At Pacific Since: 2015

Gabriella Musacchia, PhD, is delighted to join the University of the Pacific as an Assistant Professor of Audiology. Born and raised in Northern California, she received her bachelor of arts in psychobiology from University of California, Santa Cruz and ventured to the Midwest for her graduate education in communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern University, Evanston IL. Dr. Musacchia's professional experience includes research in the W.M. Keck Foundation Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of California San Francisco and Brain-Computer Interface development at the N.A.S.A. Ames Research Center in Mountain View. In addition to her dissertation research at Northwestern on music- and multisensory-related brain plasticity, Dr. Musacchia completed two mentored post-doctoral fellowships, a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F32) at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (Orangeburg, NY) and mentored research in the Infancy Studies Laboratory at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers Newark.

Her teaching and research interests focus on the neuronal mechanisms of hearing speech and music, with an emphasis on how brain responses develop in infancy and early childhood. She is particularly interested in generating research that combines academic goals with clinic translation. Dr. Musacchia has ongoing collaborations with national and international colleagues, presents her work at scientific conferences, and maintains a steady publication record of her work in peer-reviewed journals. She is also the developer and president of Baby Rhythms®, a music program for infants and toddlers, which translates her scientific work to community center, public outreach, and classroom environments.

Teaching Philosophy: "My teaching philosophy is a combination of personalized learning and directed teaching towards student development of learning skills. Didactic classes are organized into learning modules separated by subject and learning goals. Each module is subdivided into topic-specific lectures with individual and creative group exercises. I strive to model Chickering and Gamson's 'Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education' (1987):"

1. Encourage student-faculty contact
2. Encourage cooperation among students 
3. Encourage active learning 
4. Give prompt feedback
5.  Emphasize time on task 
6. Communicate high expectations 
7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

Courses:
AUDI 301 - Anatomy and Physiology of Hearing
AUDI 309 - Diagnostic Electrophysiology I
AUDI 363 - Diagnostic Electrophysiology II
AUDI 329 - Audiology Practicum II – Research Internship
AUDI 341 - Psychoacoustics
AUDI 369 - Behavioral Health and Wellness

Research Summary: "My work focuses on the development of auditory processing skills and neuroplasticity with music and language experience."

Research Interests: 

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Evoked Potentials
• Developmental and Language Disorders
• Neuronal Plasticity