With the help of one dedicated individual, children may no longer suffer the consequences of not having a hearing aid because their insurance will not cover it.
For her senior honors thesis, Lindsey Boyer, a senior in speech and hearing, has spent the past two years researching all the states’ Medicaid policies on providing hearing aids for children. As a result, she said she hopes that some states will re-examine their policies.
After interning in Washington D.C., her interest in state policy led her to explore the world of policy making. She focused her efforts on hearing aids and so far has results from 36 states.
“While I was interning, I noticed some differences in child health care programs,” Boyer said. “I was curious to know if some states were providing better coverage than others. I decided this is what I wanted to do for my senior thesis and have found the differences are amazing.”
Boyer, from Beavercreek, Ohio, was given the opportunity to serve as a John Glenn Fellow in Washington D.C. through the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy. The Washington Academic Internship Program selects outstanding students to study in the nation’s capital where they work in fields that reflect their particular areas of academic interest.
Boyer worked with Families USA, a national healthcare advocacy. When she first heard of the internship program it immediately caught her attention.
“I was always interested in the policy aspect so I applied, not really thinking that I would be selected,” Boyer said.
Aside from her research, Boyer is involved in numerous activities on campus. She is a member of Mortar Board, Honors Ambassadors, served on the 2001 Homecoming court and worked as a volunteer coordinator for University Maximus Scholar competition.
Charla Boyer, Lindsey’s mother, said between her personality and her excitement, she is not surprised her daughter has done so well.
“Lindsey was always very focused,” said Charla Boyer. “When she set her mind to do something, she succeeded. She has been so positive her whole life. She takes on an exuberance for what she does.”
Boyer also works at Mount Carmel Hospital as a nurse’s assistant. Boyer said she works in the hospital because although she loves policy she loves patient care even more.
“It’s hard not to get close to the patients,” Boyer said. “My job is to work with them on the most intimate level to the point where they tell me things they’re afraid to tell the doctor. It’s very rewarding.”
Boyer’s mom said people have always been drawn to her daughter and that is why people find it so easy to open up to her.
“Other people come first for Lindsey,” Charla Boyer said. “She truly has a big heart, and that’s what attracts people to her.”
Boyer said she could not have done her research without the help and support of the speech and hearing program, especially Dr. Gail Whitelaw, director of clinical instruction and research for speech and hearing, her mentor and role model.
“Dr. Whitelaw has been a great support for me,” Boyer said. “She is always on the go with work, family and a daughter, yet she is always in a good mood. She knows everyone and everything and is willing to try anything. She is just amazing.”
Whitelaw shares the same respect and appreciation in working with Boyer.
“Lindsey is so special and bright,” Whitelaw said. “She has good direction and has demonstrated a good view of the big picture by changing public policy. She will be one of those people who will go far in her career.”
Even for this enthusiastic student, she faced challenges throughout her research.
“It’s hard because I’m a people-person and my research involves a lot of paperwork,” Boyer said. “Often times I receive such negativity from states (that) don’t want to share their information. That gets to be difficult.”
So what motivates this self-starter? People.
“When I first started my research, my motivation was just to do well, but as I got into my major it became more about helping people,” Boyer said. “Not only am I able to make a difference in their life, they were able to make a difference in mine.”
“She is definitely making a difference in the families that use Medicaid,” Whitelaw said.
Boyer wants to pursue a career in geriatrics neurogenetics and help patients who are suffering from strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other related diseases.
Boyer’s mother thinks this is partly because of the active role her grandparents had in her life.
“Even as a child, Lindsey wanted to be a geriatrics doctor,” Charla Boyer said. “She was lucky to have both grandparents as well as great-grandparents that she was close to in her life. She was a compassionate child and embraced others.”
After graduation this quarter, Boyer will return to Ohio State in the fall to start graduate school.
Because of the fact that all of Boyer’s family are graduates of OSU, Charla Boyer said her daughter was destined to come to OSU.
“My OSU experience has been wonderful,” Boyer said. “The department has been really great. It’s hard to imagine getting that same experience somewhere else.”
As far as her research is concerned, Boyer will be presenting it this week at the Denman Undergraduate Forum and will be publishing her work this summer.
“I hope to keep being an advocate and to keep my research updated as policies change,” Boyer said.
