Message from the Chair - The George Washington University

Message from the Chair
I’m very pleased to be sending this welcome message on behalf of the faculty
and staff in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at GW. I’ve had
an opportunity during the past two years to learn more about this department
and its faculty. I cannot tell you how impressive this program is and of the
high esteem with which it is held on GW’s campus as well as in the Speech
and Hearing Community. The tradition of excellence that has always
characterized GW’s Speech and Hearing Science Department is alive and
well!
Our academic programs continue to attract the best and brightest students at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels. We had a record number of applicants to our MA program
last year and the changes to our undergraduate program are attracting increasing numbers of
students.
Our faculty received several internal and external grants. Included in the funding sources are
NIH, NSF, the Department of Education, as well as a University Faculty Fund. Total external
grants for the past year were nearly $650,000 with nearly $1.3 million in grant funding
anticipated for the 2010-11 academic year. These funds are for specific research projects that
address areas related to children with cochlear implants, autism, bilingual language learners, and
visual and multisensory speech perception. In addition to being involved with a number of
conferences this summer (including participation in organizing a conference last summer), the
faculty published numerous articles, reviews, book chapters, and presented at various
conferences both in the US and abroad. In this edition of the Newsletter you will see a number
of papers that are being presented at ASHA this year that reflect the quality and quantity of
scholarly activity within the department. All of this activity positions the Department to be a
significant part of GW’s effort to increase its research profile among universities.
The Speech and Hearing Center continues to provide a valuable service to the community while
also providing students with opportunities to see a variety of clients. In addition to our eight
clinical tracks that focus on a range of communication disorders affecting adults and children,
there were a number of special projects this year. We had faculty involved with a group of
students from the nearby School Without Walls who formed a National Stuttering Association
Teen Support Group. The group was co-led by Dr. Brundage, Jill Wilen (06), and Dr. Tommie
Robinson, current president of ASHA. Members of the clinic also collaborated with the Release
Program in Ireland, which provides treatment for all types in children in rural Ireland. Further
collaborations are being worked on with local school systems and hospitals, in order to create
opportunities for on-campus clinic rotations to include off site opportunities. More on this soon!
The Department continues to interact with those both inside and outside of the University. There
are collaborative projects with Florida Atlantic University and Gallaudet University, and an
ongoing collaboration with the National Zoo.

We hope that you will enjoy this edition of the SPHR Newsletter. Also check out our Facebook
page (GW Speech and Hearing Science) and the website (www.gwu.edu/~sphr). Please
consider dropping us a line to let us know how you are doing, the significant events in your life,
or just to say hi. We are interested in following our alumni and I know that your classmates
would enjoy hearing about you.
If you are attending the ASHA conference in Philadelphia, please join us for The George
Washington University Alumni Reception on Friday evening in the Loews Hotel, Regency A
Room. For more information and to register, please click here. I hope to see you there.