Shelby Zhang ‘26AUD has never been to Iowa, but that’s about to change. The third-year student in the Osborne Audiology program, Salus at Drexel University is headed to Unity Point Hospital—Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, for her fourth-year Doctor of Audiology program externship.
“I’m a baptism-by-fire person. I love to throw myself at challenges and take them on,” said Zhang, originally from Philadelphia who completed her undergraduate work in biology at the University of Pittsburgh and then secured a degree in communications sciences and disorders from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
Jack Dienes ‘26AUD, took the opposite approach. A native of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, he stayed close to home and secured his undergraduate degree in health sciences from Temple University before coming to Salus/Drexel. For his fourth-year externship, he’s also staying close to home at Jefferson Hospital.
“I am fascinated by cochlear implants,” said Dienes. “I hope to expand my knowledge, work with cochlear implant patents, and continue to work the foundations of audiology and hopefully I can inspire more young men to follow in my footsteps in the profession.”
The two were part of the Osborne Audiology Class of 2026 who received an enthusiastic sendoff as they prepare to begin their externships. The celebration, hosted by Jonette Owen, AuD ‘03, MHA, FNAP, CH-A, associate dean for Clinical Education at Osborne Audiology, took place on April 24, 2025 in the Bennett Lounge in the Hafter Student Community Center on the Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus. Seventeen students in the Class of 2026 will be going off to places such as George Washington University, private practices in New York, Veterans Administration sites, the Mayo Clinic, and a couple of sites in Florida.
“Every year we think, oh my gosh, the students are going to have the most amazing externships, we can’t beat that,” said Radhika Aravamudhan, PhD, EdD, dean of Osborne Audiology. “And, then the following year, the next sites are even more amazing.”
After receiving her degree in human development from Eckerd College in 2014, Ashlee McCloud ‘26AUD taught toddlers to use sign language. That introduced her to speech-language pathology, but she decided that wasn’t the career path she wanted to pursue. She then took a job as a patient representative at ENT and Allergy Associates in Bridgewater, New Jersey. That’s when she became interested in audiology, which led her to the Salus/Drexel program. Her externship will be a going home of sorts in that she gets to complete it right where she came from, at ENT and Allergy Associates.
“It will be exciting to see my co-workers again and be on the other side of helping patients,” said McCloud.
Taylor Dube ‘26AUD will be going to a speech and hearing clinical facility in New Orleans for her externship. That will be right in her wheelhouse after the Milford, Massachusetts, native received her undergraduate degree in speech and hearing disorders before joining the Salus/Drexel Audiology program.
“I did the speech path in undergrad and was introduced to audiology and just fell in love with it,” said Dube, who wants to become a pediatric audiologist. “I’ve never been to New Orleans. I’m very excited to go and see a different culture.
Salus/Drexel president Michael H. Mittelman, OD ‘80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE, told the students that externships can be an exciting start to their professional careers. And, he challenged them to make the most of their upcoming opportunities.
“You have been through a difficult and rigorous audiology program and that’s what makes you the best,” said Dr. Mittelman. “So, you are more than ready to go off and do your thing.”
He challenged the students to do two things: (1) To take everything they’ve learned in the Salus/Drexel program and apply it to the different clinical situations and to think creatively, deductively and apply themselves in ways they haven’t yet been challenged to do; (2) Challenge their preceptors in a professional way and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
“You’re about to do something that most people don’t get a chance to do and that’s to try out your professional wings in a structured setting,” said Dr. Mittelman.
The Class of 2026 students and their externship sites include:
Ericka Baptise – American Hearing Centers by AudioNove, New Jersey.
Nicole Bosurgi – Island Audiology, Hawaii.
Ki’Ara Bruce – Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare, Louisiana.
Maram Chokr – Hearing Life Plymouth, Michigan.
Jack Dienes – Jefferson Balance and Hearing Center, Pennsylvania.
Taylor Dube – New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center, Louisiana.
Erica Guberman – South Florida ENT Associates, Florida.
Kristen Hawley – Coastal ENT, New Jersey.
