Our Audiology Professionals

As the owner and founder of Sound Relief Hearing Center, Dr. Julie Prutsman has dedicated her practice to treating tinnitus, decreased sound tolerance, and related hearing health issues. She is a third-generation audiology professional, with her grandfather entering the hearing healthcare field in the 1950s. After working in her family’s practice in Colorado and Las Vegas, NV, she decided to open one of her own focused on tinnitus. Since beginning Sound Relief Hearing Center in December 2011, her practice has helped thousands of patients and has grown to nine offices in Colorado and Arizona. Dr. Julie Prutsman grew up in Highlands Ranch and graduated from Highlands Ranch High School. She attended the University of Colorado – Boulder for graduate school and knew Colorado would always be her home state. Her husband, Patrick, is the General Manager and co-owner of Sound Relief. They have two wonderful children, Ethan and Hanna, and their rescue dog, Tori. In her free time, Dr. Julie loves reading, traveling, skiing, and spending time with family.

Patrick “the other half” is the General Manager and co-founder of the Sound Relief Hearing Center with Dr. Julie. Patrick earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He spent the previous 16 years selling pipe and fire hydrants.

Patrick, Julie, Ethan, Hanna, and their dog Tori live in Highlands Ranch. He enjoys swimming, mountain biking, snowboarding, and family time in the beautiful Colorado Rockies.

Leah Mitchell has been licensed and working in Colorado as an audiologist since 2004. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, her master’s degree in audiology from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and her doctoral degree in audiology from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry’s School of Audiology (2007). Prior to joining the Sound Relief team, she worked at an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) office, a private practice, and at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She enjoys seeing how her patients’ relationships and quality of life can be improved through better hearing and the management of tinnitus. Dr. Leah Mitchell has lived in Thornton since 2004, after escaping the winters in her home state of Wisconsin. She enjoys spending as much time as possible in the Colorado outdoors with her husband, Tyler, their two daughters, Evelyn and Etta, and their spoiled dog, Suzy. When she isn’t outside, she enjoys reading, cooking, and eating.

Dr. Leah Mitchell sees patients at the Westminster clinic.

Kaela earned a bachelor’s degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and a clinical Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Kaela Fasman is dedicated to providing excellent care and improving the quality of life of her patients and their families. She values her opportunity to help people live healthier and happier lives through improved communication and tinnitus relief. Dr. Kaela Fasman enjoys educating friends, family, and patients about tinnitus and hearing loss and works at our Golden location.

Dr. Kaela’s Sound Relief Spotlight

Kaela and her husband moved to beautiful Denver in 2016. She enjoys hiking, doing puzzles, and baking on the weekends.

Abby McMahon received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and her Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She has been awarded the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. McMahon is the Past President of the Colorado Academy of Audiology and has been on several other boards related to audiology. She loves working with patients and their families helping them achieve the best quality of life they can through excellent hearing healthcare! Along with general audiology, Abby specializes in pediatrics, vestibular assessment and management, and tinnitus management. Dr. McMahon sees patients in the Fort Collins office.

A Fort Collins native, Dr. Abby McMahon is thrilled to be back in her hometown taking care of people in her community. When she is not at work, she is busy chasing after her two young (and busy) toddler boys, two dogs (Libby and Stella), and hanging out with her family! She loves spending time outdoors hiking, skiing and snowboarding, camping, and gardening.

Drew Price earned her Doctorate in Audiology from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, and her Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She completed her Doctor of Audiology residency at UC Health in Aurora, Colorado. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. Price sees patients in the Denver/Cherry Creek clinic.

Drew was destined to be an audiologist. Her mom is also an audiologist, so she grew up seeing firsthand how important hearing wellness is to quality of life. Her decision to specialize in tinnitus treatment came from years of watching her dad suffer from tinnitus. In fact, she is an avid music fan as a result of her dad constantly playing music in the background during her childhood, purely to manage his tinnitus. Since going through Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, Drew has helped her dad experience relief from tinnitus that other treatments didn’t provide him. She can’t wait to help you find the same relief!

Drew is also a Pastor’s Kid, so she grew up in Florida, Arkansas, and Louisiana. She moved to Colorado in 2015 to finish her Doctor of Audiology residency at UC Health and lived in Colorado until 2022 when she moved to Arizona to expand her impact as Director of Audiology with the Arizona team. Dr. Drew Price has missed Colorado since helping us in Arizona, and she is thrilled to be back in Colorado.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, cooking, traveling and live music. She has one fur baby, Bandit, who is her best friend!

Originally from Chicago, Tony Kovacs moved to Colorado in 2012 to pursue his Doctorate after many years of touring as the lead vocalist in his punk rock band Shot Baker. He was recently featured in a story by NPR which highlighted his hearing conservation work with musicians. Click here for more information.

Tony earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in ‘Audio Arts and Acoustics’ from Columbia College Chicago (2005), his Bachelor of Science degree in ‘Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences’ from the University of Northern Colorado (2014) and his Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Northern Colorado (2018). His experience as a touring musician offers him a unique perspective and approach to the field of audiology. He believes preventive hearing healthcare deserves at least as much attention as rehabilitation. Dr. Kovacs sees patients in the Fort Collins office.

In addition to playing music and helping folks with their hearing healthcare needs, Tony enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and camping with his wife, Lisa, his daughter, Margot, and their chocolate lab, Bodhi.

Alison LaBrec earned her degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences from the University of Colorado and received her clinical Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) from the University of Texas. While completing her graduate degree, Alison was heavily involved in tinnitus research. She valued the opportunity to contribute to research focused on improving the quality of life for individuals with tinnitus. Dr. LaBrec sees patients in the Golden, CO office.

Alison completed her clinical externship at a private practice in Manhattan. There she enjoyed working with patients of all ages to achieve improved hearing health.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family. She and her husband, Andrew, are Colorado natives who love exploring their beautiful home state together. They welcomed their first baby boy in May 2022 who was welcomed home with lots of love by their two Australian shepherds, Louie and Junie.

Sarah Pitrone earned her Bachelor of Science degree in audiology and speech-language sciences and her Doctorate in Audiology from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to joining the Sound Relief team, Dr. Pitrone had an opportunity to work in a variety of clinical settings including public schools, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and neurotology. Dr. Pitrone is committed to providing excellent care and finding a personalized treatment solution for each patient. Dr. Sarah Pitrone sees patients in our Mesa, AZ office.

Raised in Colorado, Sarah and her husband, Sam, moved to Gilbert, Arizona in 2018. In her free time, Sarah enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends.

Megan Read, a 6th generation Texan, is a huge San Antonio Spurs fan and the first in her family to move away from the Lone Star state. She worked in elementary education as both an interpreter in a deaf education classroom and as a speech pathology assistant.

Her desire has always been to educate and empower her patients by working together to maximize access to communication. Dr. Read worked in a neurotology practice for nine years before joining the Sound Relief team. During that time, she sought out specialized training in the management of tinnitus and sound sensitivity disorders under Dr. Pawel Jastreboff, Ph.D., Sc.D. She loves both the art and the science of tinnitus treatment and truly enjoys walking alongside each patient in their unique hearing health journey. Dr. Read sees patients at our Highlands Ranch location.

Megan also enjoys exploring her creative side and trying new recipes. You might find her walking the many trails in Highlands Ranch with her husband Tim, their three children, Natalee, Brighton, and Ellie, and their two mischievous Westies, Ollie and Jefferson.

Senia Romero earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and her clinical Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Her interest in audiology started when her nephew was diagnosed with hearing loss, shortly after his birth. From there, her interest has grown into a passion for improving the quality of life of her patients and their families, by exploring the best options unique to their hearing and tinnitus needs. Dr. Romero sees patients at our Centennial clinic.

Dr. Romero is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, from which she received her Certificate of Clinical Competence. She also holds a license in audiology from both Colorado and Washington state.

Senia enjoys exploring new cities, restaurants, and breweries, with her family and friends. While originally from Seattle, she happily moved back to Denver in 2021. However, you’ll still find her rooting for the Seattle Seahawks on football Sundays!

Bomina Kang is passionate about providing individualized patient-centered care and improving the quality of life of patients through implementing evidence-based intervention and treatment. Her specialty is adult diagnostics, hearing loss solutions, tinnitus management, and aural rehabilitation. She will be seeing patients at our Peoria, Arizona office.

Bomina earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Wichita State University and her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. She received her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and holds a license in audiology from the States of Arizona and Colorado.

Dr. Bomina Kang was born in South Korea, and her family moved to the United States when she was a child. She grew up in Colorado but recently moved to Arizona with her husband and their daughter. In her free time, Bomina enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Dr. Madison Brown attended Utah State University, where she earned her undergraduate degree as well as her Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.). She began her career path not knowing the magnitude of challenges people experience with hearing healthcare. Her focus is to empower individuals to find hope and restore parts of their lives that have been affected by hearing and tinnitus. She is delighted to be a part of the Sound Relief team, where people come first, and innovation is prioritized to provide solutions and hope for all patients who walk through the door.

Through drastically improving her own quality of life by making incremental changes and trusting the process, her passion was ignited to help others on their journey toward better overall health. She understands the importance of providing individualized education, planning, tools, and support. She believes that joy, peace, and improvement are possible for all who are willing and ready to embark on the journey.

Madison enjoys spending time with her family and supporting her two children. She loves activities that involve body movement or being in the Arizona sunshine. In her spare time, you’ll find her on the golf course or relaxing at home.

Dr. Madison Brown sees patients at our Scottsdale and Mesa locations.

Dr. Elizabeth McNichols earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and her clinical Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Elizabeth completed her clinical residency at Denver Health where she developed a person-centered approach to care. Dr. McNichols is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, from which she received her Certificate of Clinical Competence. As a Colorado native, you’ll find Elizabeth exploring the great outdoors during her free time. Her favorite activities include but aren’t limited to biking, hiking, and running. When time allows, she maps out which bike race to sign up for or which 14’er to climb. When she’s not outdoors, she’s whipping up new recipes from her favorite show, “The Great British Bake Off”.

Dr. Elizabeth McNichols sees patients at our Highlands Ranch and Centennial office.

Kelsey started as the patient care coordinator at Sound Relief and has since started her doctoral studies of audiology at the University of Northern Colorado. Between classes, Kelsey continues to help by assisting the doctors as much as possible. Before moving to Colorado, she grew up in the Chicago area. When she isn’t spending time with patients, Kelsey loves being with her growing family of 10 siblings and 11 nephews and nieces. Her true passion is caring for and working with others. She also enjoys volunteering and fostering for local dog shelters. Currently, she has two dogs, Roux and Hallie. Kelsey tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible, including hiking, backpacking, camping, and kayaking.

Justina, a Colorado native, joined our team as the Patient Care Coordinator of our Westminster office in April 2019 and is now an Audiology Assistant and Team Lead of our “North” Colorado offices (Westminster, Cherry Creek, and Fort Collins). Justina finds true joy in helping others and is passionate about caring for our patients. She has worked in medical care for over 6 years and continues to find enjoyment and growth in her job.

In her free time, Justina enjoys many things including hiking, traveling, being active, and going to the gym, but mostly she enjoys spending time with her French Bulldog: Roskoe. She loves the outdoors and considers there is no lack of adventures for her and her pup in Colorado.

Layla Fotouhi joined our team as the Patient Care Coordinator of our Scottsdale office in May 2019 and is now an Audiology Assistant and Team Lead of our Arizona offices (Scottsdale, Mesa, and Peoria). She was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. After moving to Arizona, she couldn’t get enough of the sun! Her background is in Cosmetology, and she was also a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Fun fact: Layla placed in the Wisconsin State Pageant for National American Miss.

To advance her ability to help people, she has taken classes at Nova Southeastern University and has become a Certified Audiology Assistant.

“I love seeing patients happy, and making those connections that last!”

Outside of work, Layla loves playing with her pup Paris, traveling, trying new restaurants but mostly eating, and hiking to catch sunrises and sunsets. Layla is always representing her hometown teams, the Packers, the Bucks, and the Brewers!

Amanda La Voy is the Audiology Assistant and Team Lead for our “South” Colorado offices (Highlands Ranch, Centennial, and Golden). Amanda was born and raised in Northern California but has called Colorado home since the spring of 2018. Amanda first joined our team as the Patient Care Coordinator in our Highlands Ranch office and felt the call to expand her audiological knowledge to further help our patients.

She’s currently taking classes at Nova Southeastern University to complete her audiology assistant certification.

When not in the office Amanda spends her free time exploring Colorado with her fiancé Adam and son Jonas. If you’ve been seen in Highlands Ranch, you’ll know Amanda is always running around. She’s currently in pursuit of completing the 6 World Major Marathon races (London, Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, Boston, and New York). She’s currently received two of her six stars for the Majors.

Amy is our controller in charge of accounts payable and receivable. Before she moved to Denver in 1998, Amy studied accounting at St. Louis University and was the controller for a general contractor for over 13 years. An innovative and driven accounting professional, Amy enjoys working for family-owned and operated businesses. She strives to learn new ways of doing things and takes on challenges that are sometimes out of her comfort zone.

Currently living in Waterloo, IL, Amy still enjoys her regular visits to Colorado. Amy has two children, Paige and Cainen. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, hiking, skiing, and reading.

TJ started with Sound Relief in February 2019 and proudly holds the longest title in the company – Executive Director of Business Development and Operations. He graduated from Colorado College with a BA in Psychology. TJ also played in two Frozen Fours and a National Championship for Colorado College hockey.

He brings 20 years of experience in performance management, strategic planning, operational excellence across multiple industries, and we are thankful to have him on our team.

Outside of Sound Relief, TJ enjoys spending time with his family and golfing, fly-fishing, biking, and hockey.

Jamee grew up in Nebraska and went on to attend Brigham Young University to study psychology. She started as the patient care coordinator at the Centennial, Colorado office and is now an insurance specialist for Sound Relief. Jamee enjoys working with a wonderful group of professionals who make a huge difference in people’s lives.

Jamee loves reading, traveling, spending quality time with her family, and walking her dogs. She is married with three children and spends much of her free time attending her kids’ events.

Linda started at our Golden office, and she now works in Highlands Ranch as it is much closer to her home. She has extensive experience in customer service. Originally from Belleville, Illinois, she moved eight times corporately before settling here in 1999 with her husband and two kids. Linda came for a vacation and fell in love with the mountains! She spends time reading, traveling, and visiting with family and friends.

“Helping people, getting to know them, and building relationships is my favorite thing in life. I love working in this practice because I honestly know that each staff member is genuinely interested and concerned about making a positive impact in our customers’ lives.”

Elizabeth is Patrick’s little sister and has worked with Sound Relief since 2016, and she mainly helps with quality control for the patient experience. Elizabeth graduated with Honors from Old Dominion University with a BA in English Literature, and she has over 20 years of customer care experience.

She is also an enthusiastic volunteer. She started coaching youth basketball in college and still does with her own children’s teams. She advocates for local animal rescues and volunteers to exercise dogs at the SPCA.

Her most important role is Mom to her kids, Wyatt and Leila; and Person to her dog Roosevelt. Her three favorite things are time with her family, walks with Roosevelt, and taking a break with a run; the longer the better.

Ryan, our Assistant Marketing & Operations Manager, believes developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything he does both professionally and personally. With the addition of Ryan, Sound Relief is even more of a family business. He is the brother of Patrick Prutsman, co-founder of Sound Relief Hearing Center. His hobbies include hiking with friends and family, snowboarding, mountain biking, and he is an avid sports fan. Ryan also enjoys going on longboard rides with his beloved dog, Poppy.

Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Ryan graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 2016. He moved to Denver in March 2019 and is already a huge Colorado sports fan. His aim is to find the best way to convey Sound Relief’s mission of changing lives one ear at a time.

Courtney is the patient care coordinator for the Golden location. She was born in Wisconsin but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. In 2008 she attended college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins where she studied Journalism and Technical Communications. With nine years of experience in customer service, she has truly enjoyed settling into her new role at Sound Relief and getting to know all of the patients. It is so gratifying to be able to work with an incredible team that makes a difference for so many.

In her free time, she enjoys Pilates, reading, watching football (Go Broncos!), and exploring Colorado outdoors.

Sara joined our Westminster team as the PCC in March 2022. She was born in California but was raised in Colorado. Her last position was as an office manager for a chiropractic office. She genuinely cares about all patients and strives to make sure everyone is taken care of from start to finish. In her spare time, she enjoys soaking up the Colorado sunshine, fishing, traveling, and rooting for the Broncos, Rockies, and Avs!

Originally from the sunny beaches of Orange County, California, Franchesca traded the coastline for the desert landscape of Scottsdale, Arizona in 2013. As a Patient Care Coordinator at Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center in Scottsdale, “I’m passionate about facilitating the journey to better hearing and tinnitus relief for our patients. In my role, I’ve found my calling as a Patient Care Coordinator. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness the positive impact our team makes on people’s lives.” Outside the office, Francesca indulges her creative side through baking and crafting delicious treats that bring joy to family and friends. When the sun sets, Franchesca finds a thrill in the chilling narratives of scary movies and the intriguing mysteries of true crime podcasts. These hobbies not only provide an escape but also fuel her fascination with storytelling in various forms.