Dr. Laura Pratesi Receives the 2026 Leo Doerfler Award

We're proud to share that Dr. Laura Bradley Pratesi, founder and owner of Citrus Hearing Clinic in Clermont, has received the 2026 Leo Doerfler Award from the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA). The award is the Academy's most prestigious professional recognition, and it was presented on October 2, 2026, during the general assembly at AuDacity, ADA's annual conference. For our team and the patients we serve, it's a moment worth celebrating together.

About the Leo Doerfler Award

The ADA presents the Leo Doerfler Award to recognize an audiologist who has demonstrated outstanding clinical services in the community throughout their career. Eligibility is open to ADA members who are private practitioners, so the award honors the kind of hands-on, patient-centered care that independent practices provide.

The award was created in 2003 to honor ADA's founding president, Dr. Leo Doerfler, who is remembered as one of audiology's true pioneers. In 1948, he became the second person in history to earn a Ph.D. in audiology, and he went on to found the audiology program at the University of Pittsburgh. At 57, he left academia to open a private dispensing audiology practice, a decision that helped shape the future of the profession. He was also an early leader in the movement to make the Doctor of Audiology the profession's standard doctorate.

Nominated by Her Peers

Dr. Pratesi was nominated by respected audiologists who put her name forward without telling her. Her colleagues decided her career deserved this recognition and took it upon themselves to make it happen, which is a large part of what makes the honor so meaningful to her and to our team.

In its award letter, the ADA pointed to Dr. Pratesi's dedication to patient care and to the private-practice model, and shared that the committee met her selection with genuine enthusiasm. The letter closed with a line that captures her work well: "You make your patients, profession, and community better."

A Practice Built for Complex Care

The ADA also highlighted the comprehensive, multi-provider practice Dr. Pratesi has built at Citrus Hearing Clinic, including resources for complex cases that bring patients and referrals from far beyond Clermont.

The numbers reflect that reach. Patients have traveled to our clinic from 40 states and 16 countries across six continents. More than 1,100 Floridians drive over an hour each way for their appointments, and more than 700 providers refer their most complex cases to our team. Patients come to us for a wide range of care, including:

• Pediatric hearing care for children and their families
• Cochlear implant evaluations
• Advanced tinnitus treatment, including Lenire and our Modern Tinnitus program
• Comprehensive hearing evaluations and hearing aid care

Service Beyond the Clinic

Throughout her career, Dr. Pratesi has invested in the next generation of audiologists and in her community. She has mentored students from universities across the country, taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Florida, and served as president of the Audiology Practice Standards Organization (APSO). She also volunteers as a Clinical Director for Special Olympics hearing screenings in Florida.

The ADA letter recognized her advocacy and empathy as well, noting that they help people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities access the hearing and balance care they need, delivered with compassion and grounded in evidence-based practice.

A Personal Connection to Hearing Care

Dr. Pratesi was born with a progressive hearing loss and wears hearing aids in both ears. Her own hearing journey has shaped everything she does as an audiologist. In her acceptance remarks, she described hearing care as a matter of access, dignity, communication, advocacy, and identity, and of helping people participate fully in their lives.

She also made clear that she sees this award as shared. She thanked her parents, who advocated for her as a child with hearing loss, along with her husband and children, our Citrus Hearing Clinic team, the mentors who taught and championed her, and the women who held doors open for her and taught her to do the same for others.

Schedule Your Visit at Citrus Hearing Clinic in Clermont

This recognition reflects the care our team works to provide every day, from a child's first hearing evaluation to complex tinnitus and cochlear implant cases. Every patient receives the same compassionate, evidence-based approach the ADA recognized. Whether you're local to Clermont or traveling from out of state, we'd be glad to welcome you. Call us at 352-989-5123 to schedule an appointment at our office at 835 7th Street, Suite 2, in Clermont.