Welcome
Our Mission
The mission of the Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences Hearing, Speech and Language Clinic is to promote excellence in the clinical education of students and to provide the highest-quality services to the community.
Our Promise
Our clients receive appropriate and professional services without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, participation restriction, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship, status as a parent, or status as a covered veteran. The clinic complies with all applicable laws and regulations pertaining to equal treatment of all individuals.
Meet Our Staff
Audiology Clinical Educators
Brandie Nance, Au.D., CCC-A
Dr. Brandie Nance obtained a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Marshall University in 2000. She obtained her master’s degree in Audiology from Ohio University in 2002 and her Clinical Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D.) from Salus University in 2006. Dr. Nance worked at a private practice in Athens Ohio from 2002 to 2006 where she specialized in hearing aid services. Dr. Nance began working for the Ohio University Hearing, Speech and Language Clinic (HSLC) in 2006. In this role she supervises students in the Au.D. program providing clinical services across the life span. She teaches skills in hearing diagnostic services, hearing aid services, infant hearing evaluation services, and auditory processing disorders. Dr. Nance provides services for local school systems in FM system support as needed. She coordinates hearing and speech screenings both at the HSLC and off-site requests.
Dr. Nance became the Coordinator of the HSL Clinical Services in 2017. In this role she monitors staff and student qualifications for providing clinical services, works with the Business Manager to determine clinic policy and procedures. She works with the Directors of Clinical Education to determine educational needs and solutions for clinical training.
Dr. Nance enjoys her role of educating students while supporting patients with the HSLC clinic. Her early interest in supporting individuals with hearing loss and in educating are combined in this role at the Ohio University Hearing, Speech and Language Clinic.
Nicole Brandes, Au.D., CCC-A
Dr. Nicole Brandes completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Hearing & Speech Sciences from Ohio University in 1994, Master of Arts in Audiology in 1996 from Cleveland State University, and Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) in 2009 from Salus University. Over the past 30 years, her clinical practice has included hospital, ENT, private practice, and university clinic settings. Clinical specialties include pediatric and adult behavioral and electrophysiologic diagnostic testing as well as treatment of hearing and balance disorders.
As Associate Clinical Faculty, in addition to providing clinical services and student supervision in the campus clinic, she has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses since coming to Ohio University in 2010. Courses include basic audiology, pediatric audiology, aural (re)habilitation, hearing aids, and graduate professional education.
Outside interests include functional fitness, any sporting event, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Rebecca Meier, Au.D., CCC-A
Dr. Rebecca Meier earned her Master of Arts in Audiology in 2002 from Ohio University and her Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) in 2006 from Salus University. Her clinical career has primarily been based in university settings, though she has also worked in medical centers, otology/ENT clinics, and private practices. Her clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of hearing and balance disorders across the lifespan. She currently offers implantable hearing device services at the OHio University Hearing, Speech and Language Clinic.
She has received advanced training in implantable hearing devices, vestibular assessment and rehabilitation, and pediatric audiology. In 2023, she earned certification in Animal Audiology through the University of Cincinnati, and in 2025, she completed certification in Vestibular Rehabilitation through the American Institute of Balance.
In addition to her clinical work, she has served as a clinical instructor since 2002 and was appointed Associate Clinical Faculty in 2022. Her instructional areas over the years have included diagnostic audiology, industrial audiology, pediatric audiology, aural (re)habilitation, and medical aspects of audiology. Her current teaching focuses on electrophysiologic testing, implantable hearing devices, and vestibular assessment and rehabilitation.
In 2015, she joined as co-director of the Botswana Rehabilitation Service-Learning Program, an international outreach initiative that supports interprofessional education and collaboration with speech-language pathologists and physical therapists. She was appointed Director of Clinical Education for Audiology in 2017, where she now oversees offsite student clinical placements.
Outside of work, she enjoys playing golf, tackling DIY home projects, and spending time with her family, dogs, and cats.
Kalyn McDonald, Au.D., CCC-A
Kalyn McDonald, Au.D., CCC-A is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences at Ohio University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in audiology. Her teaching emphasizes hands-on, case-based learning and the integration of clinical knowledge with practical skills.
Dr. McDonald maintains an active clinical practice in audiology and coordinates newborn and infant hearing screening experiences for students. Her professional interests include diagnostics, newborn hearing screening, aural rehabilitation, and clinical education. She is also involved in interprofessional education and community-based hearing screening initiatives that provide students with opportunities to collaborate across health professions while serving local communities.
Dr. McDonald earned her Bachelor of Science in Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences and Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) from Ohio University.
Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Educators
Christina Tindall, M.S., CCC-SLP
Christina Tindall is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Clinical Educator who teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in language development, speech sound disorders, pediatric feeding, and school-based SLP administration. Her favorite class to teach is the clinical methods course where she leads new graduate students through the transition from classroom to clinic. Christina is the co-creator and director of the Prereading and Language Skills (PALS) summer program at OU’s on-campus clinic, which provides intensive early literacy intervention for preschool and kindergarten students with speech and language impairment.
Ann Feltis, M.A., CCC-SLP
Ann Feltis is from Chillicothe, Ohio who has worked in the field of Speech-Language Pathology since 2011. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University and her Masters of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from Cleveland State University. She maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (CCC-SLP), her Ohio licensure, and Ohio Department of Education licensure.
Professionally she has worked with patients across the lifespan in a variety of medical settings including acute care hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and home healthcare. She is proud to be lending her clinical skills and professional insight to support students’ growth and knowledge at Ohio University.
In her leisure, Ann enjoys reading, traveling, acting and playing violin in community theatre, and spending time with friends and family.
Molly Nishimura, M.A., CCC-SLP
Molly Nishimura is a dedicated speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience in diverse clinical settings, including school-based, outpatient, and community environments.
She earned her Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from Ohio University and previously served as both an SLP and Director of Special Education for a local school district, where she reformed special education practices to enhance proactive service delivery and early intervention.
Molly is deeply committed to the academic formation of future clinicians and has served as a clinical supervisor for Ohio University graduate student clinicians since 2017. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes relationship-building, evidence-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration. She has pursued ongoing education in educational leadership and holds a certification in Animal-Assisted Therapy.
Molly believes that all children deserve equitable access to communication services, particularly those in rural Appalachian communities. She is passionate about community engagement and rural service delivery, and she works to strengthen connections among therapy professionals throughout the region.
Petula Vaz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Petula C. M. Vaz is a Clinical Supervisor in Speech‑Language Pathology at Ohio University with more than two decades of academic, clinical, and research experience. She earned her Ph.D. in Speech Language Pathology at Ohio University with a specialization in dysphagia, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program and the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She holds the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence and is a licensed speech-language pathologist in Ohio.
Dr. Vaz has served on the faculty at Bloomsburg University and within the University of Nebraska system, supervising graduate clinicians and advancing evidence‑based clinical education. Her clinical background spans skilled nursing facilities, medical centers, and school settings, supporting individuals across the lifespan with dysphagia and communication disorders. She has published extensively in dysphagia and speech science and is committed to interdisciplinary, research‑driven practice.
Her research centers on dysphagia across the lifespan, including interventions to strengthen chewing and swallowing skills and improve self‑feeding in medically fragile children and older adults with complex conditions or dementia. She also investigates acoustic and aerodynamic aspects of speech and voice, as well as speech perception across linguistic backgrounds. Currently, Dr. Vaz is integrating psychoacoustics and AI‑supported modeling to develop physiological indicators of aspiration risk.
Administrative Staff
Mindy Robson, Office/Records Manager
Tara Wallace, Clinical Business Operations Manager