In honor of Dr. Judith Gravel, who passed away in 2008, the Hear the World Foundation has created a fellowship for outstanding audiology students in collaboration with the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. The fellowship includes an annual stipend of 15,000 US dollars.
“Dr. Judith Gravel was internationally acclaimed for her expertise in the field of pediatric audiology and for her numerous contributions to clinical research. She will be remembered as someone who always endeavored to improve training and educational opportunities for students and medical professionals,” says Professor Richard Seewald, a member of the Hear the World Foundation’s Advisory Council. “By awarding this fellowship, we continue to advance her mission and legacy.”
The Gravel Fellowship is awarded each year to a fourth-year Doctor of Audiology (AuD) student whose externship is completed at UNC Hospitals with a focus on audiologic management of infants and young children. The $15,000 award covers the period beginning June 1 through May of the following year to help support the student’s living expenses and educational needs.
UNC Chapel Hill’s Pediatric Audiology program, the largest in North Carolina, averages over 13,000 pediatric patient visits per year and follows over 1,500 children with permanent hearing loss.
How to apply for the 2018/19 Fellowship
The application deadline for the 2018-2019 Gravel Fellowship has passed. Applications have being accepted until October 1, 2017.
The recipient of the 2018-2019 fellowship will be announced in November 1, 2017.
PREVIOUS FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS
Hannah Dorothy
2017-2018 fellowship recipient
A native of Illinois, Hannah completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Science and Disorders in 2014 at Western Illinois University and is currently a 4th year AuD student at East Carolina University. She has an impressive history of community and volunteer service and is described by her mentors as a team player who demonstrates compassion, exceptional organizational skills, and proficiency in both the technical and interpersonal aspects of clinical audiology. "I am grateful to receive this award and the opportunity to expand my clinical skills within a uniquely challenging pediatric setting. I am eager to begin learning from the experienced audiologists and staff at UNC Hospitals. Dr. Gravel’s work and legacy continues to positively impact current and future clinicians, and I am humbled and honored to receive such a prestigious award in her name in the lives of children with hearing loss”, says Hannah.
Sarah Webster
2016-2017 fellowship recipient
A native of Oakton, Virginia and a graduate of the University of Virginia, Sarah came to UNC in the fall of 2013 to begin her AuD program. She has been strongly committed to a career in pediatric audiology throughout her graduate program and has taken on additional coursework and leadership experiences through a federally funded training grant in pediatric audiology at UNC and as a graduate student funded by the North Carolina LEND Program (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities). Sarah states, “I look forward to learning from the dedicated and experienced pediatric audiologists at UNC Hospital as I pursue my goal of making a difference in the lives of infants and children with hearing loss.” Sarah is now a pediatric audiologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY.
Lauren Charles
2015-2016 fellowship recipient
Lauren Charles, originally from Brentwood, Tennessee, completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She is a hearing aid user from early childhood. Lauren states,“Dr. Judith Gravel was a renowned clinician whose contributions to pediatric audiology had a worldwide impact. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to spend my 4th year at UNC where I was able to enhance my knowledge and skill in the management of infants and young children with hearing loss. It was an honor to be mentored by dedicated clinicians who were themselves inspired by Dr. Gravel." Today, Lauren is a pediatric audiologist at the Children's Hospital Colorado in Denver.
Johnna Tanji
2014-2015 fellowship recipient
Johnna Tanji, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, completed her undergraduate degree in physics and Asian studies at Beloit College. Prior to entering graduate school, she spent two years in Japan teaching English. At the University of Arizona in Tucson where she earned her AuD degree in 2015, she was a fellow in the Arizona Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (AZLEND) Program. Johnna felt deeply humbled to be awarded the Gravel fellowship noting:“I admire Dr. Judith Gravel’s leadership and scholarship contributions to the field of pediatric audiology. It was an honor to continue my studies with the esteemed audiologists at UNC through the Foundation. The externship opportunity allowed me to gain foundational skills in pediatric audiology and help me mature into an independent clinician so that I can better serve children with hearing loss and their families.” Johanna is currently an audiologist at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Tucson Arizona.
Bernadette Rakszawski
2013-2014 fellowship recipient
Bernadette Rakszawski, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the Pennsylvania State University. A 2014 graduate of the AuD program at Washington University in St. Louis, Bernadette was humbled to follow the previous Gravel Fellows stating: “I was honored to do this work in the name of such a devoted audiologist. The Foundation has established an exceptional opportunity by creating an externship that allows students to work with the knowledgeable and motivating audiologists at UNC. I know that the experience of working in diagnostics and amplification have guided me on the path to a strong career spent best serving children with hearing loss”. Bernadette is currently a pediatric audiologist at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Mallory Baker
2012-2013 fellowship recipient
Gravel Fellow Mallory Baker, a native of Seattle, Washington, completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Washington and her Doctor of Audiology degree at UNC Chapel Hill in 2013. Reflecting on her fourth year experience, Mallory stated: “it was an honor to continue my education with the Fellowship that memorializes Dr. Judith Gravel and her dedication to compassionate clinical care, education, and professional service. I was fortunate to participate in this unique opportunity to expand my skills while learning from the outstanding UNC-CH team that continues Dr. Gravel's mission to enrich the lives of children through early hearing loss detection and intervention.” Mallory is now a pediatric audiologist at UNC Hospitals.
Ashley Timboe
2011-2012 fellowship recipient
During her fellowship year in 2011-12, Ashley Timboe, an AuD student from the University of Washington, Seattle stated, “As a Gravel Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill, I am expanding and enhancing my pediatric knowledge base. Working and learning alongside audiologists and physicians who are leaders in their fields has been invaluable to my goal of caring for patients and their families with the compassion and respect exemplified by Dr. Gravel.”
Ashley noted that she was initially drawn to working with children following her pediatric rotation at the University of Washington’s Center for Human Development and Disability where she completed an audiology traineeship in the program for Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND). Ashley is now a pediatric audiologist at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Nicole Duncan
2010-2011 fellowship recipient
Nicole Duncan is now an audiologist working in Bangor, Maine with Penobscot Community Health Care, a non-profit federally qualified health center that provides diagnostic and rehabilitative services to children and adults, including low income families. Although the center had been seeing children before she was hired, Nicole was given the institutional support to implement a diagnostic ABR program and expand hearing aid verification protocols for children. Nicole notes: “families in eastern and northern Maine who once had to travel long distances for diagnostic audiology can now be seen sooner and closer to home; this has resulted earlier identification and intervention as well as cost savings to families.” Nicole states: "my educational preparation in audiology at UNC gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a leadership role in program development early in my career."