From Dream School to Doctoral Studies: Emma Smith finds calling in new Audiology Program

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

For Emma Smith, the path to audiology started with a dream that began long before she stepped onto campus at the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Sciences (CHS).

“I knew since I was a little girl that UK was my dream school,” said Smith, a recent graduate of the CHS Communication Sciences and Disorders program. “I also loved the environment within the College of Health Sciences and all the opportunities it offers students.”

Now, just weeks after earning her undergraduate degree, Smith is preparing to become part of a new chapter in the college’s history as a member of the inaugural class in the new Doctorate of Audiology (AuD) program at UK.

Classes for the three-year program begin June 2, following orientation today.

After first exploring speech-language pathology during her undergraduate studies, Smith said a summer internship helped clarify the direction she wanted her career to take.

“After completing a speech therapy internship last summer, I realized speech pathology wasn’t the path I saw myself pursuing long-term,” Smith said. “I’ve always found audiology interesting because it is somewhat more black and white, and I love learning about how hearing works and how important it is for people to be able to experience and hear the world around them.”

The new AuD program is being organized by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences in collaboration with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

According to outgoing department chair Dr. Anne Olson, the addition of audiology strengthens the department’s ability to address a broad range of communication-related disorders while also helping meet a critical workforce need across Kentucky.

“The addition of audiology will help our department address the full spectrum of human communication and its disorders including speech, language, swallowing, hearing and balance,” Olson said. “Housing both degrees within the same department will foster opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, promote collaboration and prepare graduates to better understand and support individuals with a variety of communication deficits.”

Olson noted that Kentucky ranks third nationally per capita in prevalence of hearing loss and continues to face a shortage of audiologists, particularly in rural areas.

“This is also an important program for our state because Kentucky has a high prevalence of persons with hearing loss,” she said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to address that labor shortage and increase access to much-needed audiology services in our state.”

For Smith, who grew up in Springfield, Ky., the opportunity to help meet that need feels deeply personal.

“I hope to be able to accurately treat, diagnose and assist my future patients to the best of my ability and give them their life back through hearing,” she said.

Looking ahead, Smith hopes to spend several years working under a private practice audiologist before eventually returning home to open a practice of her own in central Kentucky.

The AuD program will be housed in both the Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building for clinical services and the new Michael D. Rankin M.D. Health Education Building, currently under construction and expected to open in spring 2027. The facility will include dedicated audiology classroom and lab spaces designed to support hands-on clinical training.

As she prepares to begin the next stage of her education, Smith said she is grateful for the experiences and support she found within CHS — and confident she made the right choice.

“CHS is the best,” Smith said. “I would choose UK and CHS over and over again if I could.”

For more information on CHS and the new Audiology program, visit: https://chs.uky.edu/audiology