Spotlight Interview

Dr. Shivashankar is a well-known Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist not only in India but also globally. Dr. Shivashankar has extensive experience in academia as well as clinical services that spans more than 40 years. He has worked in prestigious institutions in India such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). He recently retired as a Professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), India. During his tenure at the NIMHANS, Dr. Shivashankar served as the Head of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology on multiple occasions and prior to his retirement he also held the position of the Associate Dean of Faculty of Neurosciences.

He (along with other colleagues) were instrumental in expanding the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology from a small one-room set up to a department that currently includes 30 office suites, multiple research labs and state-of-the art clinic facilities. Dr. Shivashankar is well-known for his contributions to the field of neuroaudiology, specifically in the area of central auditory processing disorders. His other professional contributions include serving on many positions on the Indian Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Shivashankar has published several papers in high-impact journals pertaining to speech, language, and hearing. If there is one thing Dr. Shivashankar enjoys the most– it is to interact with students. He mentions that he is grateful for the opportunity to direct and co-direct the theses of several doctoral and masters’ students. He currently serves as the senior consultant at the Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru and as a visiting faculty at the NITTE Institute of Speech and Hearing Institute, Mangalore.