Our Staff
Salima Jiwani, Ph.D., M.Sc., H.B.A.,Reg.CASLPO
Salima Jiwani (Ph.D.) is the founder/president and lead audiologist at AudioSense, a Hearing and Balance clinic located in Yorkville, Toronto.Salima Jiwani is also an Adjunct Professor in the department of Speech-Language Pathology, Department of Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto and Clinical Instructor with the Distance Education program at Salus University.
Salima provides her patients with industry-leading treatment and rehabilitation services by leveraging her clinical, research and industry experience. AudioSense is an audiology clinic that takes a comprehensive approach to the treatment of audiological impairments for children and adults. The approach, at AudioSense, is to provide evidence-based clinical care for hearing and balance services in order to take a proactive rather than reactive approach to audiological health-care.
Prior to working at AudioSense, Salima was a Clinical Territory Manager for Cochlear Canada Inc., where she provided training and clinical support to audiologists working with bone anchored hearing solutions and cochlear implants throughout Eastern Canada.
She earned her Ph.D. in Auditory Neurophysiology, Cochlear Implants and Neuroscience with the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto in 2014. She completed her Doctoral work at the Cochlear Implant Laboratory at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto where she worked with children and adolescents who are deaf and have used a cochlear implant to hear for most of their lives. Shedeveloped novel imaging tools to map the brain regions and networks that are activated by sound in cochlear implant users over the long-term. Prior to this, she received her Audiology degree from Dalhousie University, where she completed a Master's thesis concurrently with a clinical degree, working with adults suffering from Vestibular Schwannomas/Acoustic Neuromas.
Outside of work hours, Salimais an advocate for the profession of audiology as President of the Canadian Academy of Audiology and chair of the Science and Education committee. In these roles, she encourages clinical research in the field of audiology to elevate our profession, give audiologists a voice, and promote optimal audiological health care for all her patients.
Chantal Belanger, Audiologist
Chantal is a Registered Audiologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), and a member of the Canadian Academy of Audiology (CAA). She received a Master of Science in Audiology at Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour with a specialization in Music Cognition from McMaster University. She is also the recipient of the Clinical Excellence in Audiology Award from Dalhousie University.
Prior to joining the AudioSense team, Chantal worked as an Infant Hearing Program (IHP) Audiologist, where she diagnosed and treated hearing disorders in infants and young children. She also worked with two Ear, Nose, and Throat physicians (otolaryngologists) providing hearing services for more advanced medical cases in a primarily adult population.
Chantal’s background in music is what initially interested her in the field of audiology. She received classical piano training through the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her musical training provoked curiosity about the science behind how the brain processes music and sound, leading her to learn more about how this process differs in individuals with hearing loss. Chantal is extremely passionate about patient education on the impact of hearing loss on various processes, including speech and language, learning, social relationships, mental health, and overall health.
Sofia Olaizola, Student Volunteer
I am an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying language and cognition. I was born deaf in both ears and have had a cochlear implant since I was 11 months old. As a result, I have always wanted to work in the field of hearing science. My goal is to inspire those with hearing loss.
I want to help others embrace their disability and use the resources available to them to enrich their lives. Volunteering at Audiosense allows me to step out of the patient chair and learn more about the behind-the-scenes magic that makes hearing possible.