SYNAPSE ADVANCED AUDIOLOGY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Pediatric and Neuro Audiologist
Dr. Catherine Fabian received her doctorate in audiology from Northwestern University in 2008 after studying cognitive science and linguistics at UC San Diego. Known as "Dr. Cat" to her younger patients, her talents and interests lie in assessing and treating children, performing (Central) Auditory Processing Disorder evaluations, and providing rehabilitation through auditory training and hearing aid fittings.
Neural represesentation of music in the brain was the topic of her doctoral thesis, and Dr. Fabian continues to integrate her love for music professionally by providing hearing healthcare for musicians and music fans.
Dr. Fabian has worked as an educational audiologist in public schools developing (C)APD assessment and therapy programs, in medically diagnostic private practice dispensing hearing aids, and in hospital rehabilitation programs performing (C)APD research, assessement, and treatment. She also directed Universal Newborn Hearing Screening programs at hospitals throughout San Diego. She is now faculty at Northwestern University and continues to hold clinics at Synapse Advanced Audiology on select Saturdays throughout the year.
She is excited to have the opportunity to consolidate her professional expertise and passions into a comprehensive audiology practice designed to expand the reach of audiology and its specialties in order to increase early identification and management of hearing loss and other auditory disorders in children and adults.
Job Titles:
- Diagnostic and Rehabilitative Audiologist
Dr. Shilpa Punjabi received her doctorate from A.T. Still University at Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2011. Originally from Mumbai in India, Dr. Punjabi moved to San Diego in 2008 after graduating from her Masters program at Ohio University in Athens, OH. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Punjabi specializes in diagnostic hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings, and patient counseling. She treats both adults and pediatric clients.
Dr. Punjabi understands the importance of combining accurate diagnostics along with best practice hearing treatment to achieve optimal outcomes for her patients. She believes that a successful fitting requires collaboration between the patient and the audiologist, comprehensive assessment, establishment of measurable goals, education, and ongoing follow-up. She looks forward to bringing exceptional hearing aid fitting and additional enriching hearing rehabilitation programs to Synapse.
Job Titles:
- Diagnostic and Rehabilitative Audiologist
Dr. Julie Johns received her audiology doctorate from the University of Florida after completing her masters at San Diego State University and establishing a well-respected career in diagnosing and managing hearing loss and other auditory and vestibular disorders such as tinnitus and vertigo.
Dr. Johns joined Synapse in 2016 to bring her passion for improving patients lives through identifying hearing challenges in important aspects of people's lives such as family relationships, social gatherings, sports and fitness, music and theater events, learning opportunies, community engagement, and work situations. Dr. Johns is expert in fitting hearing aids that provide optimal comfort, security, and sound to treat each patient's individual challenges created by their hearing loss.
Dr. Johns began experiencing hearing loss as a teenager, and is a long-term hearing aid wearer. She understands the effort needed to communicate when it's hard to hear and can identify with her patient's struggles, apprehension, and delight found through dealing with hearing loss and taking on hearing aid use to reconnect and engage with people and sound.
Additionally, Dr. Johns is experienced with and holds clinical interest in cochlear implants, tinnitus, and assistive listening devices including Blue-Tooth audio streaming capabilities of hearing aids.