People

Director

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Jennifer Tufts

Jennifer Tufts, Ph.D., CCC-A is a professor of audiology in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut.  Her primary areas of research include hearing loss prevention in musicians and military, hearing protection devices, and auditory fitness for duty.  Her research has been supported by the Department of Defense, the Office of Naval Research, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institutes of Health, the American Hearing Research Foundation, and several private companies.  She is a licensed audiologist in the State of Connecticut. 

Dr. Tufts holds a B.A. in mathematics and music from Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in communication disorders from the Pennsylvania State University.  She completed postdoctoral clinical and research training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC.   

Dr. Tufts is a past-president of both the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) and the NHCA Scholarship Foundation.  She is a winner of two NHCA Outstanding Lecture Awards (2014 and 2023) and an NHCA Outstanding Poster Award (2010).

Quote: “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.” – Richard Bach

Ph.D. Students

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Alexa Kolias

Alexa Kolias received her AuD from Northwestern University in 2020 and is an ASHA-certified clinical audiologist (CCC-A). Prior to pursuing her PhD, she worked as a research assistant with the Regional Hearing Conservation team at the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory in Groton, CT. Her research interests include hearing conservation, hearing protection device (HPD) fit testing, impact of HPDs on localization and speech intelligibility, auditory training under HPDs, and the use of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) as early indicators of cochlear changes in college music students.

Email: alexa.kolias@uconn.edu

AuD Students

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Megan Brigham

  • 4th year Audiology student
  • Undergraduate Education: University of Rhode Island
  • Hobby: I am also in the Connecticut National Guard as a medical service officer, and in my free time, I like to hang out with my friends and family. I recently also got into pickleball.
  • Email: megan.brigham@uconn.edu
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Madison Formanek

  • 4th year Audiology student
  • Undergraduate Education: University of Connecticut
  • Hobby: I love the outdoors. Over the past year, I have started playing pickleball, and most recently, I just learned how to ski!
  • Email: madison.formanek@uconn.edu

William Gemmell

  • 4th year Audiology student
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Samantha Christmas

  • 3rd year Audiology student
  • Undergraduate Education: Nazareth University
  • Hobby: In my downtime, I enjoy reading, going for walks, and anything craft-related!
  • Email: rhk24003@uconn.edu
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Precious Baker

  • 2nd year Audiology student
  • Undergraduate Education: Eastern Connecticut State University
  • Graduate Education: University of Connecticut
  • Quote: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept” – David Morrison
  • Email: precious.baker@uconn.edu

Undergraduate Students

Image of Madison Dunstan in front of a body of water and buildings

Madison Dunstan

  • Hometown: Storrs, CT
  • Hobby: Cooking
Image of Avery Fournier in front of a body of water and building.

Avery Fournier

  • Hometown: South Windsor, CT
  • Quote: “It always seems impossible until it’s done” – Nelson Mandela
Image of Abigail Healy with water and mountains in the background.

Abigail Healy

  • Hometown: Pearl River, NY
  • Quote: “The expert in everything was once a beginner” – Helen Hayes

Natalie Singagliese