Coming from a highly educated family, Melinda Younan, MS, excelled in high school and took inspiration from her sister, who was studying obstetrics and gynecology at the time, to pursue her education in audiology. She embarked on her studies at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science in Tehran, where she graduated from the School of Rehabilitation Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in audiology in 1994. During this time, she began her career as an audiologist with the Cochlear Implant Team of Iran in 1992, going on to serve as an auditory trainer and researcher from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, Ms. Younan obtained a diploma in auditory training for hearing-impaired children and adults from the Cochlear Implant Association.
In 1997, Ms. Younan returned to the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science as a tutor and clinical audiologist in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences and earned a master’s degree in exceptional children in 1998. The following year, she served as a manager audiologist for the Well-Being Organization of Iran before moving to Australia and receiving a certificate of clinical practice from the Audiological Society of Australia in 2001. From 2002 to 2003, Ms. Younan was a clinical audiologist with Comfort Hearing Aids in Sydney and went on to work as a clinical audiologist, manager and hearing aid specialist from 2003 to 2005 while attending Ohio University in the United States.
Ms. Younan graduated from Ohio University with a Master of Science in audiology in 2005 and then opened her own private practice, the Perfect Hearing Aids Clinic, where she practiced until 2007. Concurrently, she taught audiology subjects for mature students at the Sydney Institute from 2006 to 2007. From 2008 to 2009, Ms. Younan sought further education and completed a graduate certificate in international health from Curtin University, ultimately returning to the Sydney Institute as an educational audiologist in the Faculty of Allied Health in 2009.
In 2011, Ms. Younan began a five-year tenure with Costco Wholesale Australia Pty Ltd. Receiving a certificate in management from Costco, she served as the senior audiologist manager for their hearing aid center until 2016. Her work during this time involved providing free services to patients with hypersensitivity to loud noises, and she was featured with the chief executive officer of Costco in Australian Magazine alongside member testimonials about her work. Following this period, Ms. Younan proffered her expertise as the principal audiologist and a clinical educator with Collective Care Pty Ltd from 2016 to 2018.
Backed by more than two decades of expertise in hearing rehabilitation for adults and children, cochlear implants, tinnitus management, research and development, teaching and supervising, and process improvement and application standards, Ms. Younan has been a senior clinical audiologist with Amplifon, previously National Hearing Care, since 2018. In this role, she is responsible for allergy and skin tests and cochlear implants, as well as overseeing clinical services, supervising and training new audiologists, and reviewing and enhancing their internal infrastructure for finance, organization, training and more. Looking toward the future, Ms. Younan hopes to eventually achieve a managerial role in order to bring her industry expertise to an even greater number of people.
In addition to her primary career responsibilities, Ms. Younan has made a name for herself as an accomplished writer in her areas of expertise. In 1997, she published “Standardized Auditory Rehabilitation Materials from English to Farsi,” which was the first book on auditory training in children following cochlear implants that was published in Iran. She has also published a handful of audiometry manuals for students in public and private institutions, as well as internal handbooks for the clinics and companies she has worked for over the years. Outside of her work in audiology, Ms. Younan has been a long-time advocate for refugees, volunteering with various refugee rights organizations, including the Asylum Seekers Foundation.
Attributing much of her success to her goal-oriented focus, Ms. Younan also credits her empathy for others and her courage to follow her passion. For her excellence, she was recently recognized for high performance by Amplifon. Above everything, Ms. Younan considers the highlight of her career to be the opportunities she has had to share her knowledge and experiences with others. She is proud to be a part of teaching and training young and aspiring professionals to ensure their future success.