Audiology Assistant Professor, Dr. Aaron Roman, Receives Award

Aaron Roman, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA, an assistant professor in the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA), has been named an Early-Career Audiologist Award winner by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA).

Dr. Roman is in his second year at the University, where he teaches courses in the residential Doctor of Audiology (AuD)  program and serves as a clinical audiologist providing comprehensive care at the on-campus clinical facility, the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI). He also serves as a clinical preceptor for AuD students and works with pediatric and adult populations. “I’m thrilled and very surprised. It’s a great honor,” said Dr. Roman, who was nominated for the award by four individuals - two former clinical supervisors of his and two audiologists who he worked with in various capacities through his volunteer work.

“I feel like this award is more of a reflection of my career thus far. It’s a piece I can use moving forward,” he said. “It helps validate the work I’ve done - especially the volunteer activities I’ve taken on. I gravitate toward work in government and policies - it can be a lot of work, stressful and quite complicated to navigate at times. So this award is more of a validation that my work means something to some people.”

Dr. Roman has a deep passion for volunteerism within the audiology profession. He has served in numerous roles at the local, state, and national levels. At AAA, he has been a member of the Research Initiatives, Scientific Review, and Business Enhancement Strategies and Techniques Committees. He has also served as the chair of the State Relations Committee and is the AAA 2024 Conference Research Podium/Student Research Forum chair.

In his six years as an audiologist, Dr. Roman has completed eight manuscripts, seven of which he served as first author, 17 peer-reviewed presentations, three grant submissions, and four research projects. Dr. Roman also has been invited to serve on numerous panels at the AAA annual conference covering a wide range of topics ranging from adult diagnostics to over-the-counter hearing aids. 

Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Roman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. After finishing his doctorate there, he took a job at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he was the sole tenure-track faculty member with a specialty in audiology. He rose to the position of clinical director of the Speech and Hearing Clinic there.

Joining the OCA faculty in July 2022 has offered Dr. Roman a lot of variety in his day-to-day duties, which he believes helps him inform his plan of action on how to move forward on certain initiatives and projects. 

“It’s nice to be able to put on my clinical hat or my educator hat or my researcher hat. I’m surrounded by a lot of people who are very involved in the profession so that helps me to see things from their perspective as well,” he said. “And, the more perspectives you get, the more informed you can be when working with people from other backgrounds.”

Excited to be the recipient of this award, Dr. Roman hopes to maintain that standard of excellence moving forward in his career.