Rachel Scheperle

Rachel Scheperle is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa, where she oversees the Cochlear Implant Electrophysiology Laboratory at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. As a dual-certified audiologist (Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A), she bridges clinical practice and translational hearing science research with a focus on improving cochlear implant outcomes.

Her research centers on auditory electrophysiology and cochlear implant technology, specifically investigating how physical and physiological measures reveal auditory system status to inform clinical decisions. The lab employs a bottom-up approach to characterize peripheral structure/function and evaluate correlations with central processing and perception, building on foundational work by Paul Abbas and Carolyn Brown in electrically evoked potentials.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2017-2025) reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) Surgical innovation with robotic-assisted electrode insertion and dexamethasone-eluting arrays to preserve hearing; (2) Electrophysiological monitoring techniques including intracochlear electrocochleography and neural response telemetry for real-time guidance; and (3) Public health applications in early hearing detection programs focusing on maternal predictors of follow-up adherence. Her work consistently bridges engineering, clinical audiology, and population health.

Dr. Scheperle leads the Cochlear Implant Electrophysiology Laboratory as part of the University of Iowa's nationally recognized hearing preservation initiative. The lab maintains a collaborative clinician-scientist model focused on developing clinical tools for auditory assessment in implant recipients, with ongoing projects targeting reduced surgical trauma, minimized immune response, and optimization of combined acoustic-electric hearing strategies.