Dr. Gabriel Bargen selected as Executive Director for Meridian Health Science Center

After an extensive national search, the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences welcomes Dr. Gabriel Anne (Gabe) Bargen as the Executive Director of the Meridian Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Bargen has worked at ISU for 12 years as an associate professor in Audiology and as the director for the Rehabilitation & Communication Sciences PhD program. More recently, she provided transitional leadership as the interim executive director at ISU-Meridian. 

As the Meridian Executive Director, Dr. Bargen will oversee campus operations, engage the business community, create civic and governmental partnerships, and work with secondary and post-secondary education leaders for economic and social impact within public and private arenas. The position also provides leadership in Southwest Idaho advancing the University’s statewide health sciences mission through execution of strategic planning, and works with all KDHS units on academic program development and implementation on the Meridian campus.

"I am looking forward to providing Meridian campus leadership in collaboration with other ISU administration as well as faculty and staff members to support the needs of our facility, students, faculty, and staff. I am excited by the opportunities of continued academic and clinical growth on the Meridian campus and eager to work with community partners while making sure ISU's needs are at the forefront of all discussions and developments," said Dr. Bargen.

Her recent research efforts include supporting interprofessional collaboration to evaluate communication outcomes of Idaho children who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as collaboration with researchers in pharmacy assessing ototoxic hearing loss.

Other professional interests include: pediatric audiology including disorders, hearing assessment and treatment; assessing risks associated with hearing dysfunction in infants; clinical application of auditory brainstem response (ABR) for hearing loss screening in newborns, infants and toddlers.

Dr. Bargen has traveled with ISU students and faculty to Peru annually for several years with Idaho Condor, providing audiology care to remote villages there while also enriching the learning experience for ISU students.

She also serves on the Idaho Sound Beginnings advisory committee and is a past president for the Idaho Speech Language Hearing Association.

Outside of work, her personal interests include spending time with her family, canning pickles, and outdoor activities.

Dr. Bargen’s Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Audiology, 2010, University of Kansas
• Master of Arts (M.A.), Audiology, 2006, University of Kansas Medical Center
• Master of Science (M.S.Ed.), Education - Speech-Language Pathology, 2002, University of Nebraska at Kearney
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Communication Science and Disorders, 2000, Texas Christian University