When Ginny Lupo joined the Marion Downs Hearing Center team in 2001, she was involved in nearly every audiological service provided to the community. However, as time went on, she worked more closely with cochlear implant recipients and today is considered one of the specialists in the clinic, focusing on serving the hearing-related needs of all ages with severe to profound hearing loss.
She has her American Board of Audiology Specialty Certification in Cochlear Implants.
Ginny remembers learning about Helen Keller in 3rd grade and wanting to learn American Sign Language (ASL). She continued to develop her skills by taking classes in high school and later in college to fulfill her foreign language requirement. While an undeclared major at CU Boulder, Ginny's mother, a real estate agent, introduced her to an educational audiologist who was a client of hers.
Ginny had never heard of the profession before and as she researched the career, discovered she was naturally drawn to the field of audiology and using technology to help people regain access to sound and communication. She completed her BA in Speech and Hearing Sciences at CU Boulder and continued on for an MS in Audiology from University of Washington in 2000. The years she invested in learning ASL have reaped their rewards. "Knowing some ASL has helped me connect with my patients who use that language as their primary method of communication," she reports. As an Audiologist, Ginny enjoys the assessment and evaluation process of figuring out an individual's current hearing status then using various technology and resources to help that person reach their listening and communication goals. She says, "I'm really enjoying this aspect of my profession...I feel that we can offer this unique service to the community where we provide concrete recommendations of options available to people by giving them complete assessments. If someone isn't a cochlear implant candidate, for example, we don't stop there - we can outline their next steps and help them explore their options."
Because the process of receiving cochlear implants is a long one, involving several lengthy appointments, both before and after implantation, Ginny naturally develops strong relationships with her patients. She sees them often for many years and this is one of her favorite parts of her career. Some of the toddlers who got implants when she first came to the Marion Downs Hearing Center are now headed into junior high school! She shares, "...there is so much interaction that takes place and the appointments can be dramatic sometimes - I love getting to know my patients on a deeper level."
Working so closely with people also makes it challenging when her expectations of their progress aren't met. She has to troubleshoot and figure out why someone is not meeting certain listening and/or communication goals. Is it the technology? Were the goals realistic? Do we just need more time? These are a few of the questions she asks herself when trying to work through a challenging situation. Because there is often a lot of counseling involved with patients, Ginny thinks all Audiologists should receive training on how to guide a patient through, what can sometimes be, an emotional process.
Ginny, a mother of three boys (ages 2, 5, and 7) is just as busy at home at she is in the clinic. But this family-focused working mother still makes time for fun. She and her husband, Eric, enjoy playing in the kitchen, cooking ethnic foods, and taking their family on trips. Every other year, they explore an International destination and in between, travel somewhere in America. They have visited Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Hawaii, and several national parks with the boys.
Join us Saturday, December 4 for our Annual Family Holiday Party! This fun event, co-hosted with Hands & Voices and CSDB, is open to all families with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. 
