Meet the experts

Dr. Danesh is professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Florida Atlantic University. He also has a secondary appointment as the Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Schmidt College of Medicine. He teaches students in audiology, medicine, and speech, language pathology. Dr. Danesh is a board-certified clinical audiologist who has presented more than 80 scientific papers in local, state, national, and international meetings. In the past few years, Dr. Danesh has published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers on topics related to hearing, tinnitus and balance disorders in a variety of prestigious journals and proceedings. He received his Doctorate in audiology with an emphasis on auditory electrophysiology from the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee. Professor Danesh has a keen love of genetics and genetic hearing loss. 

Christopher Spankovich, AuD, PhD, MPH, is a tenured professor and vice chair of research for the Department of Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Spankovich is a clinician-scientist with a translational research program focused on prevention of acquired forms of hearing loss, tinnitus, and sound sensitivity. His research includes clinical trials of otoprotectants, epidemiological studies of determinants (e.g., dietary quality) of hearing loss/tinnitus, basic research in thermal stress for prevention of ototoxicity, and translational research on the effects of noise on auditory physiology/perception. His research has been funded by industry, federal, and professional bodies. He has published over 100 articles and book chapters (>65 in peer-reviewed journals) and has given over 60 national and international presentations. Dr. Spankovich continues to practice clinically with special interest in tinnitus, sound sensitivity, ototoxicity, hearing conservation, and advanced diagnostics. He holds Adjunct faculty status with Salus/Drexel University and serves as an associate editor for the International Journal of Audiology. He is a former board member for the American Academy of Audiology and currently serves on the board of the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE). Dr. Spankovich also provides consultant services for medico-legal cases.

Agelia Stout is a clinical audiologist who serves pediatric, adult and geriatric populations at West River Ear Nose and Throat. She performs audiologic testing, hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant candidacy and programming, and osseointegrated candidacy and device fitting. In addition to diagnostics and treatment of hearing loss, a large role of her position consists of educating and counseling patients and their families. She received her AuD from the University of South Dakota in 2018.