Shannon

Hi! I am Shannon O’Leary, audiologist and owner of HearInAfrica. I was born and bred in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town and am a graduate of the University of Cape Town, with a BSc in Logopaedics (1999) and a MSc in Speech & Language Pathology (2002). I am proudly South African and love being an audiologist! I have a special interest in community-based audiology and have worked in a variety of private and public clinical settings, ranging from urban and rural clinics in South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia and Malawi to NHS Cambridge University Hospitals in the United Kingdom.

I serve on the Best Practices Committee of the Coalition for Global Hearing Health and have dedicated my career to having the maximum impact I can for people living with hearing loss in Africa. I firmly believe that all patients deserve the same standards of care and am continuously working on developing new and creative service delivery models to improve access and affordability of hearing healthcare services and hearing aids in Africa.  I am incredibly proud of my team and am focused on creating more exciting positions for audiologists who wish to work in a combination of private and public settings.

I am a mom of two munchkins, 2 dogs and 2 cats. In my spare time my favourite things to do include chilling out with family and friends in front of a roaring fire, exploring new places, wine tasting, antique hunting, renovating and redecorating.

Isabella

My name is Isabella Dyke, I am a dynamic and enthusiastic audiologist. I was raised in Mpumalanga and graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2019. I completed my community service year in at Port Alfred Hospital in the Eastern Cape where my love for community audiology and paediatrics were ignited. I have since had the privilege of working for the wonderful team at HearInAfrica. I pride myself in the therapeutic relationships I build with my patients and always strive to leave a meaningful imprint on the lives of the people I meet. I find personal and professional development crucial in our ever-changing field and love to keep myself up to date with all the latest developments and technologies. In my spare time, I love to cook, bake, crochet and explore all the beautiful scenery Cape Town has to offer.

Emma

Hello! My name is Emma Siegfried and I am an audiologist with a passion for paediatric audiology! I graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2005 and did my community service at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. I subsequently spent eight years in the United Kingdom, based predominantly in London at Hackney Ark Children’s Development Centre. While there I provided, as part of a multidisciplinary team, specialised audiological services to a diverse population of children and was able to further develop my skills in paediatric electrophysiological and behavioural assessments, hearing aid fittings and counselling families of children with hearing loss. Upon returning to South Africa, I ran a specialist audiology service for a private practice in Cape Town, which involved performing Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing on babies and adults. During the same period, I conducted newborn hearing screenings at various hospitals around Cape Town. In 2017 I took on a role as a Clinical Educator, guiding final year Audiology students in the diagnosis and management of babies with hearing loss at Red Cross Children’s Memorial Hospital. I relish the role of being a full-time mom to my two rambunctious little boys – an experience which I feel has provided me with invaluable insight into the families’ perspective when receiving care. I was delighted to join the HearInAfrica team in 2021 and am currently part of the diagnostic paediatric team and school screening programs.

Anne

Hi there! My name is Anne Budden and I am a remote audiologist and social media assistant at HearInAfrica. I graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2016 (with distinction) and am now in the process of completing my Masters in Audiology. In 2017 I completed my community service at a rural hospital in Kwazulu-Natal and thereafter I worked in private audiology. Some of my special interests include diagnostic audiology, aural rehabilitation, community projects and vestibular disorders. I find my occupation rewarding as it allows me to help people and connect with people from different communities. As much as my patients learn from me, I too learn from them. In my free time, I train for triathlon races with my husband and enjoy morning coffee rides with friends.

Safoora

Hi! My name is Safoora Mustapha and I am an audiologist at HearInAfrica. A passion to serve and uplift communities has paved the way to choosing my career as a speech-language pathologist and audiologist. After graduating in 2012 from the University of Witwatersrand, I worked closely with an NGO in my hometown of Gaborone, Botswana. I am currently completing my master’s in audiology. My favourite pastime is creating art and spending time in nature.

Sharon

Hello! I am Sharon Magnuson and am a receptionist and audiology assistant at HearInAfrica. I grew up in Zimbabwe and moved to the Cape in the late seventies. I worked for CDM in Namibia and moved back to the Cape in 1986. I joined the HearInAfrica team in 2020, having worked as a personal assistant to dermatologists and gynaecologists for over 20 years before that. I am a mother of two and Gran to five amazing grandchildren. I love a good book, long walks on the beach and the garden is my happy place.

Wendy

Hi! My name is Wendy Fisher and I am a born and bred Capetonian with one beautiful daughter. Before joining HearInAfrica in 2012, I worked as a personal assistant for a physiotherapist and sports tour coordinator. I love spending my free time on charity work, playing tennis and gardening.

Irene

Hello! My name is Irene Grobler and I am a receptionist / virtual assistant here at HearInAfrica. My role is to be a key communicator between you (our patients) and our amazing audiologists, to make sure that you get the best service possible. I find joy in making other people’s lives easier and more enjoyable. I am a young adult looking to make a positive impact on others’ lives. I have a love for the arts and enjoy the gift that is nature.