CAA 2026 Speakers

She is also a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children?s Hospital San Diego, supporting pediatric research focused on complex and medically vulnerable populations. Rosabel is the developer of The Circle of Change: Creating a Network for Belonging, a parent leadership and engagement curriculum. As a mother of a child who is Deaf/Hard of Hearing, she brings both lived and professional experience to advancing person- and family-centered care.

Dr. Aron is a leader in digital health with a Ph.D. in Engineering Science (Biomedical Engineering) from the University of Oxford and a BSE in Acoustical Engineering and Music from the University of Hartford. He specializes in bridging complex engineering solutions with real-world healthcare applications, focusing on data-driven approaches to improve patient outcomes. His expertise spans acoustics, AI, and digital therapeutics.

She earned her doctorate in audiology from Wayne State University and is currently a PhD candidate in vestibular hearing science. Her research focuses on early feasibility studies in pediatric vestibular assessment, machine learning applications in balance disorders, and emerging approaches to vestibular intervention. These projects have enhanced her research skills and reinforced her commitment to advancing clinical practice.

In her clinical work, Dr. Berri provides pediatric diagnostics and (re)habilitative care, along with vestibular assessments for both pediatric and adult populations, including evoked potential testing. She also plays a key role in education by serving as a clinical preceptor for AuD students, delivering lectures for residents, and teaching graduate courses. Dr. Berri is actively involved in multiple committees and maintains memberships in several national organizations.

Dr. Bhowmik is an adjunct professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and an affiliate faculty member of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Before joining Starkey, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Perceptual Computing at Intel, where he led pioneering work in 3D sensing, computer vision, and interactive computing devices.
 
Dr. Bhowmik is a Fellow of IEEE, SID, AAIA, and AIIA, and serves on the boards of RealSense, Mojo Vision, Astranu, and the National Captioning Institute. He has authored more than 200 publications, including three books, and over 80 patents worldwide. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including TIME?s Best Inventions, the Red Dot Design Award, the Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award, and the Gold Globee Award for Most Innovative Person in Healthcare.

Dr. Bhowmik is an adjunct professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and an affiliate faculty member of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Before joining Starkey, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Perceptual Computing at Intel, where he led pioneering work in 3D sensing, computer vision, and interactive computing devices.
 
Dr. Bhowmik is a Fellow of IEEE, SID, AAIA, and AIIA, and serves on the boards of RealSense, Mojo Vision, Astranu, and the National Captioning Institute. He has authored more than 200 publications, including three books, and over 80 patents worldwide. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including TIME?s Best Inventions, the Red Dot Design Award, the Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award, and the Gold Globee Award for Most Innovative Person in Healthcare.

He is a Past President and BOD Member for the American Academy of Audiology, and currently serves on the Board of the American Auditory Society.  He previously was Editor of Audiology Today and the American Journal of Audiology.

Dr. Gosalia is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology (DFAAA), a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP), and board certified by the American Board of Audiology (ABA). He is a member of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and the California Academy of Audiology (CAA).

He is the owner and CEO of the AudBoss Private Practice Group and the AudBoss Private Practice Summits. He previously mentored the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) California Ambassador and served on the American Board of Audiology Board of Directors (2012?2015).

He currently serves on physician advisory boards for Face Forward International and on the Board of Directors for the Association of Los Angeles Physicians of Indian Origin (ALAPIO). He also mentors and precepts doctoral students nationwide. In April 2024, he received the American Academy of Audiology's Clinical Excellence in Audiology Award, becoming the first recipient from California.

Dr. Gosalia frequently speaks at international, national, and state events, appears on podcasts and local media, and delivers CME education for physician groups.
 

In her practice, Dr. Heiman specializes in diagnostic hearing evaluations, auditory processing disorders, tinnitus management, and aural rehabilitation for children and adults.

Dr. Heiman is also the co-creator of the Hearing Wellness Journey, an educational program designed to help patients better understand hearing loss and actively participate in their treatment. She serves as an instructor at Rush University, teaching adult aural rehabilitation to future audiologists.

In addition to her clinical and teaching work, Dr. Heiman is the co-founder and COO of Tonotop, a digital aural rehabilitation platform designed to help clinicians deliver more effective, measurable, and patient-centered hearing care. Her work focuses on the connection between hearing, brain health, and quality of life, with the goal of improving outcomes for people with hearing loss.

Dr. Hisagi's  Ph.D. was completed at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY-GC) (2007), and her AuD was completed at the University of Connecticut (UConn) (2018).

Her areas of expertise are psychoacoustics, speech science, hearing science, electrophysiology, bilingualism, and geriatric audiology. Her current research topic is the neurophysiological measures of hearing and speech processing in normal and hearing impaired individuals.

Something unique about Dr. Hu is that she grew up hard of hearing herself. She was fit with hearing aids at age 3 years and now utilizes bilateral cochlear implants. She is the creator of Mama Hu Hears, a safe space to share, laugh, learn and inspire others about living life with hearing loss. She is also a CA&HV Advisory Committee Member.

She has been in industry for over 3 years and has a special love for large-scale talks, applied research, and University engagement.

She earned her Doctorate of Audiology from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and her Bachelor of Arts with Research Distinction in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University. She completed her fourth-year externship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in conjunction with a graduate student trainee role within the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. Following her studies, she practiced in sunny Southern California as a private practice clinical audiologist. She is an advocate for high quality, equitable communication access and dignified aging. 

Her research focuses on the effects of auditory access and cognitive skills on the listening and spoken language outcomes of school-age children who use hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. She is particularly interested in identifying malleable audiologic, language, and environmental factors that support effective communication for school-age children and adolescents in everyday life.

Dr. Nazarian has dedicated his career to a transformative mission: restoring hearing to those who have lost it. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in complex hearing restoration and advanced microsurgical ear procedures.

Tom earned his B.S. and M.S. in computational biology from Stanford University. His work focuses on bringing novel accommodations to market, including captioning glasses. 

Dr. Sanders earned a Doctor of Audiology degree from Salus University in Pennsylvania in 2007 and Master's Degree in Audiology from Sacramento State in 2003. Dr. Sanders has been Supervisory Audiologist for the Veterans Health Administration, Northern California Region since 2022. He is a member of the CAA, AAA, and ASHA. Dr. Sanders has been a Dispensing Audiologist in California since 2003.

Dr. White earned a Doctor of Audiology degree from Utah State University. She is a member of CAA, AAA, and ASHA. Dr. White has been Service Chief for Audiology and Speech–Language Pathology for the Veterans Health Administration, Northern California Region since 2021. She has been a licensed Audiologist in California since 2008.

Riley's path into audiology was influenced by his wife's career as a speech-language pathologist. As he learned more about the field, he began to see meaningful parallels between his own experiences and those of individuals with hearing loss. Like diabetes, hearing loss often requires lifelong management, consistent follow-up, and the integration of devices into daily life. The emotional and psychological aspects of adjusting to technology, navigating social situations, and advocating for oneself deeply resonated with him.

These shared experiences fostered a strong sense of empathy and compassion. Understanding what it feels like to sit on the other side of the clinic room, to depend on devices for quality of life, and to build confidence while managing a medical condition fuels his passion for audiology. Riley is committed to providing patient-centered care, supporting individuals through their hearing journeys, and helping them embrace the tools that enhance communication and connection.

She is especially interested in Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), and her current and future research will focus on advancing the identification, assessment, and management of CAPD, with an emphasis on evidence-based diagnostic practices, clinically effective intervention approaches, and patient-centered outcomes related to communication function and quality of life. 

Sharokeena's primary focus is advancing holistic, patient-centered audiologic services that prioritize communication, connection, and long-term outcomes, grounded in clinical excellence, cultural competency, and patient empowerment. Her long-term goal is to establish a private practice offering comprehensive, full-scope audiologic care with an emphasis on patient education, accessibility, and individualized support, providing services including CAPD assessments, diagnostic evaluations, hearing aid fittings, tinnitus retraining therapy, evidence-based aural rehabilitation and more, while creating an environment where patients feel supported wherever they are in their hearing journey.

Through his academic training, he has developed a strong interest in evidence-based vestibular evaluation and in integrating diagnostic findings into patient-centered treatment planning. He values interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly in cases involving neurological and balance-related conditions, and is especially drawn to hospital-based settings where comprehensive care teams work together to manage complex cases.

As he continues his clinical training, Lorenzo looks forward to practicing in hospital settings in the Bay Area, where he hopes to serve diverse populations and help improve access to specialized hearing and balance services. His long-term goal is to combine clinical excellence, research involvement, and community engagement to help reduce disparities in audiologic healthcare. 

Gina's clinical interests include diagnostic audiology, hearing conservation, amplification management, electrophysiologic assessment and evidence-based practice.

Her research focuses on the importance of properly fitting hearing protection devices and their role in preventing noise-induced hearing loss. Gina has growing interest in integrating research into evidence-based clinical practice and a deeper commitment to promoting hearing conservation and improving long-term auditory health outcomes through proper device fitting and patient education.