Duquesne University Speech-Language Pathology

Please see the flyer below regarding how the Department of Speech-Language Pathology will be participating in the University's Wellness Day. We hope you can take advantage of these opportunities and take part in a well-deserved, restful day! Please sign-up for snacks at the link below so we can know how much to have on hand: https://duq.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1XiNH7wKY14Peya... Please watch for an email containing the Zoom link for the Yoga session.

We are excited to feature alumnus John Adamic! John shared a bit about what he is up to these days and his favorite memories from DU SLP. We are grateful he shared some pics of his handsome pup Romeo and Wacky Wednesday in his speech room! "I graduated from Duquesne University in 2014 with my masters in Speech Language Pathology. Currently, I live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with my dog, Romeo, and work as a speech therapist at Long Neck Elementary School, which is part of ...the Indian River School District. At my school, I get to work with elementary students ages 3-11 with various articulation, fluency, and language difficulties. I love my job! Every day I try to make therapy as fun and engaging as possible by creating new activities or materials centered around my student’s interests. My areas of interest include articulation, fluency, and Apraxia. Recently, I completed ADOS-2 training and I am looking forward to becoming PROMPT trained soon. Looking back at my time at Duquesne University, I am so grateful for the opportunities and experiences I had. From the late nights in the resource room with my speech class and the back row crew to the wonderful team of teachers I had to guide me through. One of my favorite memories from Duquesne SLP was creating our graduation video where my class impersonated some of the Duquesne SLP professors, and psychic medium, Theresa Caputo. I still watch the video from time to time when I need a good laugh. Thank you, Duquesne SLP, for my education and all the memories that made me the therapist I am today!"

Congratulations to third year pre-professional phase student, Angelina Zampini, on receiving the Outstanding Resident Assistant Program of the Month Award. Angelina co-organized a week focused on Diversify Your Thinking. As part of this programming, Angelina invited Dr. Heather Rusiewicz to participate and lead a presentation on cultural considerations of dialect and accented speech. Way to go, Angelina!

Good hearing and communication are important for a connection, and being connected have never been more important. Keep your loved ones close, protect your ears. #worldhearingday Shout out to our audiology colleagues including our very own Dr. Sue Snyder!

Proud of our alumni highlight! Brittany Furnari Fisher (c/o 2016) can be seen in this recent commercial for the DePaul School for Hearing & Speech! Brittany stated that "I worked as a speech-language pathologist at DePaul School for Hearing & Speech from 2016 to 2020. Virtually all DePaul students present with varying degrees of hearing loss and use an array of assistive listening technology. In my time at DePaul, I served as a resident expert in childhood apraxia of speech (...CAS). My days were filled primarily with conducting evaluations and treatment for children with co-occurring hearing loss and CAS. I used multisensory and multimodal therapy approaches, including alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) for a number of students. I had the absolute honor of co-treating with DePaul’s incredible team of reading specialists, teachers of the deaf, occupational and physical therapists. I have been able to use my unique clinical experiences to deliver a number of presentations for Apraxia Kids, detailing how diagnosis and treatment of CAS differs in the presence of hearing loss." Thank you for your important work, Brittany! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1sGycyhEOs

Thank you, Catherine Pickard (first year professional phase student), for representing the Department of SLP today at the Dean's Advisory Board meeting to discuss your involvement in research. Catherine presented a summary of her projects that she is completing under the mentorship of Dr. Heather Rusiewicz. Catherine is collaborating with Dr. Rusiewicz and Mrs. Caterina Staltari on a project that explores SLP graduate students’ self-efficacy, attitudes, and experiences related to a comprehensive delivery of clinical education. She also is involved in projects that integrate beatboxing with SLP to support the communication and engagement of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thanks for your hard work and many connections to the DU community, Catherine!

Proud of our alumni highlight!! Danielle Moss (Class of 2014) successfully defended her dissertation this week in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at James Madison University. Her dissertation was titled, "The Examination of Morpho-Syntactic Production in Bahamian Children Exposed to Bahamian Creole English and English", completed under the mentorship of Dr. Geralyn Timler. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Danielle Moss!!!

Just a reminder that registration for the Fall workshop ends on November 1! A Zoom link will be provided for all registrants next week.

Thank you to Brenae Schubin for serving as the Student Representative to the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA)! Check out her article in the most recent PSHA Keystater newsletter. Brenae is a second year professional phase student in the Department of SLP. Thank you for also representing Duquesne University while you serve your fellow students in the state!

If you are planning to apply or have already applied to the SLP 5-year Bachelor’s + Master’s degree program at Duquesne University consider applying for the Spirit of Excellence Scholarship. Deadline is December 1!

First year SLP student, Maya Louttit shared her experience from her first semester at Duquesne University (spoiler alert - introduction to communication sciences and disorders is her favorite class!) as part of her experience as a Project Sleep Scholarship Recipient! https://www.instagram.com/p/CHvrkK6rnB-/

Registration for the Fall workshop is now open! Dr. Alyssa Lanzi will be presenting "Dementia Prevention and Wellness: Maximizing Independence in Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment" via Zoom on Saturday, November 7. The workshop is free to alumni, current externship supervisors, and current students. Please see the details below!

Christina Corso is an SLP alumnus from 2008 who is recruiting participants for her dissertation study. Please share this information with anyone who may be eligible. Thanks!

Today, our NSSLHA chapter participated in Apraxia Kid's virtual Walk for Apraxia. The wonderful officers did a great job of organizing a safe event (and providing doughnuts!) Thanks to all of the NSSLHA members who showed up, walked and/or donated! As a team, Duquesne raised over $1,400! WAY TO GO! A special shout out to Dr. Sarah Wallace for mapping out some special routes throughout the city!