Audiologists
Rebecca Lewis, AuD, PhD
Chief of Audiology
Dr. Lewis completed her postdoctoral research fellowship and worked as a research audiologist at the Eaton Peabody Lab at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and a clinical audiologist in the Audiology Division of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. She also served as a research audiologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where she studied mechanisms of sensorineural hearing loss and the effects of traumatic brain injury, including injury from blast exposure. She comes to UCSF most recently from Whisper.AI here in San Francisco, where she has been optimizing hearing aid fitting outcomes using the Whisper Hearing System.
Dr. Lewis is an associate editor of Frontiers in Audiology and Otology and chair of the American Board of Audiology. She is co-chair of the External Relations Committee of the Association of Research in Otolaryngology. She is also a scientific grants project officer of the American Tinnitus Association.
Dr. Lewis has dual doctorates in Audiology and Philosophy from the department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington (UW), with her research completed at the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center. Her undergraduate degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences was also accomplished at UW.
Payal Anand, AuD
Director of Audiology
Payal Anand is the director of the UCSF Audiology Clinic. She provides comprehensive audiological evaluations for adult and pediatric patients, specializing in vestibular and balance disorders, digital hearing aids and extended wear hearing devices (Lyric). Anand is particularly passionate about helping people adapt to hearing aids and helping her patients and their families come to a better understanding of the impact of hearing loss and compensatory strategies.
Anand is licensed by the State of California in audiology and hearing aid dispensing, holds certification in audiology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.
Anand was a lecturer at CSU, East Bay, and is actively involved in mentoring and training students and residents. She derives immense pride and joy from being of help to her patients and is actively involved in ensuring that the Audiology Clinic provides the highest quality of care.
Troy Cascia, AuD
Lead Senior Audiologist
Troy Cascia is a senior audiologist specializing in diagnostic hearing assessment, hearing aid fitting, aural rehabilitation and vestibular diagnostics. He is also the lead audiologist for the UCSF tinnitus program, providing diagnostic assessment, counseling and a variety of other treatment services.
Cascia is past president of the California Academy of Audiology, and continues to promote community awareness of the audiology profession and hearing health care. His years of practice in a variety of clinical settings serve to enhance the health care experience of each patient and family.
Prior to becoming an audiologist, Cascia's professional background was in education, and he brings this love of learning and teaching, along with patience, compassion and attention to detail, to every patient encounter. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, hiking the Bay Area, choral singing and volunteering both in the local community and internationally.
Brooke Reid, AuD
Senior Supervising Audiologist
Brooke Reid is an audiologist who specializes in rehabilitation for patients with hearing loss or hearing disorders, such as tinnitus. In addition to providing care at the UCSF clinic, she sees patients at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. In her work with tinnitus patients, Reid uses the latest research-backed treatments and devices to help them manage tinnitus and its adverse effects. She enjoys helping her patients and their families understand the results of their hearing evaluations, as well as talking to them about options that will help them relieve their symptoms and relearn to hear the world around them.
By providing diagnostic audiology services for UCSF's otolaryngology – head and neck surgery clinics, Reid has assisted with research projects to improve management of otologic disorders, such as Ménière's disease (an inner ear condition that can cause dizziness or hearing loss).
Reid earned her doctor of audiology degree at the University of Florida. She completed a residency in audiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she worked before joining UCSF.
Molly Adler, AuD
Audiologist
Molly Adler is an audiologist who specializes in rehabilitation and amplification services for adult patients, as well as diagnostic audiology and vestibular services. Her goal is to help patients and their families better understand the impact of hearing loss and to properly use amplification and compensatory strategies to enhance communication and understanding. She is licensed by the state of California in audiology and hearing aid dispensing and is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology
Kortney Bush, AuD
Audiologist
Kortney Bush is an audiologist who specializes in rehabilitation and amplification services for adult patients, as well as diagnostic audiology services. She is deeply committed to prioritizing patient preferences and empowering them to advocate for their well-being. Furthermore, Kortney harbors a profound enthusiasm for translational research and remains actively engaged with professional bodies. Her extensive experience includes five years of work in research laboratories and notable contributions as a presenter at various educational conferences.
Bush originally grew up in Oklahoma City, OK, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and successfully completed her fellowship in audiology at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA.
Wileen Chang, AuD
Senior Audiologist
Wileen Chang is a clinical audiologist who has been practicing in the field since 1994. She provides specialized hearing testing in infants and children by administering auditory brainstem response (ABR) and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) testing, either during natural sleep or under general anesthesia. She is a leader in the departmental ABR program. Additionally, she provides a broad range of diagnostic and rehabilitative services for both adults and children, including hearing aid fitting and hearing testing. Her ability to connect with pediatric patients is her key to success in testing, and she strives to follow evidence-based practices diligently.
Chang prides herself in keeping abreast of the latest technologies and is extremely active in continuing education. Since teaching at Rush University in Chicago in 1996, she has been involved in training and lecturing to audiology students, as well as attending physicians, residents and the general public. She is co-author of a chapter in the well-known otolaryngology textbook, Neurotology.
She is the recipient of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation Young Minority Scholars Award and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Award for Continuing Excellence.
Karleung Cheung, AuD
Lead Audiologist
Dr. Cheung is a senior audiologist in Audiology at UCSF. He received his graduate degree in Audiology from Wichita State University in 2003 and went on to receive his Doctorate from Salus University in 2006. Following the completion of his AuD, Dr. Cheung took a position as a pediatric audiologist and program coordinator at University of Virginia Health System for five years and then joined the Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC for four years as a newborn hearing screening coordinator before joining UCSF in 2015. He aims to provide patient-centered care in the prevention, identification, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment of hearing and other auditory disorders for pediatric patients. His goal is to minimize the negative impact of these disorders to improve outcomes and quality of life.
Dr. Cheung is board certified in Audiology. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). He was an off-site clinical supervisor for University of Kansas and Kansas State University, and a lecturer at Galllaudet University. He is actively involved in mentoring and training students, and served at the ASHA committee on supervision training.
Dr. Cheung is proficient in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Michelle Deblauw, AuD
Senior Audiologist
Michelle DeBlauw is an audiologist who provides the full range of diagnostic and rehabilitative services for patients of all ages with hearing disorders. Her expertise includes comprehensive audiological and vestibular (balance) evaluations, fitting of amplification devices (including hearing aids, bone-anchored hearing devices and assistive listening technology systems) and other elements of auditory rehabilitation. She aims to help patients and their families understand the impact of hearing loss, and to assist them in setting individual goals and finding rehabilitation options that suit their needs and circumstances.
DeBlauw earned her doctor of audiology degree at the University of the Pacific and completed a residency in audiology at UCSF. She is a member of the California Academy of Audiology.
Priscilla Giler, AuD
Senior Audiologist
Priscilla Giler is an audiologist who cares for both children and adults by providing a wide range of diagnostic and rehabilitative services. Her specialties include single-sided deafness, comprehensive vestibular (balance) assessments and advanced techniques for fitting hearing aids. She also has expertise in the use of HATS, or hearing assistive technology systems, and Lyric, a recently developed type of extended-wear hearing aid. Her goal is bringing a compassionate approach to comprehensive, high-quality care for people with hearing difficulties.
Giler is passionate about promoting and providing hearing health care for all. She has volunteered her time in China, Mexico and Nicaragua to teach other hearing care professionals, assess hearing loss as needed, and fit children and adults with hearing aids.
Giler earned her doctor of audiology degree from Gallaudet University. She is a member of the California Academy of Audiology and fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.
A native Spanish speaker, Giler enjoys dancing and traveling in her free time.
Melissa Ho, AuD
Senior Audiologist
Melissa Ho is a pediatric audiologist who provides a broad range of diagnostic and rehabilitative services for children with hearing loss. She has a special interest in multidisciplinary hearing healthcare, relationship-centered communication, student education, and community outreach. Her greatest reward comes from partnering with families to improve their child’s educational, social, developmental, and quality of life outcomes. As a San Francisco Bay Area native, she considers it a privilege to focus her efforts helping those in her home community.
Ho received her doctor of audiology (Au.D.) degree from San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego and her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Berkeley. She is a member of the American Auditory Society and a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.
Gregory Hobbs, AuD
Audiologist
Gregory (Greg) Hobbs is an audiologist who cares for both adults and children. He specializes in diagnostic audiology, rehabilitation and amplification services, vestibular assessment (to address problems with balance or dizziness), and tinnitus counseling. He prioritizes helping patients and their families better understand the nature and consequences of hearing loss, and enjoys helping them manage their conditions to optimize their quality of life.
Hobbs earned a bachelor's degree in communication disorders from Brigham Young University. He earned a doctor of audiology degree through a joint program of San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego.
Emily Kidwell, AuD
Audiologist
Emily grew up in Louisville, KY, and obtained her bachelor’s degree from Centre College in Education and Behavioral Neuroscience. Following this, she worked in clinical research, helping to manage clinical trials at the University of Kentucky before pursuing her Doctor of Audiology degree from Northwestern University. She successfully completed her audiology fellowship with us, and we are thrilled that she is continuing her professional journey here at UCSF. Her diverse interests encompass working with patients across the lifespan, electrophysiology, and amplification solutions. Emily actively engages in translational research and community outreach to enhance her patient care. With nine years of experience in research laboratories, involvement in clinical trials, and notable contributions as a presenter at various educational conferences, she brings a wealth of expertise to our team. Emily will serve as our lead audiologist for the ZSFG practice and will also have a clinical presence at Mount Zion, Mission Bay, and Redwood Shores.
Colleen Polite, AuD
Cochlear Implant Senior Audiologist
Colleen Polite is a senior audiologist at the UCSF Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center. She is experienced in the assessment and rehabilitation of children and adults with hearing loss and in assistive technologies for the deaf. Polite also participates in the center's clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new cochlear implant technologies. Polite earned a master's degree in audiology at San Francisco State University and a doctorate in audiology from Salus University.
Natalie Grigsby, AuD
Audiologist
Natalie Grigsby is an audiologist who provides comprehensive audiological care including diagnostics and rehabilitation for adult patients. She has a particular passion for the vestibular system, and enjoys competing balance assessments at the UCSF Balance and Falls Center. She enjoys working closely with patients and supporters to find solutions to provide a better quality of life through improved hearing.
Grigsby is an active member of the California Academy of Audiology, serving as part of the coordination committee for their annual conference. She has a bachelor of science in biological sciences from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and later earned her doctor of audiology degree at the University of the Pacific. Grigsby then completed a residency in audiology at UCSF.
Sabina Yungert, AuD
Audiologist
Sabina Yungert is a pediatric audiologist who cares for children with hearing loss. She provides a broad range of diagnostic services, including conducting hearing sensitivity tests under general anesthesia and during sleep (such as auditory brainstem response and auditory steady-state response evaluations), as well as rehabilitative services. She is highly skilled in working with children who have developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. She is committed to building relationships with her patients and their families.
Yungert earned her doctor of audiology degree at the University of the Pacific. Born and raised in San Francisco, she set a professional goal to give back to the community in which she grew up by working at UCSF.
Luci Gilbert, AuD
Audiologist
Dr. Gilbert previously worked as a CI research audiologist. She investigated strategies to improve musical perception among cochlear implant patients. Dr. Gilbert also serves as a visiting lecturer to audiology graduate students at the University of the Pacific.