Melanie Buhr-Lawler, Au.D., CCC-A
Position title: Clinical Professor, Audiologist
Email: melanie.buhr@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 890-1504
Address:
365 Goodnight Hall
1975 Willow Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Education
B.S., University of Wisconsin–Madison
M.A., University of Iowa
Au.D., University of Florida
Courses Taught
CS&D 891: Clinical Clerkship in Audiology I
CS&D 892: Clinical Clerkship in Audiology II
CS&D 899: Capstone in Audiology
CS&D 921: Seminar in Audiology
CS&D 999: Seminar: Enhancing Clinical Skills
Background and Expertise
Dr. Buhr-Lawler has more than 20 years of clinical experience, with a broad background spanning diagnostic audiology, cochlear implants, hearing aids, and hearing conservation, including services for musicians and music lovers. Her clinical practice centers on personalized care and improving communication for individuals and families across the lifespan.
She coordinates several clinical and outreach programs, including the Hearing Aid Recycling Program (HARP), the UW Occupational Health hearing conservation program, Listen Up UW, and hearing screenings for children enrolled in Reach Dane Head Start. Dr. Buhr-Lawler’s outreach also includes collaborations with community organizations and local music venues to promote hearing‑health education and safe listening practices, as well as hearing services to medically underserved rural and urban communities throughout Wisconsin.
Her academic role includes teaching courses in the Doctor of Audiology program and supervising Au.D. students in the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic. Before joining UW–Madison in 2010, Dr. Buhr-Lawler practiced in hospital settings, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and Froedtert Kenosha Center.
Highlighted Activities
- Recipient of the Outstanding Service Award, Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association, 2026
- Member, American Cochlear Implant Alliance
- Cochlear Implant Specialty Certification (CISC), 2010
- Member, Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association
- Member, American Speech-Language Hearing Association
- Recipient of the Student Mentor Award, Wisconsin Speech-Language Hearing Association, 2019
- Awarded Audiologist of the Year, Wisconsin Speech-Language Hearing Association, 2015
- Featured in UW Madison’s L&S Exchange Teaching Network for inclusive teaching practices: What is inclusive teaching? And What instructor choices are more inclusive?, 2023
- American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Advisory Council/Committee of Ambassadors, 2017-2023
- Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment Mini-Grant, 2015, 2016
- UW-Madison Statewide Outreach Incentive Grants, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
- American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s Award for Continuing Education, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2016
Representative Publications
Buhr-Lawler, M. (2017, May). A Hearing Loss Prevention Outreach Program for Farmers and Motorsports Enthusiasts. Seminars in Hearing. 38(212-221):10.1055/s-0037-1601576.
Buhr-Lawler, M.C. (2016, October). Thinking Outside the Booth: Three Overlapping Categories of University Audiology Outreach. The Hearing Review.
Buhr-Lawler, M.C, & Hartman, A.I. (2016, July). Reflect, Mentor, Lead: A Unique Experience in Audiology Education. The Hearing Journal, 69(7):32-35.
Gartrell, B.C., Jones, H.J., Kan, A, Buhr-Lawler, M., Gubbles, S.P., Litovsky, R.L. (2014, October). Investigating Long-Term Effects of Cochlear Implantation in Single-Sided Deafness: A Best Practice Model for Longitudinal Assessment of Spatial Hearing Abilities and Tinnitus Handicap. Otology & Neurootology, 35(9):1525-32.
Smith, Z.M., Kan, A., Jones, H.J., Buhr-Lawler, M., Godar, S.P., Litovsky, R.Y. (2014, April). Hearing better with interaural time differences and bilateral cochlear implants. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 135(4):2190.