Meet Fortell Boston Audiologist, Dr. Corinne Zazzaro, Au.D.

Dr. Corinne Zazzaro, Au.D., grew up on what she calls "the Massachusetts half" of Connecticut, and never let go of her dream to live in Boston as an adult. After a stint at UConn and Vanderbilt, she's found her way back to her roots. Now, she's joining Fortell as a clinical audiologist at Fortell Audiology Boston. 

We caught up with Dr. Zazzaro to talk about what pulled her into this field, how she found her way back to the city she always wanted to call home, and why Fortell felt like the right next step in her career.

Q: What brought you into the field of audiology? 

Dr. Zazzaro: My grandfather lost his hearing later in life. He’d always been an incredibly social person out seeing friends and family almost every day of the week. Then one day he woke up completely deaf and a cochlear implant wouldn’t take. Watching someone who was so engaged with life become isolated so quickly, and then seeing the cognitive effects follow not long after, was a big part of why I was interested in audiology. 

I also generally love working with older adults, even as a child I had an affinity toward older people. Audiology was a path that allowed me to work with an older population which was a solid fit. 

“Watching someone who was so engaged with life become isolated so quickly, and then seeing the cognitive effects follow not long after, was a big part of why I was interested in audiology.”

Q: Was Boston always part of the plan too, or did that come later?

Dr. Zazzaro: Always. I'm from Connecticut, and it’s kind of a running joke that there’s a side of Connecticut that considers itself part of Boston and another side that considers itself part of New York City. I grew up on the Boston side and I grew up a die-hard Red Sox fan. Moving to Boston was the dream before I knew what I wanted to do for a living.

I went to UConn for undergrad and Vanderbilt for grad school, but I always planned to come back to the Northeast, and most of my friends had settled between Boston and New York by the time I finished. It just made sense to land here.

Q: What were you doing prior to Fortell? 

Dr. Zazzaro: After school, I started at Mass Eye and Ear, doing a bit of everything, including pediatrics, adult care, cochlear implants, balance work, and quickly realized I gravitated toward the adult hearing aid side of things. No surprise to anyone who knows me. From there I moved to a private practice just outside Boston that focused entirely on adult hearing care, which is where I really sharpened that focus.

Q: When did Fortell first cross your radar?

Dr. Zazzaro: A friend of mine whom I studied with at Vanderbilt works as an audiologist at Fortell’s New York clinic (Dr. Claire Murphy, Au.D.) She wouldn’t stop telling me about how incredible Fortell’s hearing aids were to the point that I even referred a patient of my own to Fortell. My patient had tried several hearing aids and wasn’t happy with any of them, so I encouraged them to go check out Fortell which, at that time, only had a clinic in New York City. 

Q: What convinced you to join the team? 

Dr. Zazzaro: Claire’s endorsement was huge, but what really sold me were the conversations I had with the team once I started interviewing. It’s clear that patient experience is the highest priority and that was important to me. 

“I love that I can actually sit with a patient and talk with them without feeling rushed to get to the next appointment.”

Across the industry, I’m starting to see patient experience shifting as insurance and corporate pressure make it harder for audiologists to take time with patients and just do the job well. Fortell is all about delivering a premium product but even more importantly, not compromising on giving patients the time they need. I love that I can actually sit with a patient and talk with them without feeling rushed to get to the next appointment. 

Q: What are you most looking forward to as the Boston clinic opens?

Dr. Zazzaro: I’ve only heard secondhand accounts of how happy Fortell's patients are, so I'm looking forward to finally hearing that feedback myself, straight from the people sitting across from me. I'm also excited about how quickly things move here, and how open the lines are between the clinical side and the product team. It feels like the company genuinely wants that feedback loop, and I'm glad to be part of it. 

Dr. Corinne Zazzaro, Au.D., is now taking appointments at our Boston clinic. Click here to schedule an appointment in Boston.

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