Hi, we're MDHearing: a Midwestern company with over a decade of experience

Hi, we're MDHearing: a Midwestern company with over a decade of experience


Founded on the idea that everyone deserves to hear, we manufacture affordable, high-quality, FDA-registered medical devices that are designed, programmed, and tested by our in-house team of audiologists and hearing professionals.

Our goal is to bring the hearing clinic experience to you—for thousands less than a traditional clinic. From our online hearing test to our video consultations and licensed support professionals, we’re 100% dedicated to making your experience with us a good one.

DESIGNED BY DOCTORS

Our FDA-registered hearing aids are designed to assist 94% of people with hearing loss.

TRUSTED BY THOUSANDS

We’ve helped more than half a million Americans hear better over the last decade.

CLINIC-LEVEL SUPPORT

Our licensed hearing professionals are here to provide one-on-one remote support.

Our Story


At MDHearing, we believe that choosing the right hearing aid should be as easy and affordable as possible, which is why we revolutionized the entire process. 

MDHearing was founded in 2009 by a board-certified Chicago otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) who saw too many of his patients go without the hearing aids they needed because the cost was out of reach.

Traditional brick-and-mortar hearing clinics were the only option for Americans to get high-quality hearing aids—which was frustrating, complex, and shockingly expensive. There’s a markup from the manufacturers to the clinics, and then another markup from the clinic to the customer. Buying hearing aids this way also requires multiple visits just to get the devices in hand, and additional appointments for fittings and maintenance. The reality is, buying from a hearing clinic is simply not possible for customers on a budget. 

Knowing how crucial high-quality hearing is, our founder set out to manufacture an affordable hearing solution that could help the majority of hearing loss patients. By removing the middlemen and overhead costs of brick-and-mortar businesses, MDHearing is able to offer high-quality hearing aids with the same level of support offered by hearing clinics—at just a fraction of the cost.

Meet our hearing experts

Our team of credentialed audiologists and licensed hearing professionals have decades of experience in the hearing industry. Everything we do—from designing our products to providing the best care and customer support—benefits from the profound knowledge that our experts have to offer.



Sandra Porps, AuD
Head of Audiology
Cassidy White, AuD
Audiologist
Dondra Mbachu, AuD
Audiologist
Jennifer Stanton, AuD
Audiologist
Nicole Hacker, AuD
Audiologist
Susan Phillips, M.A., CCC-A
Audiologist
Katy McNeely
Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist
Taylor Smith
Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist
Jeremy Weigandt
Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist
Avona Barrett
Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist
Sarah Artis
Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist
Jackie Cooper
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Jerry Anderson
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Becky Klosowski
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Jeff Feltes
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Erin Kampert
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Phill Sturtevant
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Christa Chandler
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Breshea Harris
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Javi Hopper
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Nicole Robinson
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Michelle Regel
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Kevin May
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist
Rochell Brown
Licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist

Better hearing backed by science


What sets MDHearing apart from other affordable hearing aid companies is a commitment to the scientific and medical underpinnings of the industry, driven by our team of audiologists and cutting-edge research.


This commitment dates all the way back to MDHearing's founding, with the 2012 research article "An Electroacoustic Analysis and Satisfaction Study of an Inexpensive Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid" by Dr. Seilesh Babu, president of the Michigan Ear Institute. In this study, Dr. Babu demonstrated that MDHearing's PRO device could successfully meet the ANSI S3.22-1996 hearing aid specification standard for a test group of people with mild to moderately-severe hearing loss—despite a cost of less than $200.

Another research study by Dr. Babu, "A Comparison of a Smartphone App-Based Personal Profile versus a Traditional Hearing Test," showed that MDHearing's smart hearing aid could accurately assess users' levels of hearing loss just as well as a traditional air-conduction hearing test performed by an audiologist. On average, the difference between the traditional hearing test thresholds and the personal profile results was within 5 decibels for all subjects with hearing loss.

MDHearing's audiology team continues to work on advancing the science of hearing loss and hearing aids. Below are some of our professional's recent publications and presentations:

Dr. Sandra Porps, AuD, CCC-A

  • Porps, Sandra L., Bennett Danielle M., Gilden, Jan., Ravelo, Kimberly., Buck, Barbara., Reinhart, Paul., Hong Robert S., 'Effects of an evidence-based model for cochlear implant aftercare delivery on clinical efficiency and patient outcomes." Cochlear Implants International, March 2023, DOI: 10.1080/14670100.2023.2188007
  • Babu, Seilesh MD. “Practical Otology for the Otolaryngologist.” In: Zappia John, Porps Sandra. “Introduction to Audiology.” 2013
  • Wilkerson, Brent., Porps, Sandra., Babu, Seilesh. “The Impact of Multiple Co-morbidities on CI performance in the Elderly.” Podium presentation. “14th International Conference on Cochlear Implants and Other Implantable Technologies.” May 11-14, 2016.
  • Wilkerson, Brent Jerome; Porps, Sandra L., Babu, Seilesh C. “The Impact of Comorbidities in the Aging Population on Cochlear Implant Outcomes”. Otology & Neurotology: September 2017-Volume 38-Issue 8 – pe285-e288
  • Porps, Sandra L., Wilkerson, Brent J., Babu, Seilesh C., “Cochlear Implants and the Aged Population.”. Poster Presentation. 14th International Conference on Cochlear Implants and Other Implantable Technologies. May 11-14, 2016.
  • Porps, Sandra L., Sioshansi, Pedrom., Conway, Robert., Schutt, Christopher., Hong, Robert., Babu, Seilesh., “Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation as a Treatment for Translabrynthine Resection of Acoustic Neuromas,” Podium presentation. CI2021 Cochlear Implants in Children and Adults: "Cochlear Implantation: It takes a village." April 28-May 1, 2021 
  • Conway, Robert M., Tu, Nathan C., Sioshansi, Pedrom C., Porps, Sandra L., Schutt, Christopher A., Hong, Robert S., Jacob, Jeffrey T., Babu. Seilesh C., “Early Outcomes of Simultaneous Translabyrinthine Resection and Cochlear Implantation." Laryngoscope. 2021 Jul;131(7):E2312-E2317.
  • Karl W. Doerfer MD, Christian G. Fritz MD, Sandra L. Porps AuD, Robert S. Hong MD, PhD, Jeffrey T. Jacob MD, Seilesh C. Babu MD, Twelve-Month Outcomes of Simultaneous Translabyrinthine Resection and Cochlear Implantation. 30 January 2023.
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ohn.261
  • Porps, Sandra L., Babu, Seilesh C., Bennett, Danielle M., Klann, Brandy J., Patrick, Paulette L., Hong, Robert S., Schutt, Christopher A., Cochlear Implants as a Treatment for Single Sided Deafness. Poster presentation. CI2022 DC In-Person meeting: Emerging Issues in Cochlear Implants. May 18-21, 2022 Washington DC.
  • Porps, Sandra L., Danielle M., Klann, Brandy J., Gliden, Jan., Ravelo, Kimberly., Hong, Robert S., Implementing an Evidence Based CI Delivery Model in a Private Practice. Poster Presentation. CI2022 DC In-Person meeting: Emerging Issues in Cochlear Implants. May 18-21, 2022 Washington DC.
  • Porps, Sandra., Cochlear Implant Research at Michigan Ear Institute. Podium presentation. Michigan Ear Institute Spring Audiology Conference. June 3, 2023.
  • Porps, Sandra., Industry Satellite Symposium: Cochlear Americas "Patient Centered Approaches to Access and Care." American Cochlear Implant Alliance: CI 2023 Dallas Cochlear Implants in Children and Adults. June 7-10, 2023.

Dr. Nicole Hacker, AuD, PhD, CCC-A

  • Hacker, N. (2016, April; 2015, October). Audiology: What you need to know [Course Presentation]. Pacific University, CSD 200 Introduction to Communication Sciences & Disorders, Forest Grove, OR.
  • Hacker, N. (2015, March). Audiology and aging [Course Presentation]. Pacific University, DPT 680 Geriatrics and Gerontology, Hillsboro, OR.
  • Hacker, N. (2016, May). Adult cochlear implant candidacy evaluation: Hands-on [Conference session]. Oregon Academy of Audiology Spring Conference, Hillsboro, OR.
  • Hacker, N. (2016, May). Cochlear implant basics: What referring providers need to know [Conference session]. Oregon Academy of Audiology Spring Conference, Hillsboro, OR.
  • Hacker, N. (2015, May). Precepting 101: Tips and tricks for the trenches [Conference session]. Oregon Academy of Audiology Spring Conference, Hillsboro, OR.
  • Hacker, N. (2014, October). Beyond the audiogram [Conference session]. Pediatric Grand Rounds, Michigan Audiology Coalition on M.A.C. Conference, Lansing, MI.

Meet our leadership team

Doug Breaker
Chief Executive Officer
Sandra Porps, AuD
Head of Audiology
Steven Maguire
Chief Technology Officer
Jason McKinney
Chief Revenue Officer
Stephen Page
Vice President of Operations
Brian Jahn
Vice President of Finance and Accounting
Frank Van Der Vis
Chairman