By Will Bower

Faculty and students from the University of Iowa Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) attended the 2024 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) convention on Dec. 5-7, 2024, in Seattle, Washington where faculty and students presented 21 posters, presentation, and workshops – with several students contributing as presenters. 

Associate professor Beth Walker was recognized as a Fellow of the Association. Assistant professor Naomi Rodgers received a $35,000 Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration Grant, and associate professor Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale received a $25,000 New Century Scholars Research Grant. 

Walker said the ASHA fellowship is awarded to recognize outstanding contributions to the field of communication sciences and disorders. She was nominated in the areas of clinical education and academic teaching, research-based contributions, and service to ASHA. 

Three colleagues – Mary Pat Moeller, Camille Dunn, and Jessica Sullivan – nominated her for the award. 
“I am so grateful for the time that they took the time to write nomination letters on my behalf,” Walker said. 
She said receiving the fellowship was an honor. 

“It brings me a deep sense of pride to be recognized by ASHA because I love what I do as a researcher and professor,” Walker said.  

Assistant professor Naomi Rodgers received a Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration Grant, which is designed to support a collaborative research project between a researcher and a practicing clinician.  
Rodgers said the process started in 2023, when she and Vivian Sisskin, clinical professor emerita at the University of Maryland and owner/director of Sisskin Stuttering Center, began brainstorming a new clinical measure to address stutter-affirming outcomes in stuttering therapy and research. They received additional support from Derek Rodgers, assistant professor of special education at the University of Iowa. 

“This process involved numerous Zoom meetings to flesh out the methods and our desired outcomes while we started writing the grant,” Rodgers said. “Derek helped us write the statistical analysis section of our grant proposal, while Vivian and I worked on all the other sections.” 

Rodgers said the grant will be used to develop a new measure for stuttering therapy and research, which is aimed at helping those who stutter feel more comfortable stuttering openly. 
Receiving the grant is personally meaningful, Rodgers said. 

“As a person who stutters myself, I have experienced both ineffective and effective speech therapy,” Rodgers said. “Like most children who stutter, the speech therapy I received when I was in elementary school was focused on teaching me ways to smooth out my speech and reduce how much I overtly stuttered. Learning to stutter openly and freely leads to greater comfort, confidence, and social connection.” 

Rodgers was also recognized with an Early Career Contributions in Research Award, which highlights significant scientific achievements early in a researcher’s career.  

Associate professor Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale received a New Century Scholars Research Grant, which is designed for research that is innovative or has the potential to be impactful.  

The grant will fund a study titled "Exploring Psychophysical Scaling for Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Dysarthria”, which Kuruvilla-Dugdale will work on alongside CSD associate professor Inyong Choi and University of South Florida associate professor Supraja Anand. 

Kuruvilla-Dugdale said the study is aimed at developing optimal scaling procedures for a subset of features relevant to several types of dysarthria. 

“Given the overreliance on rating scales for research and clinical decision-making in the CSD discipline, there is a critical need to optimize auditory-perceptual assessment practices for progressive speech loss,” Kuruvilla-Dugdale said. “This award allows us to engage in an innovative endeavor that can result in a paradigm shift by helping overcome the inherent limitations of conventional scaling. 

In addition to the presentations, awards, and learning, CSD also hosted an open house during the conference where ASHA members came and celebrated with the department.