In December 2024, faculty and students from the School of Communication Science and Disorders (SCSD) attended the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in Seattle, Washington. This conference is one of the largest professional development events for audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists, hosting over 15,000 attendees.
Dr. Michelle Kazmer, Dean of the College of Communication and Information, attended the conference and highlighted its importance: “I focused on attending sessions presented by our faculty, graduate students, and alumni. In doing so, I attended 36 sessions over the course of three days. The breadth and rigor of the research and clinical work conducted by our scholars is incredible. In addition, I was able to celebrate in person as one of our faculty, Associate Dean Kaitlin Lansford, was inducted as a Fellow of the Association.”
Professor Michelle C.S. Therrien also attended. “The ASHA conference is a great opportunity to share the work that we’ve been doing with Speech Language Pathologists (SLP), who are out in the ‘real world.’ It gives us a chance to connect with them and have conversations about the work we’re doing,” said Therrien. “I know many SLPs who came to one of my talks were excited to start implementing some of the things I presented, and also some of the ‘real life’ scenarios they shared with me will influence future research in my lab.”
Additionally, Dr. Tricia Montgomery described this year’s ASHA Conference as “a vibrant hub of innovation and collaboration. The opportunity to network and be part of the dynamic SLP and Audiology community was truly inspiring.”
Many students attended, including doctoral student Brianna Coltellino, who has presented at ASHA four times. “Each year, I’m inspired by the engaging conversations around my work that spark ideas for future directions,” said Coltellino. “I look forward to exploring ways to engage in and disseminate research that is actionable and impactful.”
Doctoral student Mary Allison Moody also attended the conference, where she presented two posters: one on a systematic review of sonority and speech sound disorders, and another on how school-based SLPs interpret the “educational performance” component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when qualifying students for services. “The ASHA convention provided me with a valuable opportunity to share my research, network, and collaborate with professionals who have similar interests,” said Moody.
Through participation in conventions like ASHA, SCSD faculty, students, and professionals engage in impactful research and foster valuable collaborations. The School remains dedicated to advancing the field through ongoing engagement and partnership.