Eric Bielefeld, has been appointed chair of the department for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2023.

Dr. Bielefeld’s research interests focus on inner ear pathology from different forms of acquired hearing loss, including noise, normal aging and problems caused by drug treatments. Bielefeld is the instructor for the Anatomy and Physiology of the Hearing Mechanism and Hearing Conservation courses in the AuD graduate program and the Neurology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism course in the undergraduate BA program.

"I am honored to be taking on the chair position for Speech and Hearing Science. Spanning over 90 years, we have a distinguished history of which I am proud to be a small part,” Bielefeld said. “I am grateful for the mentorship I received from my predecessor, Dr. Robert Fox, the support from my faculty and staff colleagues, the leadership of the college, our students and our supporters. I hope to continue the growth of the department as a leader in teaching, research and community outreach. I believe the future is very exciting for us.”

Bielefeld received his undergraduate degree from SUNY at Buffalo in 1999 and then completed his PhD from SUNY at Buffalo in 2005. He joined the Speech and Hearing Science department at Ohio State in 2009