ANCDS Student Fellow Spotlight: Hasini Weerathunge

Name: Hasini Weerathunge
Earned Degree(s): Bachelor of Science in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka; Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, USA
Program of study/Year in program: Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 5th year
Mentor/Advisor: Dr. Cara Stepp
University: Boston University
ANCDS Fellowship Mentor: Dr. Lynda Feenaughty
Area(s) of research, teaching, and/or clinical interest: Motor Speech Disorders, Fluency Disorders, Voice disorders





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Member Spotlight: Dr. Mary Purdy

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ANCDS Clinical Spotlight: Michael Biel, CScD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS

By Michael Biel, CScD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS

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The EBCR Committee: Hard at Work!

JoAnn Silkes, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

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In Memoriam: Dr. Marilyn E. Newhoff

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2023 Honors of the Academy - Call for Nominations

The Honors Committee for the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) welcomes nominations of current members of ANCDS for the 2023 Honors of the Academy.

Nominees should be members who have made outstanding contributions to research, teaching, treatment, and/or service in the area of neurologic communication disorders.

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Syracuse University Aphasia Lab

At the Syracuse University (SU) Aphasia Lab, we use behavioral and physiological measures to study the effects of biopsychosocial factors on speech and language treatment outcomes to improve recovery and quality of life for persons with aphasia.  Dr. Ellyn Riley, an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, is the Principal Investigator and director of the lab.  Current lab members include two part-time speech-language pathologists (Eve Mercer, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Danielle Kealy, M.S., CCC-SLP), a first-year doctoral student (Hannah Rembrandt, M.S., CCC-SLP), three clinical SLP Master’s students (Juliet Kibbe, Gabrielle Weinstein, and Nicole Vieyto), and two undergraduate students (Christina Piera and Mitchell Mazza).  

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ANCDS Student Fellow Spotlight: Amy Kemp

Name:  Amy M. Kemp
Earned Degree(s): M.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, B.A. in Intrapersonal Communications
Program of study/Year in program: Ph.D. Candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders
Mentor/Advisor: Katy O’Brien
University:  University of Georgia
ANCDS Fellowship Mentor:  Melissa Duff
Area(s) of research, teaching, and/or clinical interest: Cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury, older adults/cognitive aging, and implementation science





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Reflections on the 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting

Written By: Kimberly A. Eichhorn, M.S., CCC-SLP; BC-ANCDS; ATP

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ANCDS Membership Renewals Now Open!

Dear ANCDS Members,

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ANCDS Proposed By-Laws Amendments

Dear ANCDS Members,

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You are invited to become a mentor for a 2022 ANCDS Student Fellow!

Dear ANCDS Members,

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Vote Now for the 2023 ANCDS Executive Board!

Dear ANCDS Members,

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IARC 2022: An “Effervescent” Review

Ellen Bernstein-Ellis, M.A.
Aphasia Treatment Program
Cal State East Bay

What do Krakow, Florence, Edinburgh, Zurich, Aalborg, Sheffield, Slovenia, Montreal, and Boston all have in common?  They’ve all hosted the biennial International Aphasia Rehabilitation Conference (IARC) at some point in its esteemed 38-year history.  Philadelphia now joins this storied group of locations.  It may never be the same given the #RockingAphasia campaign, but more on that later.


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2022 Clinical Aphasiology Conference

I have attended the Clinical Aphasiology Conference almost every year since entering my doctoral program in 2010.  Each year I look forward to attending CAC to learn about new research findings, gain new perspectives from the invited speaker presentations, meet up with collaborators to discuss new and ongoing projects, meet newcomers in Aphasiology, and spend time with colleagues and friends. 
This year was unique for multiple reasons.  It was our first in-person CAC since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was also the very first hybrid CAC, with both in-person and virtual attendees and speakers.  We were fortunate to hear from a panel of experts, Drs. Anne Charity Hudley, Charles Ellis, Davetrina Seles Gadson, on Inclusion in the Language Sciences.  This session was both powerful and informative and provided attendees with resources and tools to help address health disparities and inequity within their academic programs, clinical settings, and research.  There was also a session dedicated to wellness in aphasia, within which I had the opportunity to share recent research on the benefits of a yoga practice for stroke survivors with aphasia (my first CAC platform presentation!). There were other important topics, including a talk on individual-level predictors of post-traumatic growth and depreciation in aphasia, led by Dr. Tami Brancamp, and adapting acceptance and commitment therapy for stroke survivors with aphasia, led by Dr. Will Evans.  These talks, along with many other great presentations, remind us that the consequences of aphasia extend beyond word-finding difficulties and highlight the importance of social and psychological wellbeing to one’s ability to live well with aphasia. 
The student representation at the 2022 CAC was phenomenal.  There were more students in attendance than ever before, many of whom were first authors on conference presentations.  There were five National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD) presentations, a Research Symposium in Clinical Aphasiology (RSCA) presentation, Fellow platform presentations, and eleven poster presentations.  I believe this is a terrific sign for the future of CAC and the field of aphasiology!
A big thank you to Drs. Will Hula and Mike Dickey, Conference Chair and Program Chair, respectively, and all those involved, for organizing an excellent and thought-provoking conference that covered a variety of topics in Aphasiology with options for in-person and virtual attendance for attendees and presenters. 
Lauren Bislick, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS
Assistant Professor
Interim Director, Aphasia House 
University of Central Florida

New Member Benefit!

ANCDS is pleased to announce a new benefit of membership!  ANCDS will now accept requests to post members’ research study recruitment on verified social media accounts (i.e., ANCDS, @TheANCDS, and official.ancds).  This benefit will apply to social media platforms only.  Recruitment information will not be listed on the ANCDS website or in the newsletter.  

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Call for ANCDS Executive Board Nominations

Dear ANCDS Members,

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ANCDS Board Certification Interview with Rene Utianski

Name: Rene L. Utianski, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS
University(s) attended: The George Washington University (BA), Arizona State University (MS, Ph.D.)
Workplace: Mayo Clinic- Rochester, MN
Area(s) of clinical or research interest: Functional neurological disorders and progressive apraxia of speech


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Student Feature: LaToya Roberts

Name: LaToya Roberts
Earned Degree(s)/University: Bachelor of Science Speech-Language Pathology Delta State University
Master of Science Communication Science and Disorders Southern University A & M College
Current University/Degree Pursuing: University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Applied Language & Speech Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Cannito
Area(s) of research, teaching, and/or clinical interest: Motor Speech Disorders, Voice, Neuroscience
Role at ANCDS: Student Representative Communications Committee





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Member Spotlight: Annette N. Askren, CScD, CCC-SLP

Name: Annette N. Askren, CScD, CCC-SLP
Earned Degree(s)/University: Doctor of Clinical Science from the University of Pittsburgh; Master of Arts from San Diego State University 
Workplace: VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, West Virginia University 
Area(s) of research, teaching, and/or clinical interest: ALS, Clinical education, Bioethics 
1. Why did you join the communication committee? 
When I am seeking membership and educational opportunities from an organization, I frequently ask myself, “Will this provide practice-changing information?” ANCDS always delivers. I wanted to be a part of this invaluable organization. ANCDS promotes the very best, in both the discovery and application of best practices, much of which has changed my practice for the better. 
 
2. Who is one of your professional mentors? What have you learned from that person? 
Dr. Carole Roth, our 2022 President, was my first mentor as supervisor of my clinical internship at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego. While she taught me a lot about speech-language pathology, she taught, and modeled, more about what it means to provide a standard of excellence for her patients. She drove me to seek the very best training opportunities, and I owe much of my career path to her. I am lucky to now call Dr. Roth a dear colleague and friend. 
 
3. What are you looking forward to as newsletter co-editor?
I look forward to the opportunity to ensure readers feel they can easily stay abreast of the remarkable contributions our members are making to our field. Such features have sparked many of my independent reads and expanded my learning.  
 
4. What do you do for fun?
My favorite place is outside, and we have lots to choose from in Washington state. I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and paddleboarding — especially doing so alongside my adventure buddies. I enjoy including my hound dog, Bailey, too.