Ariel Fruendt

Ariel Fruendt, AuD, brings a unique blend of elite academic training, clinical expertise, and academic leadership to Pacific Hearing Service. A lifelong competitor, teammate, and former top 50 national recruit, Dr. Fruendt attended Northwestern University where she balanced a demanding Division I volleyball career with a rigorous undergraduate courseload. She remained at Northwestern to complete her Doctor of Audiology (AuD) degree, followed by a prestigious clinical externship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center.

After starting her career in private practice, Dr. Fruendt returned to the Chicago area, where she joined the clinical faculty at Northwestern University’s on-campus clinic. As a clinical preceptor, she mentored the next generation of AuD students, specializing in adult diagnostics and treatment, tinnitus management, and hearing conservation. Driven by a passion for professional standards, she also taught courses in audiology ethics and oversaw the university's amplification lecture series.

Dr. Fruendt joined Pacific Hearing Service in 2019. She loves the team’s dynamic, supportive environment and the unwavering commitment to evidence-based practice and patient-centered care. For Dr. Fruendt, this work is deeply personal; she is incredibly proud to continue her mother’s legacy as co-owner of the practice, carrying forward a family tradition of specialized care established by her grandfather (a local ear, nose, and throat physician) and her great-grandfather (an eye, ear, nose, and throat physician).

Outside of the clinic, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three young children.