Meet the experts

Dr. Ivette Cejas is an Associate Professor and Director of Family Support Services at the University of Miami Ear Institute. She is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Florida. Dr. Cejas is a well-known researcher in the area of pediatric cochlear implantation and child development, publishing extensively in this area and presenting at numerous conferences. As part of the UM Children’s Hearing program she provides therapeutic and assessment services to children and families coping with a hearing loss diagnosis or comorbid disorders. She is an advocate for all children with hearing loss and organizes a comprehensive family program at UHealth to assist families through their journey with hearing loss. She is on the Board of Directors of AG Bell and is a member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance.

Dr. Esmonde has a DPT from Marquette University, a BA from Northwestern University, and 17 years of clinical experience in acute care, inpatient acute rehab, and outpatient physical therapy. She is also the Co-Founder of Vestibular First, a medical device and educational company. She passed the Vestibular Competency at Emory University in 2015 and achieved Clinical Specialty in Neurologic Physical Therapy in 2018. She has taught several continuing education courses and has presented at national physical therapy, brain injury, and otolaryngology conferences. With a passion for teaching, Dr. Esmonde has served as a teaching assistant at Temple, Jefferson, Neumann, Arcadia, Harcum, and St. Joseph’s University.

Rick Neitzel, PhD, CIH, FAIHA is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Global Public Health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts focused on exposures to, and impacts of, noise and other occupational and environmental hazards. He is particularly interested in incorporating new methodologies and exposure sensing technologies into research and has a strong interest in translating his research findings into occupational and public health practice. He is the principal investigator of the ongoing nationwide Apple Hearing Study. He has created a job-exposure matrix for occupational noise exposures in the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Neitzel is Chair of the ACGIH® Threshold Limit Values for Physical Agents (TLV®-PA) Committee. He is also a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and has been a Certified Industrial Hygienist since 2003.