Speech and Hearing Sciences

Brenda Everett Mitchell is a recently retired Associate Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences as well as Associate Chair of the Department of Health Sciences Office of Student Services and AHEC Operations at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  

As I reflect on my time at UNC as an Associate Professor and administrator, I am grateful for the opportunity to engage with so many awesome individuals. Mentoring is in my DNA so I will always appreciate the growth and development of others through teaching, mentoring, and community service.  

Most recently, I’ve endeavored to reach a younger audience by writing children’s books featuring various health conditions. My books aim to help children understand the importance of treating others respectfully and celebrating differences. 

Dr. Mundy joined the faculty of the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences in 1994 after working on the Carolina Otitis Media Project for four years at The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center (FPG). She continues to see clients clinically at the Hearing and Communication Center. She is the coordinator of AuD studies, overseeing the academic component of the audiology program.

As a Student Service Specialist in the Department of Health Sciences, I oversee the full scope of student admissions, registration, records management, and student aid for multiple programs, including Audiology, MS Speech-Language Pathology, Minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences, and Certificate program in Radiologic Science. I serve as one of the Work Study Managers for the student services suite and assist in administering general policies and procedures related to student services across the department. In my role as Course Evaluation Manager, I use the Carolina Course Evaluation System (“Blue by Explorance”), which requires coding skills to design, configure, and manage course evaluation questions. This work provides valuable insights into the student experience, helping faculty enhance both teaching and learning.

In addition, I coordinate event planning for the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, managing in-person and virtual events such as information sessions, interviews, orientations, and graduations via Zoom and Webex. I also collect and analyze enrollment, admissions, and graduation data to support program improvement and research within the Health Sciences. Through these responsibilities, I ensure seamless operations, a positive student experience, and data-informed decision-making that strengthens our academic programs.

Jackson Roush, PhD, is Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences and Section Head for Audiology at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD). With funding from the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau and from the US Department of Education, he directs two training grants designed to prepare graduate students in audiology and speech-language pathology to work with children who are deaf or hard of hearing with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Dr. Roush has been an audiologist for 40 years and has published and presented extensively on a variety of topics related to newborn hearing screening, diagnosis, and intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing including those with co-occurring conditions.  He is actively involved in several state and national organizations committed to improving early identification of hearing loss, and he currently serves as Co-Chair of the EHDI Advisory Board for North Carolina.

Dr. Roush is an ASHA Fellow, a Fellow of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, a 2007 recipient of the Presidential Award from the American Academy of Audiology, and a 2019 recipient of the CIDD Impact Award for outstanding contributions in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities.

My primary areas of interest include supporting children and families with hearing loss and developmental disabilities and healthcare access. I serve as a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Related Disabilities) faculty member and provide clinical services at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities on two multidisciplinary teams; the School Age Team and the Hearing and Development Clinic.

Since joining the faculty at UNC in 2018 I’ve lead an interprofessional health professions service learning trip to eastern North Carolina working with community partners to address health disparities and rural healthcare access. Additionally, I serve of the UNC Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice(IPEP) Advisory Board.

My profession service includes work with CAPCSD, AAA and the NC-EDHI Advisory Committee.

Dr. Stephanie Sjoblad (pronounced SHOW-BLAD) grew up as one of three siblings with congenital hearing loss and has worn hearing aids since the age of six. She received a cochlear implant (CI) in Spring of 2009 and now enjoys bimodal hearing (CI on one ear and hearing aid on the other).
Dr. Sjoblad has been a faculty member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences since August 1999 and holds the roles of Professor and Clinic Director. Her primary responsibilities consist of directing the operations of the UNC Hearing and Communication Center clinic, providing direct clinical services while supervising graduate students in audiology, and teaching graduate courses. Dr. Sjoblad is a licensed audiologist in the state of North Carolina and is Board Certified with the American Board of Audiology (ABA).
Dr. Sjoblad has had a lifelong passion to promote more affordable and accessible hearing care to those with hearing loss. She has served on a committee at the National Academies of Science Engineering, and Medicine in D.C. investigating the Use of Selected Assistive Products and Technologies in Eliminating or Reducing the Effects of Impairments. She has served on the Executive Board of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology for over four years.
Her community involvement at the local level includes eleven years of service on the Board of Directors for Beginnings for Parents of Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc. and six years of service on the Board for the American Academy of Audiology – North Carolina. Dr. Sjoblad is a charter member of the North Carolina Audiology Association and served as a Member-at-Large for two years.