The School of Communication Science and Disorders welcomes its newest faculty member, Dr. Erin Bush. New to the Tallahassee area, Bush is excited to explore what the city and Florida State have to offer. Originally from Casper, Wyoming, Bush and her family wanted something different from their usual scenery.

“My husband, my daughter, and I were ready for a change,” Bush said. “Though we will miss the mountains, we are looking forward to warm weather, low altitude living (Laramie is 7220 ft!), and being near the ocean!”

Bush’s academic journey started in her home state of Wyoming where she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Wyoming in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. After finishing her undergrad, Bush moved to Nebraska to complete her master’s degree and then went on to work at hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in rural Nebraska. Moving to a more urban part of the state, Bush packed up her belongings and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Lincoln.

“During my doctoral program, I focused on the challenges and experiences of people with cognitive-communication disorders,” Bush said. “Specifically, I focused on understanding the communication challenges for those living with traumatic brain injury.”

Following her Ph.D., Bush stayed in Nebraska working as an Assistant Professor at The University of Nebraska Kearney for 4 years. Wanting to be close to her family again, Bush accepted a job at the University of Wyoming, where she spent the last 7 years as faculty earning tenure. In her newest academic journey at FSU, Bush hopes to make an impact on all of her SCSD students.

“I hope to bring my experience of working as a speech-language pathologist and in medical settings to the master’s students and ignite their passion for working with adult populations and those with cognitive-communication disorders,” Bush said. “For doctoral students, I hope to share my passion for qualitative research and alternative ways of knowing.”

In addition to teaching students, Bush is excited to get involved with the new research opportunities FSU has. Her primary research interests are for people with communication disorders, specifically in the area of traumatic brain injury.

“I have specialized in the area of traumatic brain injury and hope to continue this work, but I also work as a qualitative methodologist in related areas and disciplines,” Bush said. “I am passionate about qualitative research and unconventional, inclusive ways of knowing such as participatory research.”

During her adjustment from Wyoming to Florida, Bush started exploring some of Tallahassee’s spots, including the popular coffee shop, Lucky Goat. The coffee shop serves as a convenient meeting place for Bush and her students, as SCSD’s Warren building is off-campus.

“I didn’t want the location to be the only reason they didn’t come meet with me,” “I decided then to hold it somewhere where students might actually want to go. They voted on which coffee place to have it at in the first week of class. Lucky Goat was the winner!”

So far, Lucky Goat has been a success as a meeting place. Every week, except for one, at least one or more students have come to office hours. After multiple visits to Lucky Goat, Bush told CCI that her favorite drink from the coffee shop is the brown sugar and caramel iced latte. While Bush has already discovered one of the most popular coffee spots, she’s still looking to discover more of Tallahassee.

“My family and I are new to Tallahassee and to Florida,” Bush said.“We’re always looking for recommendations on fun ways to explore our new home!”

Welcome, Dr. Bush! We are so excited to have you here at CCI.