston Children's in 2016 as the Director of Audiology Research in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement. Her principal research interests include pediatric unilateral hearing loss, development of binaural hearing abilities, and cochlear implants. In addition to research endeavors, she also provides clinical services to patients in the Cochlear Implant Program at Boston Children’s at Waltham.
	Devin L. McCaslin, PhD currently serves as the Clinic and Academic Program Director of Audiology at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor and holds the rank of professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. McCaslin’s major academic, clinical and research interests relate to clinical electrophysiology, vestibular assessment, healthcare economics, and the application of artificial intelligence to manage and treat dizzy patients. He served as the deputy editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology and is a past member of the Board of Directors for the American Auditory Society and American Academy of Audiology.
	Jacqueline Weycker, Au.D. is a clinical research audiologist at the University of Minnesota working on the ACHIEVE (Aging & Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders) study to better understand the outcomes of hearing loss and cognition in a population of diverse older adults. She is on a mission to establish and improve accessible and equitable hearing and balance care for all. Implementation and dissemination of best-practice hearing healthcare research for adult elders in a complicated and changing clinical sphere is a focus of her dedication. Jackie is thrilled to be contributing to such work in the great state of Minnesota.