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11 Reasons to Choose Dr. Bauman and the Auditory and Vestibular Institute of New England
#1 – 40 Years of Expertise Helping Tens of Thousands of People to Achieve Better Hearing, Better Life.
Having cared for the hearing health of tens of thousands of people, different generations of the same family, and many complicated cases, you can be assured that you are working with the experts that will help with your challenges – no matter how mild or severe.
#2 – Invented the Most Widely Used Hearing Aid in the World
Dr. Bauman is well known throughout the hearing care industry, one of his most notable contributions was the invention of the Receiver-In-Canal hearing aid – the most widely used hearing aid in the world, fitted to tens of millions of people every year.
#3 – Created Treatment Therapies for Tinnitus and Sound Sensitivity
With tinnitus and sound sensitivity being challenges that millions of people face, Dr. Bauman committed a large part of his career to creating a highly tested and methodical treatment approach that he has since been teaching worldwide.
#4 –Authored a Chapter on Balance Related Problems
Dr. Bauman wrote a chapter about balance related problems in the aging population, titled “Vertigo, Dizziness, and Balance”, chapter 11 in New Frontiers in Aging, Olga by Brom Spencer, PhD., Praeger Publishers.
#5 – Personalized Patient Care
Committed to the lifelong passion and pursuit of raising awareness for the importance of healthy hearing, everyone who visits the office requiring help receives it. You will experience the compassionate personalized care received by all patients who work with Dr. Bauman. Patients are truly treated like family; longtime professional relationships turn into lifetime friendships.
#6 – Two Convenient Locations
#7 – Highly Convenient Tele Audiology Appointments
If you live a busy lifestyle, prefer not to travel, or you are a patient from afar, then you can benefit from Tele Audiology or Remote-Care appointments.
Tele-Audiology allows you to have a one-on-one video call with Dr. Bauman and his team to help with challenges, adjust your hearing devices, or simply seek advice.
#8- Expert Professional Care from a Multi-Disciplinary Practitioner
Dr. Bauman’s unique background in both audiology and electronic engineering provide him with the expertise to understand the true powers of hearing technology, allowing him to make a “smart” hearing aid smarter and get the best performance from the hearing device selected based on your individual needs.
#9 – Personal Knowledge
As a hearing aid wearer and someone who has suffered from tinnitus, Dr. Bauman understands personally, all issues related to hearing improvement and tinnitus. Dr. Bauman’s in-depth knowledge of how the brain functions in relation to tinnitus and sound sensitivity disorders and his thorough understanding of the relationship between the ear mechanism and the brain allows him to provide a comprehensive treatment plan. Consequently, he applies this knowledge and expertise to helping you, his patient not only to hear better but also to better understand what you hear and improve your life.
#10 – Highest Levels of Safety Protocols
The safety of our patients, families, caregivers, and staff is our top priority. We are committed to providing the highest level of hearing healthcare for each of our patients ensuring that you always remain safe. Everyone wears a mask when entering our facilities, all patient rooms, common areas and our waiting rooms are disinfected between patients. We practice social distancing and if you prefer, we have curbside assistance and remote care.
#11 - Honored to Help Local Veterans to Achieve Better Hearing
We’re continually honored to care for a large number of local veterans and help them on their journey to better hearing.
They served for our freedoms, and now we do all we can to serve them to try to repay them for their bravery.
Meet Your AVI New England Audiology Team of Professionals
Dr. Natan Bauman, MS, Eng., Ed.D., F-AAA
Dr. Natan Bauman has committed his 40+ year professional life to helping people across a broad range of auditory related conditions.
Previously Dr. Bauman was Director of the Yale Hearing, Speech and Language Clinic and founder of the Hearing, Balance and Speech Center (HBS), where he successfully helped people in Connecticut to hear better for over 40 years.
As an engineer and audiologist, Dr. Bauman is one of the most respected and influential doctors of audiology in the world, having changed the course of the hearing aid industry by inventing the Receiver-In-The-Canal, the most widely used hearing aid in the world.
Beyond hearing, Dr. Bauman has wide-ranging expertise across auditory disorders. He founded the internationally known New England Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Clinic and the national organization Tinnitus Practitioners Association (TPA),
Dr. Melissa Patrich, Au.D.
Melissa grew up in South Florida and received her undergraduate degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences at Boston University. She then earned her Doctorate of Audiology at Rush University in Chicago. Her externship year was completed at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Melissa decided to work within the world of hearing healthcare because she is passionate about helping people improve their quality of life through optimizing their ability to communicate. The audiology field is always using improvements in technology to create a brighter future for individuals living with a hearing loss and tinnitus. Keeping up with technology as it evolves and helps serve patients is something that really drew her to the field.
As our audiologist, Melissa regularly conducts comprehensive hearing and tinnitus assessments as well as evaluations, fittings, and management of hearing aids. She also counsels patients on living with tinnitus, hearing loss, and hearing. Additionally, Melissa has extensive experience with comprehensive vestibular evaluations and CRT maneuvers for the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
Janice Howard, M.A., CCC-A
Janice is a certified and State of Connecticut Licensed Audiologist and Hearing Aid Dispenser. She received a master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Connecticut in 1985. She completed her undergraduate degree also at UCONN receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Disorders and Sciences in 1983.
She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology from the American Speech Language Hearing Association and is a member of other prestigious national professional associations. Janice specializes in Diagnostic Audiometry and Hearing Aid Technology with advanced training in Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and Sound Sensitivity Management.
Janice will communicate test results, diagnose, and propose proper treatment options, all performed in a clear, concise, compassionate manner. She has been assisting patients in achieving healthy hearing for over twenty-five years in both the greater New Haven and Shoreline Communities.
Paula Marie Jensen
Originally from New York, Paula relocated to Connecticut with her husband and two children 17 years ago.
Graduating from Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY with a bachelor of science degree in accounting and computer information systems, she was eager to find a role that challenged her.
Paula brings a vast amount of experience to the team and is always looking to improve and refine her work. Prior to AVI New England, she worked in the consumer electronics industry for 18 years as a director of accounting for JVC. After leaving JVC she worked as a consultant for various organizations including PepsiCo and Panasonic.
Shortly after moving to CT, she joined the hearing aid industry where she worked as vice president of administration for Vivatone Hearing Systems. It was at Vivatone where she was introduced to Dr. Bauman “the inventor” of the Vivatone hearing aid and realized her entrepreneurial spirit and passion to help others.
Irene Sahinovic, Hearing Instrument Specialist
Irene is a hearing instrument specialist who is based at AVI’s Norwalk location. She has served patients in Western Connecticut for the past five years. In addition to being fully certified, Irene is a member of the International Hearing Society.
She completed her BBA in International Management at Pace University in New York in 1986. Following a successful career, Irene decided put further work aspirations on hold and focus primarily on raising her four children instead. With her family now all grown up, she desired to return to work in an environment where she could make a difference to people’s lives.
Irene’s personal experience with tinnitus and hearing aids inspired her to pursue a new career within the audiology field. Her tinnitus had interfered with her sleep and daily life for so long, but once Irene sought treatment and was prescribed hearing aids, she discovered the positive effect her devices had on her ability to sleep and function in her daily routine. The impact on Irene’s quality of life was profound, and she wanted to help others experience the same positive benefits that hearing aids can deliver.
Patient Stories
Len immediately felt “comfortable” at AVI New England due to the welcoming staff.
As a teacher, hearing was a key part of his job, as he needed to understand what his students were saying.
– Len Engel
“You are in good hands and you will be grateful you went.”
Cindy went through something that not many people do. In 2000, she lost all of her hearing and found herself completely lost.
– Cindy Wills
Dr. Bauman is “world renown and you cannot find a better audiologist.”
While Geraldine showed the signs of hearing loss much earlier, it wasn’t until she was age 46 that she recognized the severity of her concerns, noticing she had “trouble hearing the children at work.”
– Geraldine Katz
“It improved my confidence speaking to people, even in a crowd.”
Annie first realized she had a hearing loss when she couldn’t hear others on the phone or engage in conversations like she used to.
– Annie M. Quattrocchi
He had no worries beforehand, as he has “seen Dr. Bauman for about 15 years and found him to be incredibly knowledgeable, concerned, and competent.”
As a young person, Stocky constantly missed words being said and found it incredibly frustrating not being able to engage in conversation like others.
– Stocky Clark
Hearing aids have allowed George to “interact with others and also let me understand TV and telephone calls.”
George has suffered with a hearing loss for a long time and first noticed his hearing loss “decades ago.”
– George A.
Eva encourages others to “Go for it, as I have advised three people to go.”
While hearing loss can often be disguised by lip reading and facial cues, Eva first realized she had a hearing loss when she started feeling left out of conversations at the dinner table.
– Eva Landegger
Request a Callback
If you have any questions, require any help or would like our advice, then you can request a callback and we’ll call you as soon as we’re available.
Please note that due to demand for appointments and a nationally-renown reputation, there is currently a short wait time if you’re a new patient. For information on why our existing patients believe we’re worth the wait, then please click here.
We look forward to hearing from you.