Meet Our Staff:
Upon completion of his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at University of Arizona, Ron Leavitt, Au.D., began publishing scientific articles on hearing aids, earmold acoustics, noise induced hearing loss and assistive listening technology. While completing his doctorate at Arizona School of Health Sciences he also became more interested in cochlear implants; a surgically implanted technology that can restore hearing to completely deafened individuals. Dr. Leavitt evaluates interested patients for implant qualification using the specific testing procedures required.
Throughout his 30+ year audiology career he and his colleagues have looked for ways to improve the lives of people with hearing loss.
All audiology faculty members at Dr. Leavitt’s alma mater, the University of Arizona, had academic, research and clinical assignments. This trio of assignments was designed to assure all research was clinically relevant.
Dr. Leavitt has maintained this commitment to clinical work and research. He has insisted that all hearing aids recommended in our clinics meet the rigorous standards of unbiased product testers. All hearing aid fitting and evaluation procedures must be free of manufacturer bias. We always use the best, most advanced scientific methods and technology.
Amanda Irish joined Corvallis Hearing Center in September 2008. She has an associate degree in Business and is currently studying for her Audiology Assistant Certification through Nova Southeastern University. Amanda enjoys meeting people and working with them to solve their hearing-related concerns. From Bluetooth Compatiblity issues to conducting new hearing aid-wearer orientation sessions, she addresses each patients' individual needs with genuine interest and attention to detail.
Vicki Riesenberg, our Front Desk Diva, keeps Corvallis Hearing Center a pleasant, efficiently-run clinic. She is happy to answer questions, check insurance coverage, arrange appointments and make patients feel welcome and in good hands while in our office. Vickie's ready smile and "let me help you" attitude make the experience of managing hearing loss a more agreeable one for hundreds of Corvallis Hearing Center patients.
Riley Riesenberg is the newest member of the Corvallis Hearing Center Team. She performs a variety of tasks including filing, office organization, making patient appoint-ments and providing back-up support on busy clinic days. Riley's goal is to help CHC run smoothly and assure the best possible outcome for it's patients.
Open Ear Hearing Aids-Are they right for Everyone?
In the past several years our group has tested a new type of hearing aids collectively known as “open-ear hearing aids.” These hearing aids are called open-ear because they have abandoned the more occluding custom earpiece in favor of a small tube that floats in the ear canal. Choosing the right hearing aid for your lifestyle and hearing loss is sometimes a challenging process. We want our patients to try their new hearing aids in many real-life situations before making a final decision. During this 30-day period you will be scheduled for weekly appointments during which we can discuss your progress with the new hearing aids. We charge a $90 per hearing aid fee for our services during this time, which is payable at the end of the 30-day-trial ONLY if the aids are returned. If the aids are purchased, the $90 fee, three months of follow-up visits and a three-month supply of batteries are included in the purchase price.
Today, every hearing aid manufacturer is making several different models of open-ear hearing aids. Our consumer testers have generally found these aids to be very comfortable and have found the sound quality to be quite good. The testers particularly like the way these hearing aids blend their own natural hearing with the amplified sound of the hearing aid. We believe this 
“hybrid” mix of natural hearing with amplified sound makes adaptation to amplified sound much easier.
Some of the newer versions of open-ear hearing aids can be adapted to use conventional, closed-ear model ear pieces (as shown on the left) as hearing decreases over time. This kind of hearing aid can serve a patient's mild or moderate loss in the open-ear configuration, and later be reconfigured with a custom-fit earpiece to accommodate a more severe loss.
30-Day Hearing Aid Trials
