Gail M. Whitelaw, Ph.D. is the Audiology Faculty member for the Ohio State LEND program, housed at Nisonger Center.  She is also the Director of Clinical Instruction and Research in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at Ohio State University, with responsibilities in clinical supervision, teaching, administration, and research. Dr.  Whitelaw's clinical and research interests are in the area of pediatric and educational audiology.  She is also interested and involved in clinical education and professional advocacy.

Dr. Whitelaw has served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Audiology, the national organization representing the profession of audiology, since 2001.  She currently serves as the President of the Academy, with her term ending June 30, 2006.  During her tenure as President, she has had the opportunity to promote advocacy issues related to hearing and balance disorders and collaborate with a number of organizations, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the AG Bell Association, and the Hearing Loss Association of America.  She has frequently been interviewed on topics related to hearing loss and hearing loss prevention for publications ranging from Parade magazine, with a circulation of 75 million, to Parenting, Parents, Men's Health, and Prevention magazines.  Dr. Whitelaw is also the past chair of the Program Committee for the American Academy of Audiology, the past chair of the Governmental Relations Committee of the American Academy of Audiology, a past-President of the Ohio Academy of Audiology, and the current program chair for the Ohio Audiology Conference, to be held in February, 2007.

In addition to her state and national research, Dr. Whitelaw is recognized nationally for her expertise in the area of assessment and management of auditory processing disorders.  She is an invited speaker at national conferences on this topic, has authored articles and book chapters in this area, including a book chapter in preparation for a new pediatric audiology textbook currently in preparation, to be co-edited by Jane Madell and Carol Flexer.  Dr. Whitelaw was recently the guest editor and author of an article in Seminars in Hearing on the topic of the audiologist's role in children with autism.