South Bay Hearing

Melinda “Sunni” McBride, Doctor of Audiology, founded South Bay Hearing & Balance Center in 2007. Dr. McBride and her team of specialists have created a dynamic, award winning audiology/hearing aid practice, located in Torrance, that utilizes the newest in high tech equipment and stresses personalized customer service. She and her team have been voted South Bay’s Best Audiologists every year since 2008. The team became a member of the Audigy Group National Network in 2011. As the only Audigy Certified practice in the community, they are committed to providing the highest level of hearing care.

In 2013, Sunni acquired Mission Audiology in Mission Viejo. In 2014, she formed the Sound Wave Hearing Centers Group, a brand which will represent excellence in hearing care now and in the future.

Sunni McBride received her Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Florida in 2000. She was one of the first Doctor of Audiology recipients in California. Because of her continued success building one of the premiere hearing aid practices in Southern California, she was invited to be the first provider in the South Bay of the Lyric, totally invisible, extended wear hearing aid. As one of the top Lyric providers in the US, Sunni has become a consultant for the Lyric hearing device and has lectured and coached in several countries around the world.

Sunni feels that it is important to raise audiology awareness in the community. She has been a co-sponsor of the Senior Aging Expo. She went on a hearing mission to Guadalajara, Mexico where she was part of a team that fit 2000 hearing aids on needy people. She has appeared as a guest lecturer on CNN and local cable television, taught classes in the Audiology program at California State Los Angeles University and given presentations about hearing to local and professional organizations.

Sunni loves being a grandmother to a growing number of grandchildren. She enjoys hiking and skiing.

Dr. Ian Gerszewski joined South Bay Hearing & Balance Center in 2016. He quickly became known for his superior level of patient care and concern for the well-being of his patients. He uses a customized process to tailor solutions specific to each patient based on their lifestyle, needs, and goals. He believes that a customized approach leads to greater long-term success for his patients.

After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, Dr. Ian continued his studies at the University of Utah where he graduated at the top of his class with his Doctor of Audiology degree (Au.D.). During his studies he worked in a variety of audiology and hospital settings providing him with a wide range of experience. He completed his residency at the Ear, Nose and Throat Center of Utah where he worked alongside a team of neurotologists and ENT specialists. 

Dr. Ian earned his board certification by the American Board of Audiology in 2016. In the past he served on the board of directors for Loop Utah, which provided and advocated for assistive listening technology in the community. As a student he served on the board for the Student Academy of Audiology. Additionally, he was one of only 4 students from the United States who was invited to participate in the annual International Audiology Student Conference hosted by Oticon at the Eriksholm Research Center in Denmark.

In his free time, Dr. Ian enjoys spending time travelling and exploring the outdoors with his wife and 3 boys. Some of their favorite activities include hiking, dirt biking, camping, rock climbing, swimming, and snorkeling.

Dr. Matt Young is pleased to be part of the team at South Bay Hearing, returning to his native roots in the South Bay. Matt was introduced to the challenges of hearing loss early in his life, as he was diagnosed with moderately-severe hearing loss at the young age of 3-1/2. The hearing loss was unexpected. Matt quickly began to absorb language after his first hearing aid fitting and has benefited from the technology since then. More than 25 years later, Matt’s hearing loss has become his life’s work. His personal experience with his own hearing loss has provided insight that makes him uniquely qualified to assist others in their hearing journey.

Matt attended the local schools of Mira Catalina Elementary, Miraleste Intermediate, and Palos Verdes High School. Choosing to continue his seaside education, Matt attended UC Santa Barbara, creating his own interdisciplinary major combining course work from Audiology, Biology, and Neuropsychology. He also volunteered at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro for 6 years, providing tours to school age children.

In 2011, Matt moved to Nashville to attend the #1 ranked Audiology Doctorate program in the country at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. While embracing the southern culture of Nashville as a student, Matt worked for the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center Audiology Clinic. He devoted his thesis work to studying patient input in conjunction with clinic efficiency. Matt’s love of Nashville and Vanderbilt led him to accept an externship and, later, a full-time clinical position as a Doctor of Audiology specializing in pediatric hearing aids, adult diagnostic, and vestibular diagnostics. Working with children was particularly personal work as Matt often saw himself in his patients and his parents in the families looking for solutions. He is passionate about using his experience to assist others in improving their quality of life through better hearing healthcare.

Dr. Christopher Johnson returned to South Bay Hearing in 2018, after obtaining his degree in audiology from the joint doctoral program of San Diego State University and UC San Diego. He is excited to be returning to his home town of Torrance; he attended Riviera Elementary, Richardson Middle, and South Torrance High Schools, and he attended the University of Southern California for his undergraduate studies in Spanish. He also trained musically in voice and guitar at El Camino College. He even had his hearing tested as a young child by Dr. McBride, the founder of South Bay Hearing.

Dr. Johnson performed volunteer work in Ecuador after high school and learned Spanish fluently. This experience gave him a passion for humanitarian work and for traveling abroad to experience other cultures. It also led him to a teaching position in West Los Angeles. After teaching middle school for several years, he worked at South Bay Hearing as a lab technician, audiology assistant, and hearing aid dispenser from 2012 to 2014. The compassion and excellent service provided to patients at South Bay Hearing inspired him to obtain a doctoral degree in audiology.

While in San Diego, Dr. Johnson volunteered with the California Academy of Audiology, the Lion’s Club, and several local schools to provide hearing loss awareness, speech and language services, and hearing aid services to the community. In recognition of his public service endeavors he received the Kala Singh Memorial Scholarship and the Dorothy Lee Elliot Endowment Scholarship. He provided hearing health screenings to athletes from all over the world at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games at USC and continues to seek out opportunities for volunteer service whenever he can.