Jennifer Sowards, Au.D. | Founder & Audiologist

Diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of six, Dr. Sowards has made it her life's work to support and guide her patients through their hearing health journey. For more than 20 years she's paired compassion with technology to empower patients to reconnect with their world. Several decades of using hearing devices has allowed her to personally experience the technological advancements that can help improve patients' lives. Dr. Sowards is excited to be able to share her personal experience combined with her clinical knowledge with patients to provide them with complete hearing health care.

She is originally from eastern Kentucky and completed her Bachelors’ degree magna cum laude at the University of Kentucky and her Doctorate of Audiology summa cum laude at the University of Louisville. Dr. Sowards is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Audiology and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology.  She also holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A) from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association.

Dr. Sowards completed her residency at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research and the Portland VA Health Care System in Portland, OR. After that, she worked as the Director of Audiology with renowned otologist, John Epley, M.D., diagnosing and treating patients with complex vestibular/balance disorders as well as hearing loss. Prior to moving to Massachusetts, Dr. Sowards worked at the Portland VA Medical Center as a clinical audiologist.

Dr. Sowards and her partner decided to return to the eastern side of the country so their children could grow up closer to family. She worked for over a year at the Clarke Hearing Clinic in Northampton. She decided to open her own practice and focus on serving the hearing healthcare needs of adults. She enjoys spending time with her family, biking on the rail trail, hiking and birdwatching.

Anna Niemi, Au.D. | Audiologist

Having worked nearly twenty years managing finances for various small businesses in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, Dr. Niemi decided to pursue a new profession where her work would have a more direct impact on the lives of those in the community that she serves.

A native of Massachusetts, she received her Doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst in May 2020. Dr. Niemi completed her fourth-year externship with us at Florence Hearing Health Care. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and the Massachusetts Academy of Audiology. She also holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A) from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association from which she earned the prestigious Award for Continuing Education (ACE) in September 2023. In 2022 Dr. Niemi completed the rigorous CH-TM Certificate Training Program from the American Board of Audiology which was developed to provide audiologists with evidence based foundational knowledge related to the management of patients with tinnitus.

Along with her husband and two boys, Dr. Niemi enjoys traveling, hiking and spending time with their chocolate Labrador retriever, Jack.

Cassandra Falvey, Au.D. | Audiologist 

 Dr. Falvey has always been drawn to the field of communication sciences and disorders. From the age of nine, her career goal was to become a Speech Language Pathologist. She knew early on that she wanted to help adult patients, and work in a clinical or hospital setting. A story similar to many in the field, Dr. Falvey discovered her passion for Audiology when she took her "Intro to Audiology" class in college. At the end of the final class, Dr. Favley knew she had found the career she was meant for. The diagnostic, rehabilitative, and technological aspects of the field called to her, and she knew this was what she wanted to do professionally. She discovered through her graduate studies her passion for providing hearing healthcare, and found a love in helping her patients find the best ways to communicate better.

Dr. Falvey earned her Bachelors' of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders magna cum laude from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY in May 2015. Dr. Falvey then returned home to Western Massachusetts, and earned her Doctorate in Audiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May 2019. She completed her fourth year externship at Baystate Wing Hospital and Medical Centers, where she continued to work and serve patients until joining the team here at Florence Hearing Health Care in March 2022. Dr. Falvey holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A) from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association.

Christine Kelley, Au.D. | Audiologist

Christine knew she wanted to be an audiologist after volunteering at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech during her time at University of Massachusetts as an undergraduate student in the Communications Disorders department.  She saw first hand how hearing loss and hearing aids directly impact peoples' lives and was inspired to help others hear their world and communicate with friends and family. Christine also knows what it is like to live with someone with hearing loss as her husband has worn hearing aids since childhood. The experience of sharing a life with someone with hearing loss gives her a unique perspective of understanding the everyday struggles that can occur when someone has a hearing loss and how it affects their family around them as well.

Dr. Kelley earned her Doctoral degree in Audiology from Washington University in St. Louis.  As a student, she was one of a handful of students picked to be a presenter at the student research forum in 2009 at the American Academy of Audiology annual convention. Christine completed her fourth year at New York Eye and Ear in New York City. Christine is originally from Long Island and has lived in Western Mass since 2010.  Dr. Kelley holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A) from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. Christine loves cats, spicy foods and exploring western Massachusetts with her husband and two children.