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Hillary Snapp

Hillary Snapp, Au.D, Ph.D.

Department:

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Division:

Audiology

Hillary Snapp

Roles

  • Division Chief, Audiology
  • Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology
  • Director of Clinical Education, Audiology
  • Post-Doctoral Clinical Fellowship Director, Audiology
  • Co-Director, CTSI Workforce Development

  • Biography

    Hillary Snapp, AuD, PhD is the Chief of Audiology and Associate Professor at the University of Miami Ear Institute. She is a clinician-scientist carrying out research in hearing implants and auditory spatial perception. Her work examines the mechanisms underlying the variations observed in hearing impaired individuals for complex auditory tasks such as speech perception in noise and localization ability. Dr. Snapp established the Auditory Spatial Laboratory at the University of Miami which focuses on identifying behavioral and objective markers of hearing, and includes novel methods of evaluating spatial auditory perception, speech recognition, and processing of acoustic signals. She has lectured nationally and internationally on these topics. Dr. Snapp is the Director of Clinical Education in Audiology and serves as a lead researcher, clinician and educator to students, residents and fellows at the University of Miami.

  • Education & Training

    Education

    • 2017
      University of Miami
      PhD, Ph.D, Industrial: Hearing Science Thesis – Benefits of bilateral input for monaural listeners
    • 2007
      Rush University
      Other, Audiology Summa Cum Laude Thesis – Relationships of performance accuracy, target call sign sensitivity, and response bia
    • 2002
      University of Florida
      BA, Communication Sciences and Disorders Highest Honors Honors Thesis – Training effects of “Clear Speech” on individuals wh

    Post Graduate Training

    • 2018
      Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
      Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Hearing and Implant research group
    • 2013
      Ida Institute , Nærum, Denmark
      Fellowship, Improving the understanding of human dynamics associated with hearing loss
    • 2007
      University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
      Other, Clinical Externship Audiology

    Licensures and Certifications

    • American Speech-Language Hearing Association

      CCC-A

    • American Academy of Audiology

      Fellow

  • Honors & Awards

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    • Research Interests

      The Auditory Spatial Perception Lab at the UM Ear Institute aims to study variability in auditory processing of hearing impaired individuals in novel ways. The lab hosts a 32 m3 sound-isolated audiometric sound booth, with a 24-speaker array and custom designed computer system. This allows for custom generation of simulated auditory scenes for rapid assessment of speech perception in complex listening environments and localization of sounds.

      Our work is committed to research that results in clinically applicable assessment models to improve outcomes in the hearing impaired population. Auditory spatial perception is an important aspect of everyday life. It is a marker of binaural hearing ability, allowing for discrimination of and localization of multiple speakers even in a noisy environment. The importance of binaural processing in sound localization is increased in environments with background noise. In patients with hearing loss the localization ability is adversely impacted despite improvements in hearing technology. This may be related to the limited information that these devices are able to provide with software and/or hardware constraints.

      The Auditory Spatial Lab has generated interdepartmental research collaborations and established a program of study of the auditory processing of complex acoustic stimuli in simulated real-world listening environments. Standard behavioral and qualitative assessments of device performance are limited in their ability to demonstrate hearing benefits as relates to processing of the complex auditory signals encountered in everyday life. The brain uses specific timing and loudness cues delivered from the ear to interpret auditory signals that give rise to speech understanding in noise and spatial perception tasks. Objective and behavioral studies of the brain’s response to different auditory signals will lead to a better understanding of how these cues are interpreted and processed in the hearing impaired individual. The Auditory Spatial Perception lab maintains ongoing collaborations with industry partners to bring new and innovative technological solutions to patients that are both non-invasive and low-cost.

    • Publications

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      Articles & News

      Disclaimer: Information presented in this section has been consolidated using AI and machine learning technologies. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, errors may occur. If you identify any inaccuracies, use this link to inform our data team. Your feedback is appreciated and helps us improve the quality of our content.

      Clinical Trials

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