Back to Main Menu

Nelson, Melanie

Professor

FACULTY

Biography

Dr. M. Dawn Nelson is a professor at Central Michigan University in the Doctor of Audiology Program.  She received her master's degree from the University of Maryland, her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Center for Hearing Sciences.  Dr. Nelson’s current research focus is dizziness/imbalance, falling, and hearing loss in individuals living with Sickle Cell Disease and best practices in vestibular assessment. Her teaching, clinical, and other research interests include assessment of vestibular (balance) disorders, auditory-evoked potentials, neuroanatomy, and auditory processing disorders. 

More about Melanie Nelson

  • Nelson, MD, Bennett, D, Lehman, ME, Okonji, A. (2022) Dizziness, Falls and Hearing Loss in Adults Living with Sickle Cell Disease. American Journal of Audiology, 31(4), 1178-1190. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJA-22-00059.
  • English, K., Burt S., Nelson, MD. (2022). Experiencing Bigotry from Patients: Audiology Student Perspective.  Audiology Today. March/April, 34(2):12-23.
  • Andresen, NS, McIntyre, T, Ward, BK, Nelson, MD, Kheradmand, A, Pecker, LH, Lanzkron, SM, & Lance, EI. (2021) Sickle Cell Disease and Vestibular Dysfunction. Blood, 138 (Supplement 1): 4183. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2021-153514.
  • English, K., Nelson, MD.. Burt S. (2021). When AuD Students Encounter Bigotry From Patients, Preceptors Must Become Allies.  Audiology Today. January/February, 33(1):30-38.
  • Kiser, ZM, Clark KA, Jane, BS, Vercellotti, GM and Nelson, MD. (2019). Association between Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Homozygous Sickle Cell Anemia: A Meta-Analysis. Blood. 134 (Supplement 1): 3453 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2019-127740.
  • Nelson, MD., Mann, L., Trenkler, C., Lehman, ME. (2019). Static Positional Nystagmus in the Healthy Vestibular System. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 30 (10), 883-895. https://doi.org/10.3766/jaaa.18024.
  • Hoyme, AM, Nelson, MD. (2018). Should Patients Discontinue Medications Prior to Vestibular Testing? Audiology Today. 30(3), 22-28.
  • Nelson MD, Akin FW, Riska KM, Andresen K, Stamps S. (2016) Vestibular assessment and rehabilitation: Ten-year survey trends of audiologists’ opinions and practice. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 27(2):126-40.
  • Nelson, M.D. (2010). Vestibular Education: A Balancing Act. Advance for Audiologists, Vol 12:5, 12.
  • Nelson, M.D., Wilson, R.W, and Kornhass, S. (2003) Performance of Musicians and Non-Musicians o Dichotic Chords, Dichotic CVs, and Dichotic Digits. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. Vol 14:10, 536-544.
  • Nelson, M.D., Hall, J.W. III and Jacobson, G.P. (1997).  Factors affecting the recordability of the auditory evoked response Pb (P1), Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 1997, Apr; 8(2):89-99.
  • Nelson, M.D., and Hall, J.W. III. (1993).  Performance on a dichotic synthetic musical chords test for professional musicians vs non-musicians. (Abstracts for the sixteenth Association for Research in Otolaryngology Meeting, Abstract No. 603). 
  • Hall, J.W. III, and Nelson, M.D. (1991).  P300 response in children with central auditory processing disorders (CAPD).  (International Electric Response Audiometry Study Group Symposium Abstracts).
  • Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A)
  • James Jerger Award of Excellence in Student Research Finalist, 2016
  • Best in Vestibular Award, 2016
  • Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee, 2014, 2015, and 2019
  • James Jerger Award of Excellence in Student Research, 2009
  • Research Excellence Funds Award, 1999
  • Post-Doctoral Fellowship, John Hopkins University, Department of Otolaryngology, 1994-1996
  • PhD, Vanderbilt University, 1994
  • MA, University of Maryland-College Park, 1985
  • BS, Andrews University, 1983
  • Imbalance/dizziness, falling, and hearing loss in individuals living with sickle cell disease
  • Vestibular assessment
  • Auditory evoked potentials neurodiagnostics
  • Central auditory processing disorders
  • American Speech-Language and Hearing Association
  • American Academy of Audiology
Holder, Audiology License, State of Michigan

Courses Taught

  • AUD 740: Neuroanatomy
  • AUD 781: Electrophysiological Techniques in Audiology
  • AUD 782: Evaluation and Treatment of Vestibular Disorders
  • AUD 783: Advanced Electrophysiological and Vestibular Techniques in Audiology