DESK FROM THE

Mark Guiberson, PhD, CCC-SLP Summer 2023

Dear friends,

Welcome to the 2023 Division of Communication Disorders Newsletter!

We are thrilled to share the latest updates, achievements, and innovations within our dynamic academic community. From remarkable support to outstanding faculty and student awards, as well as continued innovations in clinical practice and training, there is much to celebrate.

We are delighted to announce a major gift to the Steve Elliott Scholarship in Communication Disorders. This scholarship, established by UW Speech & Hearing Clinic patron, Steve Elliott, provides financial support to deserving students pursuing studies in speech-language pathology. Steve’s lifelong friends, Paul and Judy Lerwick, endowed this scholarship in 2015 and have continued to build the scholarship portfolio over the last ten years. With this new gift, the Division has the flexibility to offer a Steve Elliott UW Speech & Hearing Clinic Graduate Assistantship. UW Speech Clinic Director, Corri Sandoval, was thrilled to hear about this new graduate assistantship. “We are very excited to have the Steve Elliott Speech and Hearing Clinic Graduate Assistantship to support day-to-day processes in the clinic as well as assistance with externship and offcampus clinical placements.” Last year, several alumni contributed to the Steve Elliott Scholarship in Communication Disorders. These funds go directly to our students, just as Steve would have wanted.

We would like to acknowledge our faculty and students for their outstanding achievements and recognitions this past year! As you’ll see in the newsletter, several of our esteemed faculty members have received awards and funding. Likewise, our students have been flourishing and earning welldeserved recognition for their academic accomplishments. These achievements not only reflect the expertise and dedication of our faculty and students but also demonstrate our Division’s reputation as a leader in cutting-edge research and education.

In addition to scholarly achievements, we are thrilled to highlight the innovative practices taking place at the UW Speech & Hearing Clinic. Our clinic has continued to embrace advancements in technology and evidence-based treatments, providing students with invaluable learning opportunities and ensuring the highest quality of care for our clients. From the implementation of telepractice to electronic medical records and the use of virtual reality (VR) in clinical training, our clinic remains at the forefront of innovations in clinical pedagogy and practice.

This Spring, the faculty updated the Division of Communication Disorders’ Vision and Mission statements as part of our strategic planning.

Vision: Our vision is to be a program of excellence with cutting-edge research, exceptional teaching and learning, and state-of-the-art clinical programs.

Mission: Our mission is to advance the science behind practice, develop practiceready speech-language pathologists

4 2023-24 Steve Elliott Speech and Hearing

4 ComDis Welcomes Back Amy Peterson

5 Clinician’s Corner: Hannah Young

6 CHS Award: Katelyn Kotlarek to serve the communication needs of individuals from all backgrounds, and to elevate diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession.

Our dedicated faculty, exceptional students, and hardworking staff are fully committed to turning these plans into reality! We encourage you to stay connected and informed about the latest developments by following our Division faculty publications and engaging with us on social media.

As we conclude this newsletter, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation to our alumni and friends for their unwavering support, dedication, and passion for UW and the Division of Communication Disorders. We hope you have found this newsletter both informative and inspiring, and we encourage you to share your success stories and provide suggestions for future editions by reaching out to us at comdis@ uwyo.edu OR complete this electronic form. We also extend an invitation to those interested in mentoring a graduate student and contributing to the growth of future speech-language pathologists. Our

7 An Interview with 2022

Distinguished Alumna, Marisa Yagi

8 Awards, Achievements & Acknowledgments

10 2023 University of Wyoming

Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award: Samantha Power

11 NSSLHA Year in Review

12 Congratulations Graduates

MS SLP graduate students complete three off-campus rotations, and we provide supervisors an honorarium. We eagerly await your response and look forward to hearing from you!

Wishing you a fantastic school year and fall season,

Mark Guiberson

Division Director, Professor

University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences

Division of Communication Disorders, Dept. 3311 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071 (307) 766-6427 • email: comdis@uwyo.edu www.uwyo.edu/comdis/

Mark Guiberson, Division Director and Professor

Brandi Hecker, Accountant, Staff Supervisor

Mark Belcher, Marketing & Communication Specialist