ASP 2023 Newsletter

UTHSC Audiology and Speech Pathology

Making REAL connections

that’s what this newsletter is all about. After several socially-isolating and politically-divisive years, I’ve come to believe that in order to improve life’s connections, it is important to learn as much as we can about each other and unite over the things that resonate. ASP is multifaceted and complex, just like you. Therefore, within these pages, we share a variety of information so that you get to know more about the pieces that make us who we are. We are not just leaders, or educators, or clinicians, or researchers, or mentors, or students. Each of us are ALL of these things...every day.

Collectively, we also are dads, moms, husbands, wives, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, runners, hikers, readers, singers, friends, and the list goes on. What words describe you best? As you read, we hope there will be things to which you will relate, things that will capture your attention. By doing so, we hope to strengthen our critical connection to you as alumni, supporters, advisors, and friends. Our goal is to be One UTHSC ASP – united with you by the things we have in common and strengthened by all of our diverse experiences and perspectives. After all, there’s no ASP without beautiful, complicated us.

- Dr. Ashley Harkrider, Professor and Chair

LET’S CONNECT!

We hope you will stay in touch through one or more of our social media platforms. We post frequent updates about ASP and want to hear all about you, too!

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-harkrider/ ASP’s Facebook Page: UTHSC Audiology and Speech Pathology

ASP’s Twitter: @uthscaudspeech

ASP’s Instagram: @uthscaudspeech

THIS ISSUE:

Grants Galore pg 2

PhDs Standing Out pg 3

Institutional Leadership pg 4

Students Everywhere pg 5

Growing Gains pgs 6-7

Patients Impacting Others pgs 8-9

All in the Family pg 10

ASP on the Road pg 11

Beyond Our Walls pgs 12-13

Year in Pictures pgs 14-15

May Celebrations pg 16

Dr. Paek was one of 12 scientists selected for the

Grants

CONGRATULATIONS, Drs. Klein and Paek for receiving 2022 ASHFoundation Grants!

More on page 15

nisms that facilitate early detection and efficient management of the disease. At ISRI she strengthened her knowledge of basic clinical and biological aspects of s and dementia, interacting with other experts in the field and honing essential research skills for ADRD studies. While there, Dr. Paek developed a research proposal based on her current R03 grant from NIH

Dr. Beth Humphrey, Dr. Kelsey Klein, and Kristel Scoresby from UTK’s College of Social Work are collaborating on a 2022 Scholars Research Fellowship to provide the Living Well with Hearing Loss course to patients and community members. The class optimizes mental health in those coping with hearing loss and their loved ones.

A grant from Western Kentucky enabled Angie Orr to implement the program for residents in nursing homes in the area. “Bingocize” increases exercise and mental health while engaging in a familiar game. This has been a great experience for nursing home residents. Angie often say, "this is the highlight of my week.”

Julie Beeler, Dr. Patti Johnstone, and AuD students Ashley Argo and Megan Keyser received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Health Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program to conduct a needs assessment survey of providers statewide as they support families through critical discussions about newborn hearing screening. The team presented results at the national EHDI conference.

Professors Casenhiser, Harkrider, Noss, and Wegman used their UTHSC Diversity and Inclusion Mini Grant to encourage students at 6 high schools with high representation of minority and under-represented students to attend University and consider careers as audiologists or SLPs. They used a combination of methods to capture interest, including interactive presentations in classes, exhibiting at career fairs, lab demonstrations, and giveaways.

Drs. Kevin Reilly, Devin Casenhiser, and their colleagues are decoding mouse “chatter” to provide important information about social communication deficits in children with Rett Syndrome. With funding from a NIH-National Institute of Mental Health grant entitled, “Role of Piriform Cortex Perineuronal Nets in Mouse Social Communication,” they train students to analyze mouse ultrasonic vocalizations during maternal-pup interactions. Their expertise in mechanics of human vocalizations (Reilly) and behavior (Casenhiser) is applied to mouse data.

PhD Students

JAMILEH AZIZBEIGI-BOUKANI

Saffran Student Scholar Award at the Eleanor M. Saffron Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Communication Disorders

EDDIE BROWN

TAASLP Outstanding Student Award

2nd place in the poster competition at UTHSC Graduate Health Sciences Research Day

DONGUK LEE

ASHFoundation Award for Research

Accepted tenure track faculty position at the University of North Texas

ELIZABETH TOBENER

ASHFoundation Award for Research

Student of the Year Award at UTHSC College of Graduate Health Sciences Award’s Day

Society for the Neurobiology of Language Travel Award

Accepted tenure track faculty position at the University of New Mexico

BLAKE RAFFERTY

INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP

Twenty-five faculty and staff members, overseeing critical functions across the UT System, were selected to be part of the 4th Executive Leadership Institute. The 12-month program, designed to prepare internal candidates for senior leadership roles, offers special development plans, executive coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning. Multi-day leadership sessions, held 6 times during the year, are located across the state. Dr. Ashley Harkrider was nominated by Chancellor Buckley and competitively selected by campus and institute leaders. The institute is part of succession planning efforts to address upcoming workforce needs.

Dr. Jillian McCarthy is serving as the 2022-2023 UTHSC Faculty Senate president. Dr. McCarthy works closely with UT system administrators, UTHSC upper administration, college deans, college faculty organizations, and faculty. A few issues that the senators address with university administration include the development and soon to be implementation of multi-year appointments for non-tenure track faculty, as well as updates to the faculty handbook. Additionally, Dr. McCarthy serves on the UTHSC Strategic Planning Steering Committee, working with faculty and administrators to develop the next strategic plan for the university.

As president of the College of Health Professions (CoHP) Faculty Organization (HPFO), Dr. Erinn Finke represents CoHP faculty at Dean’s Council meetings. She organizes and leads a group of faculty in drafting and finalizing changes to the CoHP bylaws. She works closely with the president of the Faculty Senate to ensure the CoHP bylaws align with the university faculty handbook. Finally, she initiated preparations for the CoHP strategic planning process by gathering faculty feedback on the UTHSC strategic plan as a member of the Campus Culture and Work Environment workgroup.

Dr. Jennifer Hausladen has served as the secretary for the UTHSC CoHP HPFO since 2020. She supports the HPFO mission by organizing meetings, coordinating with the HPFO president and committee members, distributing surveys to faculty members, compiling and distributing minutes for quarterly HPFO meetings, and periodically sending announcements to all faculty members about HPFO activities. In addition to her secretarial role, Dr. Hausladen is serving on the ad-hoc committee tasked with amending the college bylaws to align more closely with the faculty handbook.

ASP Faculty Senators

Dr. Steven Doettl May ‘20 – present

* Faculty Affairs Committee, October, ‘22 - present

* Clinical Affairs Committee, May, ‘20 - present

* Non-Tenure Track Committee, May ‘20 - present

* Faculty Senate Executive Committee, July ‘21 – June ‘22

Dr. Molly Erickson May ‘17 present

* Budget and Benefits Committee, vice chair

Maggie Wheeler May ‘22 present

* Non-Tenure Track Committee, May ‘22 present

UTHSC ASP STUDENTS are EVERYWHERE!

Every day our student researchers learn the importance of asking questions, discovering the answers, and sharing what they learn to improve the future for our students, patients, and health care providers. As they work in our laboratories and classrooms, they impact lives across Tennessee and beyond. Here’s a snapshot of their research presentations across the country in 2022.

Dr. Reilly and Nasim Khalouelpour at Motor Speech Conference

Donguk Lee at Acoustical Society of America

Blake Rafferty at Society at the Neurobiology of Language

Taylor Stone at the Voice Foundation Symposium

Lydia Lowe, Maggie Wheeler, and Teresa Vaughn at ASHA

Alaina Grissom, Rachel Sinclair, and Olivia Hecker at Penn State’s AAC Research Think Tank

Kaitlyn Marsh at functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Meeting

Blake Rafferty and Tanzida Zaman at ASHA

Lauren Harris and Dr. Klein at ASHA. Meritorious Poster Award!

Madison Fisher and Dr. Paek at ASHA

Dr. McCarthy and Olivia Hecker at ASHA

Sarah Razavi at TAASLP

Lauren Harris at American Auditory Society

Dr. Elizabeth Tobener at TAASLP

Madison Fisher at Clinical Aphasiology Conference

A Multidisciplinary Model for Early Intervention

Pediatric Language Clinic receives additional funding from state for significant expansion!

“The contract extensions allow us to create a dynamic, interdisciplinary program with an emphasis on research innovation, student education, and supports for autistic children and their families.

- Lydia Berry, PLC Coordinator

PLC’S MISSION FOR THE STATE

SERVE more children with autism

EDUCATE increased number of students from varying degree programs

COACH additional professionals in evidence-based, family-centered early intervention (EI)

FUEL innovative interdisciplinary research

PLC FACTS

Funded by state for 50+ years

In 2022, additional 150 children in home-based program

In 2023, additional 20 children in center-based program

New age range: 0 – 5 years old

Total number of clinical faculty: 4

Total number of providers: 9

Family-centered service delivery model

Caregiver support programming: Families Together

PLC team members work with psychologists at Vanderbilt TRIAD to facilitate telehealth autism evaluations with children served through TEIS.

Back (L to R): Amanda Cox (SLP), Tricia Diambra (EI);

Middle: Morgan Haas (EI), Marci Hopson (Social Work), Amber Kapnick (OT), Samantha Fanella (SLP);

Front: Emily Waggoner (SLP), Bethany Hicks (SLP), Kristen McGuire (EI), Lydia Barry (SLP), Katlin Steese (SLP), Kerry Kaufmann (EI), Angela Trunzo (Administrative Assistant).

Not Pictured: Katie Akers (SLP), Meghan Cao (EI) , Kelly Stojsavlevich (SLP)

Educational Specialist (EdS), Morgan Haas (right), working with an SLP student.

GAINS

Children and adults with hearing loss who attend aural (re)habilitation sessions often communicate in various ways. While some use only spoken English, those who are bilingual also express themselves in American Sign Language (ASL). Marilyn joined ASP in February 2022 as an SLP clinical instructor, with a specialization in aural rehabilitation. Marilyn, who grew up being involved in the deaf community, is fluent in ASL and incorporates this knowledge and expertise as she mentors students.

Many thanks to Knoxville Scottish Rite for providing funding for a new distortion product otoacoustic emissions system for our audiology clinic in 2022. Pictured here is Dr. Sayers and AuD students, discussing the new system. Dr. Sayers joined ASP in July 2022, as an audiology clinical instructor. She specializes in pediatric diagnostic evaluations, pediatric amplification, and auditory processing evaluations. Dr. Sayers previously worked in private practice and the hearing aid industry.

Dr. Barton, who recently earned her Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, joined UTHSC in September 2022 and manages the administration of day-to-day functions for clinic and departmental operations including finances, budgets, contracts, surveys, and reports. She also supervises those that participate in these functions to ensure sound structure and optimized outcomes. Dr. Barton has a passion for grappling with the complexities of the healthcare industry. She also guest lectures in private practice courses.

Katlin Steese, who began working for UTHSC in September 2022 as an SLP clinical instructor, has a lot of experience with feeding and swallowing, which is handy during snack time at PLC! Her extensive research and practice with children with autism obviously is too. Katlin’s ability to manage multiple caseloads, provide early intervention in individual and group therapy sessions, all while educating our SLP students, makes her the perfect addition to our team. She also jumped in as a peer instructor for our professional learning community.

In December 2022, SLP Clinical Instructor Emily Waggoner’s knowledge of the Spanish language added a whole new dimension to our EI services at PLC. There is no substitute to having a health care provider who makes patients and family members feel right at home, even in a therapy environment. Data suggest individuals are more likely to seek and follow through with health care when they can communicate with their provider in their own language. Emily also brings a wealth of experience with augmentative and alternative communication, classroom- and home-based intervention, and clinical supervision.

Micayla Sayers

Kalyn Barton

Katlin Steese

Emily Waggoner

Marilyn Owens

Accessibility Advocate

In his 25 years, Houston Vandergriff has traveled more than most do in a lifetime.

A client of Angie Orr’s, Houston is rather famous for his travel photography and his efforts to advocate for individuals with disabilities. He has an infectiously cheerful disposition and impactful message, which easily explains why he has about 400,000 followers on Tik Tok and a huge following on his “Downs & Towns” Instagram. The last two years, a collection of Houston photography has been featured in a calendar which has been widely distributed. His Instagram bio simply states, “ART, ADVENTURE, ADVOCACY inspiring others to reach goals, he noted, “Everyone is great and talented. They just need to do it and have fun!” Houston and his mom, Katie, recall a trip to Portugal, which included individuals with various disabilities, each striving to impact accessibility in the travel industry. He led another group of adventurers to Egypt and Turkey. Houston was also invited to speak at an upcoming Nikon photography conference in New York City where he will discuss inclusivity.

Houston’s journey with ASP began when he was a baby and received therapy at PLC for feeding and swallowing. Most recently, Houston’s therapy goals have focused on addressing memory issues that occurred after he had two strokes and a diagnosis of Moyamoya disease in 2021. Another interesting connection to our department is his grandmother, Ms. Marilyn Umstead, sees Dr. Beth Humphrey for cochlear implant (CI) programming.

Q&A

Steve Best, a patient of Steffanie Barber, answered questions about the Aphasia Awareness Walk he coordinated in June. A portion of the proceeds from the walk were directed toward patient scholarships for communication classes held in our clinic.

What prompted you to plan the walk? I was about to have a first anniversary of a stroke that left me with aphasia on June 3, 2021. June is Aphasia Awareness Month, so in order to raise awareness about aphasia, the walk came about.

What was it like for you to have aphasia? When I had my stroke my whole world changed in a moment. At first, I could not read, write, or speak. Reading and writing came back faster than my ability to speak. In the aphasia community we have a slogan, “We never give up!” My wife became my caregiver. My speech “coaches” (therapists) became my best friends. My family became my biggest cheerleaders. My faith gave me hope.

How did the walk go? There were about 130 people. We walked through Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park. We first had a program before walking. Steffanie Barber shared about the aphasia community. There were 9 or 10 people there that have aphasia.

Did the walk achieve your intended goals? Yes, (it) created awareness for people living with aphasia. We also recognized the families, caregivers, and speech therapists who are working with people that have aphasia.

Patients Impacting Others

Ushering Rachel

Twenty-nine-year-old Rachel Brock is no stranger as she walks into our audiology and speech clinics. From age 2, when she was first identified with bilateral hearing loss, until now, she has worked with many of our clinical faculty to support her needs. During the pandemic and widespread use of masks, Rachel, who wore binaural hearing aids and relied heavily on lip reading, realized she needed to consider a way to hear better. This was not a new discovery, as her hearing had slowly worsened over the years. Plus, when she was 18, Rachel discovered she might lose her eyesight. “I went to a regular check-up for my vision. The doctor noticed some spots on the back of my retinas, and I was sent to a specialist where they diagnosed me with Retinitis Pigmentosa. Testing confirmed that I have Type 3 Usher Syndrome.” Since Usher’s Syndrome often comes with progressive vision loss, Rachel, a King University graduate, parent of two children, and medical claims processor, knew it was time to pursue CIs, so she could maximize her hearing long term. The result has been phenomenal. With two implants, she can hear in ways never imagined. Rachel sees Dr. Beth Humphrey for CI programming and Marilyn Owens for aural rehabilitation therapy. She also participates in our virtual class called “Living Well with Hearing Loss.”

Late last year, Brock launched a social media presence called “Ushering Rachel,” dedicated to sharing her journey with Usher Syndrome. From this effort, she has connected with people across the country who have never met anyone else with this condition. Rachel’s vastly improved hearing has allowed her to conduct phone mentoring with others who are considering CIs – a difficult listening condition where there Phone calls have been seamless - something I tried to avoid at all costs in the past.”

A Family Affair

s father, Austin, visits Jennifer Wilson’s pediatric dysphagia class each s feeding and swallowing challenges and to educate, from the parental standpoint, SLP students about the nuances of working with feeding tubes. When asked about the meaning of his t-shirt that says, “Fighting Mr. Henry noted that it came from a fundraising event held s business, Henry’s Deli and B&G Catering. “We try to do one event annually to increase awareness about the different diseases that are part of the mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) gene mutation.” Fletcher has Sanfilippo Syndrome, also known as MPS, type III. His sister, Hadley, shown giving hugs to her brother, has an Instagram page, also called “Fighting For Fletcher,” to inform others about the condition. Fletcher, who was a therapy patient s for several years prior to the pandemic, joyfully joins his father each year to help teach the students and, according “steals the show!”

Some might say that Isabella Freeman is genetically wired to be an SLP. As a third generation SLP from Hendersonville, Tennessee, one needs only to look at her family tree to find her inspiration. Izzy's mother, Robbi Freeman, is a UT ASP alumna, receiving her master's degree in 1994. Freeman fondly recalls having professors such as Drs. Bernie Silverstein and Hal Luper, who made lasting impressions. She noted they were "SLP icons who taught me everything I know about articulation and stuttering to this day. We studied in every area of the clinic, and our professors, who wrote the textbooks, were there with open doors to educate, motivate, and challenge us to be the best in our profession." Izzy's grandfather, Mr. Bill Freeman (aka Gramps), was a speech professor at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky and his wife, Mrs. Wanda Freeman, was an SLP in the schools and home health for a total of 50 years. Izzy still has her Gramps' UT master's thesis from 1959 entitled, "A Study of Speech and Hearing Therapy Schedules in Tennessee." Like all graduate students, Izzy tackles a wide variety of clinic experiences, serving patients across the life span. She notes, however, "I have always connected well with older adults and love listening to their stories. I hope to work with stroke patients or patients with progressive diseases. It became more apparent that this was what I wanted to do when my grandparents got older. It was something that came naturally and comfortably for me." As Izzy walks across the stage in May, Mrs. Freeman will be beaming with pride knowing her daughter is following in her footsteps, as well as those of her grandparents. "I cannot wait to watch her grow in a field that constantly provides others hope."

Connections

It did not take much digging around to discover that we have others in our department who have family members connected to our disciplines. Take a look at all the branches in our current ASP family tree!

Erin Plyler (aud) and husband, Patrick Plyler (aud)

Ashley Harkrider (aud) and father, Jim (ent physician)

Devin Casenhiser (psycholinguist) and sister, Marci (slp)

Lizzy Tobener (aud/phd) and mother, Elisa (slp class of ‘86)

Kerry Kauffman (early intervention), sisters Rebecca (slp)

Madison Abdoney and Maggie Fee, cousins (slp students)

Tim Saltuklarglu (slp) and sister, Julide (autism program

shared exciting updates about the program, the new space in the UT Conference Center, and alumni giving and service opportunities. Future gatherings are in the works, stayed tuned for more details.

ON THE ROAD

November The department hosted an alumni reception in conjunction with the 2022 ASHA conference in New Orleans. Over 45 friends and alumni from multiple decades joined current faculty and students at Restaurant August to connect and learn the latest news about the program. It was great to see everyone, and we look forward to keeping in touch!

Dr. Sam Burchfield and Dr. Jim Thelin Endowed Scholarships PER YOUR REQUEST

scholarships have been established to honor beloved, longtime faculty members, Drs. Burchfield and Thelin. Both were inspirations to many of us and a huge part of the history and success of our department. The family of Dr. Thelin (Sally Thelin - Jim’s wife and an SLP, pictured with Dr. Harkrider) and a former student and colleague of Dr. Burchfield created the endowments. We invite you to help grow these scholarships. No gifts are too small and all are important in supporting the legacies of these two gentlemen scholars – ensuring students thrive

Alumni Council

WE WANT YOU for our new alumni council! Currently seeking interested alumni from all decades who would meet virtually a few times a year. This is a great opportunity for alumni to stay connected to the program and be an ambassador for ASP in their communities. If you want more details, please contact Amanda Armstrong at the email given below.

Giving Catalog

TAKE YOUR PICK Want to support the department but unsure of the best way?

We have created a Giving Catalog with a wider range of opportunities for support in multiple areas of the ASP program. All donations are impactful!

To learn more about any opportunity on this page, contact aarmstr36@uthsc.edu.

Beyond Our Walls

Two of our providers from PLC, Kelly Stojsavlevich (SLP) and Hart Wagner (OT) presented “Is it Sensory or is it Behavior? Utilizing a Sensory Lens in Developmental Therapy” for Siskin Children's Institute home and community based early intervention program in Chattanooga.

Lydia Barry went to Ghana in June to assist a former faculty member in exploring the implementation of a culture adaptation of a therapy model used at PLC. “We met with clinics around the capital city to learn about the state of autism services and the needs of those clinicians.” They also brainstormed how to design a study that aligned with the values and needs of the community. They conducted additional workshops on autism treatment strategies upon request.

internationally recognized ASP organization with membership from over 330 communication sciences and disorders programs from the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand which offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

South High Senior Living invited us to celebrate World Hearing Day. Our faculty, staff, and students enjoyed providing education about hearing loss and amplification to this dynamic group!

Julie Beeler and Amanda Armstrong standing with Robert Beam, of Knoxville Scottish Rite (KSR), at their annual Foundation Charity Golf Tournament. KSR

Lauren Harris, AuD student, received the 2022 Bill Williams Young Hero’s Award from Tennessee Babies with Special Needs at their Jazz Baby event in October. Lauren was given a standing ovation for her efforts in raising awareness about deafness.

Alaina Grissom, Kaitlin Reagan, and Olivia Hecker, PhD students, volunteered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at Zoo Knoxville’s “Boo at the Zoo!” Along the treat trail, they helped families sign up for the Library, which mails high quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes.

We were proud to have our own Jennifer Wilson, serve as the ’22-’23 president of Tennessee Academy of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists!

This year’s Volunteer Your Voice Camp felt a bit different as campers gathered for a week-long experience at a new venue, Ijams Nature Center. Faculty and graduate students partnered with Ijams educators to tap into the children’s love of nature to offer tons of learning and communication opportunities.

s graduate students were well represented as they volunteered in various roles at the Downtown Sertoma Club s annual Oktoberfest, where they also got to learn about the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair on it’s 40th Anniversary.

Tricia Hedinger and Dr. Tim Saltuklaroglu presented at the 2022 Joint World Congress on Stuttering and Cluttering in Montreal, Canada.

Year in Pictures

MARCH: UTK Delta Zeta (DZ) sorority, whose philanthropy is speech and hearing, invited AuD student Lauren Harris and her mother, Amanda Armstrong, to share about their personal experiences with deafness and cochlear implants.

FEBRUARY: Drs. Yeager and Lewis hosted the audiology team from Children’s Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists for an educational seminar about electrophysiologic evaluations.

Later in the year, DZ made a generous gift to purchase interactive books to be used during aural habilitation therapy. Thank you!

APRIL: We are grateful for the Adler family’s generous support each year of the Sol Adler Memorial Conference. Dr. C. Melanie Schuele, of Vanderbilt University, presented "No More Flipping Cards and Playing Games: Speech Sound Intervention in Ecologically-Valid, Meaningful Communication Interactions,” and our own Tricia Hedinger shared "Public Stigma, SelfStigma & Bullying: Dismantling the Trifecta to Help Kids Who Stutter."

MARCH: Velvet Buehler retired from ASP after 38 years! She was surrounded by family, friends, colleagues, students, clients, and their families who wished her well and reflected on the impact she made during her tenure.

APRIL: For Administrative Professionals Day, we celebrated a phenomenal staff who keep our department running smoothly.

MAY: Daniel Pepin, a UTK FUTURE student, interned at the Hearing and Speech Center. Celebrating a job well done are Jennifer Wilson and Daniel, along with several students who worked with him.

MAY: Students distributed earplugs in Circle Park before the big Volapalooza concert. The earplugs are funded by the Dave Lipscomb Hearing Conservation Fund.

MAY: Eighteen 3rd Year AuD students presented the findings from their capstone projects at Research Day.

SEPTEMBER: Sertoma’s annual Celebrate Sound Walk drew a great group from the department. The Downtown Sertoma Club gives part of the proceeds from the walk to our hearing aid loaner bank and a student scholarship.

SEPTEMBER: We marked another successful year of the Tom Davidson Memorial Conference. This year’s keynote speaker for the hybrid event was Dr. Brittan Barker of Utah State University, who shared, “Counseling Tools for Placing Patients and their Families at the Center of Care.” It is a privilege to host this continuing education opportunity for providers near and far.

AUGUST: We had perfect weather for our annual Beginner’s Bash at UT Gardens.

who received 2022 ASHFoundation grants! Dr. Kelsey Klein is using her New Investigators Research Grant to study “Children's Real Recognition While Listening in Two-Talker Speech.” Dr. Eun Jin Paek will apply her New Century Scholars Research Grant to investigate “Behavioral Outcomes and Neural Correlates of a Multifactorial Treatment Approach in Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type.”

OCTOBER: UTHSC Appreciation Days. Faculty and staff indulged in ice cream treats and students enjoyed a pizza lunch.

Senate president, Dr. Jillian McCarthy, carried the mace and spoke at Chancellor Peter Buckley’s Investiture.

DECEMBER: The Teen Board of Knoxville collected and donated much needed toys and supplies for PLC providers to use during intervention. We are grateful!

DECEMBER: Dr. Patti Johnstone retired after 16 years serving as the director of clinical education in audiology. Faculty, staff, students, family, and friends gathered to celebrate Dr. Johnstone’s contributions to student education, faculty mentoring, and research.

May Celebrations

The UT Student Union was a perfect location for our family and friends reception and commencement ceremony on May 18, 2022. The day before, our Community Development Board hosted a welcome reception for UTHSC’s Chancellor Peter Buckley. SAVE