MEET THE TEAM

Lucy Cosolo

Doctor of Audiology (Au. D.)

Lucy lives in Toronto and is the Chief Audiologist at our Toronto location. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in 1985. In 1992 she received a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a second master's in Audiology from the State University of New York. In 2000 she became the first Canadian to complete her Doctor of Audiology degree which she received from the University of Florida. Lucy has spent a number of years working at Toronto area hospitals such as Mount Sinai Hospital, the Wellesley Hospital and St. Michael's Hospital. In 1999 Lucy became a founding partner of Hearing First. In 2001 she started the Toronto site of Hearing First along with Bob McLean. She has spent many years traveling between the Toronto and Sault Ste Marie sites. Lucy is president of Canadian International Hearing Services. This is a volunteer organization which provides training and donated hearing aids to governments and otolaryngologists in developing countries. She has been on their board for the last 25 years and has had the opportunity to volunteer in many countries around the world.

Carrie Schneider

Doctor of Audiology (Au. D.)

Carrie is originally from Ohio and currently resides in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Carrie has been an audiologist since 2000 after completing her master’s degree at Kent State University in 1999. She began working at Hearing First in 2005, and became a Doctor of Audiology in 2010 after completing her Doctorate from A. T. Stills University. Carrie holds a specialization in pediatrics and has extensive experience working in hospital settings with ENT specialists and in private clinics seeing newborns through adults. Carrie is an authorized hearing devices provider for the Assistive Devices Program (ADP), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), Veteran Affairs Canada (DVA) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

Jamie Mizzi

Hearing Instrument Specialist (H.I.S.)

Clinical Manager

Jamie grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and began working at Hearing First in 2007. She completed an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Ontario with specialization in Health Sciences in 2007. She went on to complete a post-graduate diploma in Communicative Disorders at Georgian College and graduated with honours in 2009. She graduated with distinction as a Hearing Aid Practitioner from Grant MacEwan University in 2012 and became fully licensed through the Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario as a Hearing Instrument Specialist in 2013. Jamie is an authorized hearing devices provider for the Assistive Devices Program (ADP), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), Veteran Affairs Canada (DVA) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). She has done a lot of work in the community, providing services at nursing homes, seniors centers and private residences, as well as performing on-site industrial screenings. Jamie also does seasonal work at the Lady Dunn Health Center in Wawa for clients located north of Sault Ste. Marie.

Melissa Birkbeck

Hearing Instrument Specialist (H.I.S.)

Melissa is originally from Kitchener, Ontario, and has been with Hearing First since 2020. She graduated with Distinction from the Pre-Health Sciences program at Conestoga College in 2017 and earned her Hearing Instrument Specialist diploma with Distinction from Conestoga College in 2019. Melissa has been working in the field of audiology since 2019 and is fully licensed as a Hearing Instrument Specialist through the Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario. She has experience working for both large corporations and privately owned clinics, and her background includes home visits, senior centers, remote care, and industrial screenings. Melissa is an authorized hearing device provider for the Assistive Devices Program (ADP), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), Veteran Affairs Canada (DVA), and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Passionate about patient care, Melissa is dedicated to providing personalized solutions and improving her patients' quality of life.

Justin Lasook

Audiologist (M.Cl.Sc.)

Justin was born in Sault Ste. Marie but has lived in various locations in Ontario throughout his life. Justin has an extensive school history, starting with a Paramedic diploma in 2014, then transitioning into therapy where he obtained his Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant diploma in 2018. Continuing on, he graduated with Magna Cum Laude distinction in Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a specialization in rehabilitation science in 2021, finally obtaining his Master of Clinical Science in Audiology in 2023. Justin is a registered Audiologist with the College of Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), and an authorized hearing devices provider for the Assistive Devices Program (ADP), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), Veteran Affairs Canada (DVA) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)."