Finding her way toward improving people’s lives

HURON – Lavin Entwisle admits she didn’t know anything about audiologists or what they did when, as an undergraduate at the University of South Dakota, she signed up for an introductory course on communication disorders.
“I was struggling to find a major that fit my personality and interests,” the 2010 graduate of Huron High School said.
“I have always been interested in health care, but didn’t see myself becoming a nurse or physician.”
But she liked science, technology and human interaction and service, “and the idea that I could help improve someone’s overall quality of life.”
Communication disorders is the typical undergraduate degree for those seeking a graduate degree in either speech-language pathology or audiology.
Entwisle’s passion about hearing led to an interest in audiology and cochlear implants, and she is now finishing her clinical doctorate in audiology by fulfilling an externship requirement at New York University’s Langone Cochlear Implant Center in Manhattan.
“There are wonderful cochlear implant centers across the nation that accept audiology externs, with NYU Langone Medical Center being one of the flagship institutions for cochlear implants,” she said.
She said NYU is one of the larger cochlear implant centers treating both children and adults with hearing loss who don’t receive benefit from traditional hearing aids.
Entwisle will graduate with her clinical doctorate in audiology in May after completing a year-long externship.
She said the field of audiology covers much more than hearing aids.
Audiologists play a large role in diagnosing and treating hearing loss, but also assess a person’s balance system or how the brain processes sound.
“I see patients coming to our clinic who are interested in seeing if they are a candidate for a cochlear implant, or for those who have already received an implant and require the routine follow-up care,” she said.

At this point, early on in her externship, she is mostly observing and assisting with appointments with six audiologists.
“Over the next few months, as I start to get more familiar with how things are run at NYU, I will gradually become more independent,” Entwisle said.
Before she graduates next spring, she will also present her research project in the area of cochlear implant programming.
At USD, a test is used to help more efficiently program a patient’s implant. Called ESRT, it is well known in the world of cochlear implants, but not often used in the clinical setting.
“My capstone research project will hopefully bring more attention to ESRT and help bridge the gap between cochlear implant research and clinical practice,” Entwisle said.
She said her experience at NYU will help her stay in the field of cochlear implants. She hopes to find a position where she can continue to be part of the research in the field.
“I really love what I do working with cochlear implants, so I would ideally like to find a position where I could specialize in cochlear implants for both children and adults,” Entwisle said.