The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology 2021 Newsletter “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” - Gever Tulley Well, 2020, you sure gave us that chance. Just a little over a year ago, who could have imagined that educators, clinicians, and scientists in higher education would be forced to pivot so drastically? Luckily, those in ASP have faced and overcome many tremendous challenges in the last six decades. Therefore, it is with absolutely no surprise and a great deal of pride that I share with you just how resilient and persistent the ASP faculty, staff, and students have been during a time when productivity and efficiency worldwide ground to a halt. In the pages of this newsletter, you will see incredible examples of flexibility, creativity, and dedication as ASP faculty members doubled down in their efforts to successfully deliver (1) high-quality education to our students, (2) knowledge to the disciplines, and (3) state-of-the-art services to our patients. Within days of closure, our SLP clinics began offering tele-health to our patients, culminating in hundreds of hours of services. Our audiology clinic led the way for our university and community by reopening in-person on June 1, with COVID protocols in place. Both disciplines provided over 1,600 hours of clinical simulations to our students. Faculty incorporated innovative remote and hybrid learning experiences in the classroom and research laboratories, completely revamping courses, teaching materials, and experiments to make them accessible. All the while, our students continued to learn and grow. Remarkably, all 175 of this year’s ASP graduates will have the competencies, clinic hours, research experience, and coursework required to earn their degrees on time!
Turner House, 1953
Hearing and Speech Center, 1953
Dr. Ashley Harkrider Professor and Chair
Pediatric Language Clinic, 1972
South Stadium Hall, 1972
How did we do this? By rolling up our sleeves and embracing change rather than fighting it. By opening our minds to new possibilities, while staying true to the foundations built by our predecessors. And, by focusing on the silver linings, not the storm. We are stronger because of the challenges we faced. We are ahead of our time in spite of them. Undaunted, the faculty, staff, and students in ASP always have their eyes up, committed to moving (figuratively and literally) into a different and brighter future. From our new home to yours, we hope our annual newsletter finds you safe and well, undaunted, with a brilliant future on your horizon, too. Please stay in touch! We would love to hear all about it.
Pediatric Language Clinic, 2020
UT Conference Center, 2021
- Ashley W. Harkrider, Professor and Chair, VFL Contact Us
Phone: (865) 974-5019 Email: asp@uthsc.edu Website: www.uthsc.edu/asp Social Media: @uthscaudspeech
Inside this edition p. 2—5 p. 6—7 p. 8 – 9 p. 10—11 P. 12 –15
ASP on the Move Shifting Approach, Tributes Scholarly Work Leaving Rocky Top 2020 Review, Picture Pages
ON THE MOVE RENOVATIONS TO UT CONFERENCE CENTER Many from Department Move to Updated Facility Downtown While pandemic closures slowed progress on construction projects worldwide, it provided an uninterrupted opportunity for our dream team of architects, builders, and designers to move at jet speed on Phase One renovations of the UT Conference Center (UTCC). ASP looks forward to welcoming everyone into our new space very soon! Planning for Phase Two of ASP’s move into UTCC is happening now, with renovations beginning Summer 2021. Here are some pictures highlighting the new space.
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11 1 Large classroom 2 Locust Street entrance 3 Group therapy room 4 Conference room 5 Electronics lab 6 Common area 7 Clinic reception area 8 Sydney Rae Sloan playroom 9 Research lab 10 PhD workroom 11 Administrative office 12 Graduate student breakroom 13 Small classroom 14 AuD and MS-SLP workroom 15 Audiometric booth
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ON THE MOVE PEDIATRIC LANGUAGE CLINIC
Many Reasons to be Excited about New Location
PLC SLP Team: (L to R) Sarah Larson, Katie Akers, Leanne Widmer, Thelma Uzonyi, Maggie Wheeler, Lydia Barry, Kelly Stojsavlevich.
New Little House Brings Big Offerings Since 1972, the Pediatric Language Clinic (PLC) has been located in a cozy, cottage-like house on Mountcastle Street on the west side of the UTK campus. After nearly 50 years of serving children in the community, October 2020 brought about a muchanticipated change for the program when it moved into a newly-renovated facility with many upgrades and more space. The 2023 Lake Avenue address has the same family-friendly feel to it, perched on a small hill in close proximity to the previous location. PLC’s Director, Dr. Thelma Uzonyi, noted, “Many people have worked diligently to make our move to the new location possible, and I cannot thank them enough.” PLC now offers a larger group therapy room, three private spaces for individual sessions, a large conference room for staff and family trainings, expanded offices for staff, and a kitchen/eating area for patients’ meal time socialization.
Families Together Night With uncertain times surrounding the pandemic and the loss of face-to-face connection with interventionists lingering into the fall months of 2020, PLC staff created a virtual connection experience for parents called “Families Together Night” (FTN). Scheduled at a time that is typically best for parents, the event began with a short presentation about transitioning to school-based services, a topic that often causes stress in parents of children with disabilities. After the presentation, parents were encouraged to connect casually, both with the other parents and with their interventionist. Dr. Uzonyi noted that the first FTN was a huge hit. “You could just see the parents become more comfortable over the course of the evening. Hopefully, it was because they just gained new information and greater clarity about an important topic. Plus, they were able to spend some casual time chatting, sharing, and laughing with others in attendance.” PLC plans to host another FTN in April 2021.
TRIAD Training PLC was invited to collaborate with the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), which is housed at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. TRIAD’s mission is to improve services for children with autism spectrum disorder, while advancing knowledge and training for parents and professionals. PLC’s staff participated in a 2-day training led by Dr. Jeffrey Hine at Vanderbilt, who is the TRIAD Director of Primary Care Outreach/Training. Beginning in spring 2021, PLC will collaborate with TRIAD to participate in initial psychological evaluations, thus reducing the wait for an autism diagnosis. In the East Tennessee region, like many areas of the United States, families may wait 6 months to a year to receive a final diagnosis. 4
PIN US ON YOUR MAP! Tips for Accessing Us in Our New Locations
UT Conference Center Phase One includes research labs and offices, administrative offices, audiology clinic, some speech-language services
600 Henley Street Parking: Use drive around drop-off on Locust Street or reserved patient and visitor parking at Locust Street Garage.
Hearing and Speech Center
Pediatric Language Clinic
1600 Peyton Manning Pass
2023 Lake Avenue
Parking: Enter lot S30 at top of Peyton Manning Pass (close to Torchbearer statue).
Parking: Drive behind FedEx on Cumberland, then enter lot N13.
Interested in paying tribute to a favorite professor, alumnus, classmate, or business? We have room-naming opportunities in our beautiful new space in the UTCC! For more information, please contact Dr. Ashley Harkrider (aharkrid@uthsc.edu) or Matt Jagnow (mjagnow1@uthsc.edu). As an example, we proudly present the Sydney Rae Sloan Pediatric Playroom, named in memory of a beloved undergraduate student by her family.
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SHIFTING OUR APPROACH TO EDUCATION LEARNING DURING A PANDEMIC Advancing Students’ Knowledge and Skills in the Midst of COVID-19
Whatever the Weather, Therapy Goes On! "There's so much to talk about out here, there's so much to see that's interesting, and you don't have to sit still in a little plain room.” In response to pandemic related closures, Tricia Hedinger developed the UTHSC Outdoor Clinic at Ijams Nature Center, a local nature conservatory, which continues today. Graduate students collaborate with environmental educators to use the outdoor environment to facilitate achievement of speech and language goals. The walking trails, playground, greenhouses, and wildlife provide children a multitude of opportunities for language enrichment and speech development. Children are able to practice their communication targets while exploring nature. Families are free to roam the grounds while their child participates in a session. “We meet rain or shine!” notes Hedinger. Due to overwhelming positive feedback, the Outdoor Clinic is expected to continue into the next school year.
Virtual Connections During Challenging Times Within weeks of COVIDrelated closures, our clinical faculty quickly reorganized our clinics in order to prevent the interruption of much needed services to our patients. Tele-therapy sessions were offered to our speech-language patients, which allowed the graduate students and professors, like Autumn Sanderson (left), to facilitate speech-language activities with patients and their loved ones. Audiology patients who had hearing emergencies were served curbside until our audiology clinics re-opened for in-person encounters. However, there were still circumstances which posed challenges. Again, creative thinking prevailed! When an audiology student could not participate in their clinic slot, professors, like Dr. Kelly Yeager, used Zoom to allow students to participate (right). From home, students gathered patient history and formulated a plan for the session. The student partner then led the in-person testing while the quarantined student remained engaged with administrative responsibilities, interpretation of results, and counseling. 6
TRIBUTES ASP LOSES PILLARS OF THE DEPARTMENT A Collection of Thoughts From Alumni and Friends These men taught us what they knew, protected us like we were their own, and showed us how to be better people. They cared about our education but more than that, they cared for us. I am a better audiologist because of what they taught me but I am a better person because I knew them. They were mentors, father figures, and then friends. I choose to remember them this way… big smiles on their faces and tight hugs.
Carl W. Asp, Jr.
Samuel B . Burchfield
Legacy Highlight: In his 37 years at ASP, Dr. Asp used federal funding to develop and research Verbotonal Speech Treatment. Now there are 36 certified trainers worldwide and his book is translated into 7 languages including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Spanish, French, and Russian.
Legacy Highlight: During his 35 years in ASP, Dr. Burchfield was the Audiology Clinic director, published noise measurement data from Neyland Stadium, and obtained NIH funding to investigate Acceptable Noise Level, now a worldwide audiologic test used to predict success with hearing aids.
“What an enormous contributor to our field. He was a gentle giant.”
“You were better when you were around Sam. He just had that effect on people.” “Mentor, story-teller, advocate, friend, and a true VFL, whose passion and positivity could light up a room. It goes without saying that he will be sorely missed.”
“He was so passionate about helping children with hearing loss and teaching others how to do the same!”
“I always loved having him as my advisor and professor. Many good memories!”
James W. Thelin
“I still remember his voice in the halls of South Stadium singing Rocky Top.”
Legacy Highlight: In his 19 years with ASP, Dr. Thelin led the effort to obtain approval for the Doctor of Audiology at UT, which became the entry level degree to practice. He was a founding member of the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation, supporting individuals with congenital deaf blindness. “We were all better for having known Jim Thelin!” “No matter how far away you might go from Jim, you carried the knowledge that he would always be your strongest supporter.”
ASP plans to host a Celebration of Life for these gentlemen, as well as other pillars of our department. We will post updates on our social media pages, which are listed on the front page of this newsletter.
“Tremendous mentor and all around wonderful human being! “
If you are interested in remembering one or more of these individuals, please contact Matt Jagnow, who can direct your gift to the scholarship or fund that has been designated in their memory. Matt can be reached at mjagnow1@uthsc.edu or 865-441-8378.
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SCHOLARLY WORK Sharing Our Knowledge and Expertise Sample 2020 Publications in Referred Journals Multidimensional timbre spaces of cochlear implant vocoded and non-vocoded synthetic female singing voices. Erickson, M., Faulkner Scalzo, K., Johnstone, P., Hedrick, M., Stone, T. Frontiers in Neuroscience. AMPLIFICATION
DIZZINESS
The use of static and dynamic cues for vowel identification by children wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants. Hedrick, M., Thornton, K., Yeager, K., Plyler, P., Johnstone, P., Reilly, K., Springer, C. Ear and Hearing. Mental tasking and rotary chair-induced vestibular nystagmus utilizing videonystagmography. Doettl, S., Easterday, M., Plyler, P., Behn, L., Poget, A. International Journal of Audiology. Can listeners hear who is singing? The role of listener experience in singer discrimination across pitch. Erickson, M., Phillips, P. Journal of Voice : Official Journal of the Voice Foundation.
HEARING
Inexperienced listeners' perception of timbre dissimilarity within and between voice categories. Erickson, M. Journal of Voice : Official Journal of the Voice Foundation. Acceptable noise levels (ANL) and preferred signal-to-noise ratios (PSNR) for speech and music. Lee, D., Lewis, J., Johnstone, P., Plyler, P. Ear and Hearing. Efferent-induced shifts in synchronized-spontaneous-otoacoustic-emission magnitude and frequency. Lewis, J. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Jittering stimulus onset attenuates short-latency synchronized-spontaneous otoacoustic emission energy. Lewis, J., Mashburn, A., Lee, D. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. The effectiveness of a distance peer mentor training program with military spouses with children with ASD. Kremkow, J., Finke, E. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
LEARNING
The use of communication technology to affect patient outcomes in the intensive care unit. Koszalinski, R., Heidel, R., Hustson, S., Li, X., Palmer, T., McCarthy Maeder, J., Hollibush, T., Massoli, J., Simmons, A., Jagidar, N., Rajashekaran, P. Computers, Informatics, Nursing. TECHNOLOGY
Pediatric dysphagia: Survey results describing speech language pathologists’ education and experience. Wilson, J., Simmons, A., McCarthy Maeder, J. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. SWALLOWING
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COGNITION
Standardizing assessment of spoken discourse in aphasia: A working group with deliverables. Stark, B., Dutta, M., Murray, L., Fromm, D., MacWhinney, B., Ramage, A., Roberts, A., den Ouden, D., Brock, K., McKinney-Bock, K., Paek, E., Harmon, T., Yoon, S., Themistocleous, C., Yoo, H., Aveni, K., Gutierrez, S., Sharma, S. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Partner-specific communication deficits in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Paek, E., Yoon, S. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Neural correlates of action fluency performance in healthy older adults and individuals with dementia: A pilot fMRI study. Paek, E., Murray, L., Newman, S. Frontiers in Aging Neuro-science. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of verb fluency performance in individuals with probable Alzheimer’s disease and healthy older adults. Paek, E., Murray, L. American Journal of SpeechLanguage Pathology. The application of EEG Mu rhythm measures to neurophysiological research in stuttering. Jenson, D., Bowers, A., Hudock, D., Saltuklaroglu, T. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
FLUENCY
The impact of fluency on personalities of adults who stutter: implicit evidence of self-stigma. Hedinger, T., Saltuklaroglu, T., Eskridge, K., Porter, E. Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology. Vowel and sibilant production in noise: Effects of noise frequency and phonological similarity. Reilly, K. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
SPEECH
Outreach to Our Professional Community In the spirit of sharing our knowledge and expertise, ASP’s faculty wrote a variety of articles and presented about virtual education and service provision during a pandemic. Here are some examples: 6 tips to cultivate key social connections when grad school goes virtual. Hedinger, T. American Speech Language Hearing Association. Environmental considerations and therapeutic resources for teletherapy. Sanderson, A., Bunch, J. Tennessee Association for Assistive Technology Conference. Exploring telepractice: Benefits, roadblocks, and practical strategies. Noss, E., Uzonyi, T., Barry, L., Larsen, S. East Tennessee Local Interagency Coordinating Council Meeting. Tele-Practice for children who are deaf/hard of hearing. Noss, E. The EHDI TN CARE Project Parent/Professional Partnership Workshop. Teletherapy caregiver/parent coaching for patients who use AAC. Wegman, A., Noss, E. Tennessee Association of Assisted Technology Annual Conference. Troubleshooting auditory training delivered via telepractice. Sanderson, A., Irick, A. American Speech Language Hearing Association.
ALSO IN 2020!
9 Funded grants 26 Grant proposals 50 Presentations 12 Non Peer-Reviewed *
Papers or Textbook Chapters
*in review
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Leaving Rocky Top Each time our students leave ASP, we are confident they will be well prepared for their first big step into the “real world.” Part of that preparation is placement in an externship that will advance their skills and expertise. The map below indicates the many locations our 2019 and 2020 AuD and MS-SLP students have gone for their extern placements.
MS-SLP Extern AuD Extern
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Savannah Dipasquantonio Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, Maryland Being part of an interdisciplinary diagnostic team at Kennedy Krieger Institute has truly enhanced my skills. Collaborating with various specialists has given me a better understanding of their assessments and goals, and I am now more prepared to make appropriate referrals for my patients. In my LEND trainee role, I attended the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) national conference and now appreciate policy changes that impact individuals with disabilities and how to use my voice to facilitate change for those I serve.
Gabrielle Tomaszewski Jill Tullman & Associates Englewood, Colorado Jill Tullman & Associates (JTA) intrigued me because it serves many patients who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). While most of the clients at JTA have some sort of communication system - ranging from low tech picture cards to high tech speech generating devices, they also use other means of communication. Therapy was focused on using functional, multimodal communication, not just accessing the AAC. It helped me to be less rigid in the way I conducted therapy.
Jessica Bulley, Children’s National Hospital, District of Columbia Location and diverse learning opportunities were what drew me to the position at Children’s National Hospital. Also, I was born and raised in the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) and wanted the option to be near my family. I quickly learned to work in a fastpaced environment with very diverse patients and how to adapt when the schedule changed without notice. Flexibility is key! 10
Priya Patel, Northside Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia Northside Hospital is comprised of a variety of units, including head and neck cancer, pulmonology, stroke, intensive care, neurology, radiology, and other types of surgery specialties. I got valuable tracheostomy and ventilator experience. Another unique aspect was working with head and neck cancer patients. The complexity of the their diagnoses and symptoms presented a big learning curve for me.
Amy Mashburn, VA Portland Healthcare System, Portland, Oregon
This was a hybrid clinic and research position. A veterans affairs nurse contacted the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) and wanted to begin a noise monitoring project in the cancer wing. Alongside my fellow externs, we collaborated with the nursing team and a biomedical engineer to design the project. Because of ongoing involvement in research at NCRAR, I was able to counsel veterans on new evidence related to tinnitus, cochlear synaptopathy, and vestibular problems.
Cassidy Hossack, Henry Ford Health System, Detriot, Michigan Henry Ford Health System has multiple locations throughout the Metro-Detroit area. I developed valuable skills about behavioral techniques from the applied behavioral analysis (ABA) for patients with autism that I had not learned anywhere else. It was unique for an SLP and ABA therapist to work so closely together. I was able to appreciate how powerful therapy can be when all providers collaborate to co-treat. I cannot forget to mention the weekly clinic for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). I had an eye -opening opportunity to monitor their progression and advance my knowledge about selecting and programming communication devices and voice banking.
IN-STATE GRADUATE STUDENT EXTERN PLACEMENTS FOR 2019 AND 2020 Data are placed according to county MS-SLP Extern AuD Extern
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2020 IN PICTURES MARCH: NSSHLA hosted another successful job fair with a variety of potential employers for our SLP graduates.
FEBRUARY: Jennifer Wilson conducts feeding therapy with children and their families, teaching them strategies for home. Little did we know that in a few weeks, our approach to delivering therapy would be turned upside down by the pandemic.
MARCH: Steven Doettl (left) defended his dissertation, “Vestibular Evoked Potentials and Postural Control in Adults with Age-Related Hearing Loss. “ Dr. Doettl earned his AuD at UT in 2004. Thelma Uzonyi (right), defended her dissertation, “Revisiting Transactions: Developing a Comprehensive Method to Measure Parent-Child Engagement." Dr. Doettl’s defense was held just prior to the pandemic, while Dr. Uzonyi’s was virtual, occurring once the world shut down! JUNE: Kristen Thornton defended her dissertation “Audiovisual Integration During Novel Word Learning Among School-Aged Children with Cochlear Implants.” Dr. Thornton is now an Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
MAY: Dr. Erinn Finke received a "One UT" Collaboration and Innovation Grant for Project TRIUMPHTennessee Recruitment to Increase Underrepresented Minorities into Professions of Health. TRIUMPH aims to create a UT mentoring program to increase admissions of underrepresented minority students from UTK to UTHSC College of Health Professions. The project team also consists of faculty members from the UTHSC Departments of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy.
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JUNE: PhD candidate, Amanda Simmons, received the UTHSC Diversity and Inclusion Mini-Grant, partnering with the College of Nursing to develop computer-based learning modules on augmentative and alternative communication boards that can be implemented in clinical settings, especially in the branch of pediatrics. JUNE: Tricia Hedinger and Knoxville businessman, Thad Cox, published a children’s book, Bully Blossom. Hedinger notes, "A lot of kids never get a chance to meet another child who stutters. The reason we wrote this book is to help kids feel connected with other kids' experiences."
AUGUST: The department added a new face to the academic faculty, Dr. Kelsey Klein. Dr. Klein recently graduated from the University of Iowa with both her AuD and PhD. Dr. Klein will be teaching classes related to cochlear implants. Her research lab, Listening and Language in Children (LiLaC) Lab, is focused on examining the effects of hearing loss on listening and language skills of school-age children who use hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. Welcome, Dr. Klein, we are excited you are here!
OCTOBER: ASP hosted “The SLP’s Role in Supporting Individuals with ALS,” implemented by PhD candidate Amanda Simmons. Regional experts presented on: medical considerations; dysphagia; speaking valves; augmentative and alternative communication; voice banking; patient and family perspectives; and local resources. ASP’s Dr. Jillian McCarthy and Angie Orr were among presenters. UT Medical Center and the TN Chapter of the ALS Association were critical in planning and promoting the event.
SEPTEMBER: Ciera Mode gave a thumbs-up after receiving her new hearing aids from Dr. Jen Hausladen and her graduate students. Ciera's aids were provided by the Tamika Catchings Amplification Assistance Fund.
OCTOBER: We hosted a physicallydistanced Fall Social for ASP students. UTK Exercise Physiology students led yoga sessions and students enjoyed a scoop of Cruze Farm ice cream.
OCTOBER: Mary Easterday defended her dissertation “Effect of Sound Source Location and Spatial Hearing on the VestibularOcular Reflex." She previously earned her AuD at UTHSC in 2014. Dr. Easterday is now at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
NOVEMBER: ASP partnered with Faith and Friends Horse Rescue in Corryton to offer Equine Exploration Day for our speech -language clients. Children participated in pony rides, hand printing, brushing, and other "horsey" learning activities. To learn more about this unique non-profit, visit faithnfriends.org.
DECEMBER: Erinn Finke was named the new co-Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (AJSLP) in December. Dr. Finke served as an editor for AJSLP for four years. When asked what she loves about AJSLP and her new role, Dr. Finke shared, “I love seeing the change and developments in the field and feeling like I have a small role in scaffolding the next generation of clinical researchers and scientists in the field of speech-language pathology.”
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Quickly Switching Gears! Several ASP staff posted a congratulatory shout-out for graduates on our social media platforms.
With an inability to have a face-to-face graduation, we hosted several celebrations via Zoom for our graduates.
We implemented new procedures to safeguard patient safety, including the installment of plexiglass shields in our reception area and therapy rooms.
Even though personal protective equipment was challenging to find early in the pandemic, we were able to provide all students with two masks and a face shield. Many thanks to UTHSC’s Department of Occupational Therapy for making the shields shown here.
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The pandemicrelated closures led us to rapidly transition our speech-language services to a telehealth format. However, some patients returned to inperson therapy when regulations allowed our clinics to offer these services.
When in-person training for clinical education programs ceased during the pandemic, the need for high quality virtual, simulation-based alternatives became clear. However, many of the simulation solutions had not been validated to ensure they performed in a manner consistent with human physiology and underlying pathology. Dr. James Lewis and his group of AuD students tested the validity of a software-based simulator designed to simulate human auditory-evoked potentials in normal and pathologic ears. By doing so, Dr. Lewis was able to address two needs: (1) affording our students an opportunity to grow in their research skills and (2) providing them with additional clinical training with a targeted focus on cases of auditory dysfunction.
In the fall, we welcomed 17 AuD students and 55 MS-SLP students into our program. Our orientations were held virtually and allowed new students to become acquainted with our program and engage with UTHSC administrators, ASP faculty, and returning students. A similar orientation was held for our undergraduate students in the 3+1 program.
Dr. Eun Jin Paek developed a virtual anatomy lab for students in the Dysphagia course. This new lab uses the Visible Body courseware and supplements virtual learning by allowing students to interact with systems of the human body via high-quality 3D visualization models and animations. After Dr. Paek demonstrates the use of the online program, students then interact with their peers briefly for collaborative learning. Lastly, the students independently study the anatomy related to chewing and swallowing during their labs. The 8th annual Tom Davidson Memorial Conference was, as usual, a big hit! In September, Dr. Gus Mueller joined us from snowy North Dakota to advance attendees’ knowledge and thinking about best practices in fitting hearing aids.
Two AuD graduate students were featured in the media. On Knoxville’s WATE-TV, Tessie Blanchard and Dr. Steven Doettl discussed challenges faced by individuals with hearing loss during the pandemic. Lauren Harris (bottom) was featured on Cochlear Corporation’s social media page where she shared thoughts about using technology with her cochlear implants.
”I realized that instead of chasing fluency, I should find my own voice.” Several of our MS-SLP graduate students organized a virtual event for our young patients who stutter. Author Vince Vawter spoke to the children about his experiences as a stutterer.
During pandemic-related closures, our Audiology Clinic was able to provide curbside services for amplification repairs. As of June 1, we were able to re-open our doors for in-person services.
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Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology University of Tennessee Health Science Center 600 Henley Street, Suite 119 Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
LOOKING AHEAD Private Graduation Ceremony Friday, May 7
Tom Davidson Conference (virtual) Friday, September 24 The Audiologist’s Survival Guide to Episodic and Chronic Dizziness Keynote Speaker: Dr. Devin McCaslin University of Michigan
Parent Weekend
Fall 2021 (anticipated)
Community Hearing and Speech Screenings
Welcome New Students Monday, August 16
Fall 2021 (anticipated)
For more details about any ASP event, visit www.uthsc.edu/asp/news/events The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA. Title VI/ Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA Institution in the provision of its education and employment PAN: E07-3740-001-21