Dennell grew up in a small town in rural Montana. She went to graduate school at the University of Colorado in Boulder and completed her externship at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Her grandfather suffered from hearing loss as a World War II veteran, and he struggled with his hearing aids at family gatherings. She remembers wanting so badly to help him. When she was in college and considering career options, she recalled these memories and audiology seemed like the obvious choice for her. The more she learned about the ear, the more fascinated she became, and the rest is history!

Dennell is our cochlear implant specialist. Her typical day consists of cochlear implant evaluations (where we see if a patient would be a candidate for a cochlear implant), cochlear implant activations (where we turn on the cochlear implant after surgery), and cochlear implant follow-up appointments (where we make fine-tuning adjustments and evaluate progress).

She loves being able to help people. She says that hearing loss is often a silent struggle that can lead to social isolation, so she really enjoys being able to help patients stay connected to their families, their friends, and their worlds. She also feels blessed to work with a collaborative team of colleagues and physicians.

When she’s not working, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and exploring new hobbies.