​In some ways, Rachael seemed destined to work in health care – it was just a matter of finding the right area to specialize in. While in her early 20s, she became interested in speech-language pathology. When her second daughter had severe articulation issues as a toddler, Rachael was amazed at the progress she made in speech therapy, and Rachael wanted to give the gift of speech to others.

However, her interests changed while in college. During her undergraduate studies, Rachael was encouraged to shadow an audiologist. The result? She fell in love with all things hearing related.

Meanwhile, Rachael’s grandmother’s Parkinson’s disease significantly progressed. Her grandmother tearfully told Rachael that of all the senses she had lost (sight, taste, touch, ability to feed and dress herself), her loss of hearing was the most detrimental, as it isolated her from those she loves. Rachael then realized that listening is what connects people to one another, and she wanted to connect others to those they love.

At Utah Ear Institute, Rachael’s daily responsibilities include providing hearing evaluations and vestibular assessments for patients. But more importantly, her role is to educate patients about their hearing and/or vestibular health so they can make the best decisions. Rachael’s role is that of support for the patient.

She loves interacting with people and helping to improve their hearing so they can connect with those they love. Rachael is also fascinated with the vestibular system and relishes putting all the pieces together to better understand a person's dizziness in an effort to mitigate their symptoms. 

Rachael often spends her free time outdoors hiking, swimming, paddleboarding, spending time on a beach or in the mountains, or exploring somewhere new. She plays several instruments (piano, violin, guitar, and ukulele) and loves to jam with her kids. Rachael also enjoys spending time with her family and friends playing games or hosting get-togethers.