School of Health Professions

Faculty and students present, compete at Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention

Speech-language students at Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention

Students and faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders participated in the 67th Annual Convention and Exhibition of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA), held in Austin in late February.

As vice president of education and scientific affairs on TSHA’s executive board, Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor Angela Kennedy, SLP-D, CCC-SLP, served as the convention’s coordinator. Assistant Professor Casey Taliancich-Klinger, PhD, CCC-SLP, served as the volunteer and scholarship chair.

Professor and Program Director of the PhD in Health Sciences program, Giselle Carnaby, PhD, MPH, CCC-SLP, and Assistant Professor Rocío Norman, PhD, CCC-SLP, were invited speakers at the convention. Carnaby presented “How to maximize the exercise interventions you apply in dysphagia rehabilitation” and “Leveling up in dysphagia: More than you ever wanted to know about therapy.” Norman presented the two-part “Updates in Epidemiological, Qualitative, Neuropsychological and Neurobiological Evidence and Clinical Implications for Providers.”

Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology students Lillian Endy, Melanie Smith and Stephanie Broussard presented “Leveling High-Stakes Conversations for Allied Health Professionals,” based on a project overseen by Kennedy and Assistant Professor Cathy Torrington Eaton, PhD, CCC-SLP. Eaton and Associate Professor Fang-Ling Lu, PhD, CCC-SLP, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders chair, hosted a program recruitment event at the convention.

The program’s team of students won second place in a multi-round Praxis Bowl competition among Texas universities. Teams answered timed practice questions for the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology, the standardized exam required for certification.

“TSHA is the largest state association of SLPs in the U.S., and it’s a unique opportunity for collaboration and networking while also showcasing the full scope of our practice,” Kennedy said. “For students it’s important because of the educational offerings but also to create this sense of community within the field of speech-language pathology to start those beginning steps of building their professional networks.”

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