People

Lab Director

Ishan Bhatt is an Associate Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Iowa. His main interest is to identify the confluence of genetic and non-genetic risk factors influencing complex hearing disorders. His research program aims to create audiogenomic tools that can be used by healthcare providers to identify susceptible individuals well before they acquire permanent hearing health problems and to design individualized prevention and intervention strategies.

Graduate Research Assistants

Srividya Grama Bhagavan

Srividya Grama Bhagavan joined the Ph.D. program at Iowa in fall 2021. She completed her Bachelor's and Master’s in audiology and Speech Language Pathology from India. Her research interests include tinnitus, auditory processing disorder, and electrophysiology. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, she worked as an Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist in renowned hospitals and private clinics in India, where she authored two international publications.

Sarah Kingsbury, B.A., B.S.

Sarah Kingsbury is a fourth-year Au.D. student who is currently completing her clinical externship at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. She was involved in research at Miami University and Iowa's HANG Lab before becoming the first member of the Audiogenomics Lab when Dr. Bhatt came to Iowa. Sarah is concluding her time in the lab with her capstone, "Investigating the Role of Diet and Nutrition in the Etiology of Tinnitus." She is interested in being an Au.D. research collaborator in the future.

Valerie Ingalls

Valerie Ingalls joined the Ph.D. program at University of Iowa in fall of 2022. Prior to Iowa, she received her Bachelor's in Psychology from St. Olaf College, where she studied cochlear implants, auditory cognition, and event related potentials in the Speech and Cognition Lab. Her current research interests include genetic risk factors of tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss and how musicians are affected by these disorders.

Xing Wei, B.A.

Xing is a first-year Au.D. student. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Iowa and is excited to continue her education here. Xing joined the Audiogenomics Lab in 2021 as an undergrad and is looking forward to continue her involvement as a graduate student. Her research and clinical interests include electrophysiology, cochlear implant, and vestibular disorders.

Hailey Kingsbury, B.S.

Hailey Kingsbury is a second-year Au.D. who joined the Audiogenomics Lab in 2021. She attended Miami University for her undergrad where she conducted research on the usage of American Sign Language by deaf children with autism. In the lab, she conducts audiological testing on research subjects and oversees the undergrad students. Hailey's research and clinical interests include electrophysiology, pediatrics, and cochlear implants.