James M. McDonald, Au.D., Sc.D. has been a practicing audiologist since 1975. He received his Doctor of Science degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he is a faculty member in the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Division of the School of Medicine. His Doctor of Audiology degree is from the Arizona School of Health Sciences. Dr. McDonald is a founder and served as the first president of the Maryland Academy of Audiology. He has served as a board member and Past-President of the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists, and is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, where he has served on various committees.

He is currently on the board of Directors for AuDNet, a national organization dedicated to uniting audiologists and achieving brand recognition for the profession of audiology.

W. Stephen Seipp, Au.D.  was awarded his Doctor of Audiology degree from the Arizona School of Health Sciences and has been in practice since 1973. He is a past president of the Maryland Speech Language and Hearing Association. Dr. Seipp is an adjunct Instructor in the School of Audiology at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry.

Dr. Seipp is a consultant with the U.S. Federal Courts Administrative Office to develop hearing testing guidelines for Court Securtiy Officers.  He is an eight year veteran on the Maryland Department of Health Board of Examiners for Audioologists, Speech Language Pathologists and Hearing Aid Dispensers, from which he recently retired.  He is also an audiology advisor to the Highlands School and   Ethics chairperson for the Academy of Dispensing Audiology.  

He is a member of the Maryland Academy of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology and the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists.

Jenifer Woo Cushing, Au.D. is an associate at the Hearing Assessment Center.  Prior to joining HAC, she worked as an independent audiologist in Atlanta at Grady Memorial Hospital.  She earned her doctoral degree ( Au.D .) in clinical audiology at the University of Buffalo in New York.

In addition to diagnostic work, Jenifer has research experience working at the Center for Hearing and Deafness. Dr. Cushing has published many articles in audiology publications and senior papers;
she also gives presentations to her peers and to the community on topics related to hearing health and technology.

Dr. Cushing is a committee member for the marketing division of the American Academy of Audiology, the largest audiological organization worldwide.

Jennifer E. Bentley, Au.D. is an associate at the Hearing Assessment Center and received her Doctor of Audiology degree from Rush University in Chicago, Illinois.

Prior to joining HAC, Dr. Bentley volunteered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Deafness and other Communicative Disorders (NIDCD), where she assessed auditory and vestibular functioning in both adult and pediatric patients with rare genetic disorders. Currently, she is working to complete an audiology research publication with NIDCD.

Dr. Bentley has participated in numerous multi-disciplinary health fairs where she focuses on the hearing health awareness of members in the surrounding communities. She is also a member of the American Academy of Audiology.

Erica N.K. Keats, Au.D. is a new associate at the Hearing Assessment Center. She received her Masters degree in audiology from the University of Virginia and received her Doctor of Audiology (Au.D) degree from the University of Florida’s Distance Learning Program. Prior to joining HAC, she worked for several years as a clinical audiologist at Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates in Towson, Maryland. It is from this type of work setting that she gained valuable knowledge diagnosing hearing and balance disorders as well as working with the most advanced hearing aid technologies.

While working as a clinical audiologist, she also had the opportunity of supervising 4th year Au.D. resident students, from Towson University. During the time spent with these students, Dr. Keats shared her vast knowledge of the auditory system as well as practical solutions for each patient’s needs. While Dr. Keats enjoys working with patients of all ages, she has had additional experience working with pediatrics as she spent almost 2 years working at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.

Dr. Keats is currently a member of the Maryland Academy of Audiology, American Speech and Hearing Association, and the American Academy of Audiology.

When Dr. Keats is not helping you hear better, you can find her playing with her German Sheppard, P-Nut, on the tennis court, or in the swimming pool. Dr. Keats played Division I tennis in College, and now enjoys swimming laps on a regular basis.

Therese McDonald is the Hearing Assessment Center's Office Manager.  With five busy offices, Therese has her hands full juggling the daily goings-on but she is always able to keep the staff on track! 

Kathy Hannon is our billing guru.  It is rare when Kathy doesn't know the answer to a technical insurance question, but if she doesn't know, she knows where to find out!  In her not-so-spare time, Kathy also provides superb medical transcription of physician reports.

Nancy Barrette is our primary administrative receptionist for our Lutherville office; she also provides additional administrative support for our Towson office.   Nancy has many responsibilities among which include physician and patient letter writing, hearing aid ordering, and system updates.  Nancy has been with the Hearing Assessment Center for 14+ years and enjoys interacting with our new and established patients.  She loves patients and treats each one as if they were guests in her home.

Sue Tomko wears two hats at the Hearing Assessment Center. Most weekdays she enjoys greeting patients at the Osler office as our administrative receptionist.  One day a week, Sue serves as the communication bridge between the Hearing Assessment Center and referring physicians.