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News and Events

Camp Communicate Now Taking Applications for 2016!

April 13, 2016

Camp Communicate is a one-week, half-day, fun-filled summer camp experience designed for children ages 5-12 years old with speech, language, or hearing disorders.

Join us for
Camp Communicate!

About the Camp:
Camp Communicate is a one-week, half-day, fun-filled summer camp experience designed for children ages 5-12 years old with speech, language, or hearing disorders. Through a variety of group activities, children have opportunities to make new friends, practice communication in a language-rich environment, and most of all, HAVE FUN!

The camp is sponsored by the UNT Speech and Hearing Center. UNT faculty, staff, and graduate students organize and run the camp. Camp Communicate will be held at the North Texas State Fairgrounds, located a few miles north of the UNT campus. Campers are responsible for transportation to and from camp. The cost is $70 per child and includes all activities, snacks, and a camp T-shirt. Limited scholarships and sliding scale options are available.

Daily Activities:
Camp Communicate engages campers in fun-filled theme-based daily activities including games, crafts, and other interactive tasks. Each activity is designed to enhance and encourage communication in all forms and modalities while also ensuring that each camper is fully engaged! Each day is a different theme on which all games and activities will be based. Every camper will
have a counselor assigned specifically to them who will ensure that all activities will uniquely address their individualized communication goals while having a good time at camp!

Location:
North Texas State Fairgrounds
2217 N. Carroll Blvd
Denton, TX 76201
http://www.ntfair.com

Dates: June 8-10, 2016
Time: 9:00-11:30 am
*Drop-off begins at 8:30 am*

Registering for Camp:
To register for camp, please contact Kathy Shelby at
the UNT Speech and Hearing Center at:
(940) 565-2262

Download the
Camp Communicate Brochure or Application

Third-year Au.D. Student Receives the 2016 William F. Austin Scholarship from Starkey Hearing Technologies

March 21, 2016

We’re excited to announce that 3rd-year Au.D. student, Arun Joshi, has been chosen to receive the 2016 William F. Austin Scholarship from Starkey Hearing Technologies. The goal of the program is to support strong candidates pursuing clinical, teaching, and research careers in audiology. Up to six $10,000 scholarships are awarded each year.

Announcement: SPHS and SLP Graduate Student Scholarships Available

January 25, 2016

The UNT Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology has announced that two of its scholarships, the Speech and Hearing Sciences (SPHS) Scholarship and the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Scholarship, are available to apply for. For more information about applying, visit the Scholarships page of the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology website.
 

Speech and Language Pathology Graduate Student Scholarship

Open to graduate students enrolled fulltime in the Speech-Language Pathology program in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, with a 3.0 GPA or above. Typical scholarship awards range from $250-$1000.  The number of competitive awards given each year is dependent on the number of applicants. All eligible students must maintain full time enrollment as established by the University, unless the student is nearing completion of their degree program and does not need full time enrollment.

Speech and Hearing Sciences Scholarship

Open to graduate students in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, with a 3.4 GPA or above who have been admitted to a graduate degree program in the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Typical scholarship awards range from $1,000-$2,000. All eligible students must maintain full time enrollment as established by the University, unless the student is nearing completion of their degree program and does not need full time enrollment.

PACS/TSHA/ASHA announces scholarship recipients: Alyssa Fahrenthold. Crystal Hough, and Brandon Young

January 20, 2016

3 UNT students brought home various scholarships from UNT's College of Public Affairs and Community Service (PACS), the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA), and the Amercan Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHA):

Alyssa Fahrenthold was just awarded a TSHA's Sara Haynes Endowed Scholarship year (close to $5,000, depending on Alyssa's budgets). There is only one recipient for this scholarship each year, and this is the first time a UNT's student received the honor (description below).
 

Sara Haynes Endowed Scholarship Fund

Established in 2001, this scholarship is intended for a full-time student in an accredited speech-language pathology program in the state of Texas who demonstrates specific interest in and commitment to clinical interventions with adults with neurogenic disorders. 
 

Two of Alyssa's cohorts also received high honors from PACS and ASHA, respectively:
 

Brandon Young:  

(1) the 2015 recipient of PACS's service award- William Luker Scholarship ($1,000)

(2) the third place of ASHA's 2015 Student Ethics Essay Award ($250)

Crystal Hough

(1) The recipient of ASHA's 2015 Graduate Student Scholarship ($5,000), which ASHA awards up to 20 students each year.  

Congratulations to our students!

Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) Presents Dr. Amym Amlani Exemplary Service Award

November 30, 2015

During the 2015 ADA Convention, Dr. Amym Amlani was presented the Exemplary Service Award for his outstanding volunteer service to advance ADA's mission. His group worked extensively behind the scenes to conduct environmental scans, gather research, and measure trends within audiology and the entire hearing industry to deliver resources geared to advance the interest of ADA members. 

ADA was founded by nine audology practitioners in 1977, as the Adademy of Dispensing Audiologists. The ADA is directly responsible for the conception of the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree, and catalyzed the movement for the transition of audiology to a doctoring healthcare profession. The ADA offers programming and support to audiologists and students who are or desire to be autonomous practitioners. The annual ADA convention meets each fall to emphasize the business of audiology.

Congratulations to Dr. Amlani for her excellent contributions!

For more information about the ADA, visit: http://www.audiologist.org/

Audiology Student Wins The 2016 AudiologyNOW! Research Submission

November 18, 2015

Audiology student Kyle Harber has been awarded the prestigous honor of being the lead presenter at the 2016 AudiologyNOW! conference for his Student Research Forum, Improving Cognitive Performance through Amplification in Impaired Listeners with Dementia. Kyle is the third student presenter from UNT that has been selected over the past nine years.

The AudiologyNOW! conference will be held on April 13-16th, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information about the American Academy of Audiology, visit: http://www.audiology.org/conferences/audiologynow

Congratulations, Kyle!

Clinical Director Position in Speech-Language Pathology

October 28, 2015

           The Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology is looking for a director specializing in clinical education and services with a teaching component at the academic rank of Senior Lecturer. This nine-month appointment includes an option for summer teaching. The Department offers competitive salary and benefits at a state-of-the-art facility with a comprehensive speech and hearing center.

Responsibilities

  • Leading advances in scholastic and operational endeavors of the Department and the SLP graduate program in the field of clinical education
  • Complying with clinic policies and procedures for the UNT Speech and Hearing Center
  • Overseeing student clinical assignments and client schedules.
  • Encouraging best-practices in student-clinician supervision
  • Supervising clinical faculty and clinic staff
  • Facilitating integration between clinical and academic departmental units
  • Teaching academic courses
  • Supporting clinical research
  • Expanding current clinical services
  • Developing and maintaining community partnerships

Program

The University of North Texas is the fourth largest in the State of Texas and the twenty-fifth largest public university in the United States with a record enrollment of over 37,000 students. The Department has seventeen Faculty members, a state-of-the-art facility, and a comprehensive speech and hearing center. Website: speechandhearing.unt.edu.

Application

Review of applications for the position will begin December 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants should send: 
1) a cover letter addressing how the applicant meets the qualifications
2) a curriculum vitae 
3) three letters of recommendation

Applicant must apply and submit all documentation online at:  https://facultyjobs.unt.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=52156

For inquiries contact:

Chair, Search Committee
Department of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle # 305010
Denton, Texas 76203
Telephone: 940.565.2481
Fax: 940.565.4058
Email: speechandhearing@unt.edu

Lunch with the President and Professional Leadership Program

October 21, 2015

Amal Farooq has been a Student Office Assistant for the Department of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology for years.  Amal is also a member of UNT’s Professional Leadership Program and was recently awarded an opportunity to attend lunch with President Smatresk to be held in November.  The program assigned an exercise among the students in the program to set up a strategy plan for a mock company and present it in front of 3 actual top executives from 3 different companies. The exercise was meant to practice Servant Leadership qualities, including team building and conflict resolution, among pre-assigned student groups.
 
The simulated problem that Amal’s group had received was for a fictitious beauty care company trying to decide whether or not they should market their shampoos to a specific world market, in this case India, and the strategies to be used in order that the company reach their goal of 3% growth within 2 years and investing $50M into strategizing.  After working with her team members for 2 weeks, they decided to suggest that the company invest in India and give them strategies on how to achieve their goal.   Each group gave 2-minute presentations to top executives, who acted as though they were part of the company. The executives rated the presentations, teamwork and conflict resolution skills. An announcement was not made until the presentations were delivered that the team with the highest rating was going to win a prize, and they were going to announce the winner during their field trip at the Frito Lay Headquarters the following Wednesday. At the start of the presentation, they had announced that Amal’s group had won.  They were excited to hear that the prize was a luncheon with President Smatresk at his suite!
 
In Amal’s words, “Being a part of the Professional Leadership Program has been an amazing experience for me, and it has only been a couple months since I have joined. The year-long program is designed “to prepare exceptional students for leadership by supplementing degree competency with executive mentoring, corporate exposures, professional development and key business skills and values”. I have had the opportunity to network with many different professionals and students, and improve many skills, including my presentation, interviewing, team building, and leadership skills. You can find more information regarding the program on their website: https://www.cob.unt.edu/plp/index.php.”
 
Congratulations, Amal!

Graduate Student Awarded American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation Graduate Student Scholarship

October 16, 2015

 

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation has awarded the prestigious Graduate Student Scholarship to UNT graduate student Crystal Hough. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation invites full-time students who will be or who are currently enrolled in a graduate program in communication sciences and disorders to submit applications in competition for graduate scholarships. Scholarships are available to students who are undergraduate seniors or students who are currently pursuing master's or doctoral degrees. The highly competitive process grants twenty $5,000 student scholarships to students involved in graduate study research. Crystal is to have her award officially announced in November at the ASHA convention.

For more information, visit: http://www.ashfoundation.org/grants/Graduate-Student-Scholarship/

UNT Pediatric Audiology Conference 2015 -- “Let’s Hear It For The Kids!”

April 7, 2015

Register at

http://goo.gl/syjwBu

Please register before May 22nd, 2015

Conference Description

The impact of hearing loss on the early development of a child's language, cognition, and social-emotional competence can be pervasive. Early-onset hearing impairment, even of a relatively mild degree, adversely affects communicative, academic, and social success, and, at a later age, limits vocational choices. The audiologist plays a key role in providing services that improve a child’s success. This one-day conference addresses the patient-care of this population ranging from genetic disorders to central auditory processing disorders, and from the benefit provided by amplification and assistive listening devices. Participants will also be presented with case studies in a grand rounds format.

 

CEU Information

This program has been submitted for approval of 7.0 clock hours of continuing education credit by the Texas Speech‐Language‐Hearing Association (TSHA). TSHA approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

 

Conference Location
Auditorium, Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building (EESAT)

University of North Texas Campus, Denton, Texas

Maps and other details will be sent to registrants via email.

 

 

Presenter Objectives

 

  1. Jeff Martin, Ph.D.
    1. Title:
      1. Complexities in APD Diagnosis: Directions for Future Research
    2. Description:
      1. The presenter will discuss a collection of auditory processing disorder evaluations, factors that impact patients’ performance during evaluation, and the role of objective measures paired with auditory processing disorder diagnosis.
        1. Identify potential strengths and weaknesses of auditory evoked potential testing in APD diagnosis.
    3. Objectives:
      1. Following this presentation, attendees will be able to:
        1. Identify strengths and limitations of commonly used diagnostic tests for APD.
        2. Recognize how non-auditory-specific factors can influence tests of dichotic listening.
        3. Identify potential strengths and weaknesses of auditory evoked potential testing in APD diagnosis.

  1. Ryan McCreery, Ph.D.
    1. Title:
      1. How Can We Improve Outcomes for Children Who Wear Hearing Aids?
    2. Description:
      1. The presenter will identify methods of measuring hearing aid use and performance for children with hearing aids, the role hearing aids has on development, and will provide methods to elicit ideal hearing aid use for young patients.
    3. Objectives:
      1. Following this presentation, attendees will be able to:
        1. Implement clinical processes to monitor aided audibility and hearing aid use for children who wear hearing aids.
        2. Describe the impact of hearing aid characteristics on development in children.
        3. Resolve challenges associated with establishing and maintaining hearing aid use in children.

 

  1. Aparna Rao, Ph.D.
    1. Title:
      1. Genetics of Hearing Loss
    2. Description:
      1. The presenter will discuss the genetic epidemiology of hearing loss and a multitude of syndromes associated with hearing loss as well as nonsyndromic genetic hearing loss. The presentation will also provide a model for conducting a hearing evaluation with a child with hearing loss.
    3. Objectives:
      1. Following this presentation, attendees will be able to:
        1. Identify the genetic epidemiology of hearing loss.
        2. Describe common syndromic and nonsyndromic forms of genetic hearing loss.
        3. Describe an approach to the clinical evaluation of a child with hearing loss.

 

  1. Virginia Ramachandran, Au.D., Ph.D. 
    1. Title:
      1. Diagnostic Pediatric Grand Rounds
    2. Description:
      1. The presenter will identify age-related factors, which impact pediatric patients’ evaluation results. The presenter will also discuss the importance of the cross-check principle when diagnosing pediatric patients and will discuss a collection of test strategies as well as the accompanying pros and cons. 
    3. Objectives:
      1. Following this presentation, attendees will be able to:
        1. Describe age-related factors to be aware of in interpreting test results of infants.
        2. Explain the importance of the cross-check principle in diagnosis of hearing loss in infants and children.
        3. Describe the benefits and limitations of various test strategies for arriving at accurate diagnosis of hearing in infants and young children.

  1. Erin Schafer, Ph.D.
    1. Title:
      1. Current Hearing Assistance Technology (HAT) Recommendations for Children with Hearing Loss and Auditory Disorders
    2. Description:
      1. The presenter will discuss the use of and research which supports hearing aid technology in children with Language Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder, and Dyslexia.
    3. Objectives:
      1. Following this presentation, attendees will be able to:
        1. List research evidence to support the use of HAT in children Language Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder, and Dyslexia.
        2. Describe the most up-to-date research evidence to support HAT in children using hearing aids.
        3. Report the most up-to-date research evidence to support HAT in children using cochlear implants.

Conference Presenters

 

  1. Erin Schafer, Ph.D.
    1. Erin Schafer is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas in the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. She teaches courses and publishes peer-reviewed research on the assessment and (re)habilitation of adults and children with hearing loss or auditory disorders. She currently services as the Editor of the Journal of Educational Audiology, has worked as an educational audiologist, and continues to provide consulting services to local school districts. In 2013, she was awarded the Cheryl Deconde Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Educational and Pediatric Audiology.

 

  1. Virginia Ramachandran, Au.D., Ph.D. 
    1. Virginia Ramachandran, Au.D., Ph.D., is a senior staff audiologist and research coordinator in the Division of Audiology, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Ramachandran also coordinates the clinical education experiences of the audiology students at Wayne State University where she is an adjunct assistant professor. She is past-president of the Michigan Academy of Audiology and serves as a member-at-large of the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education. 
  1. Ryan McCreery, Ph.D.
    1. Ryan McCreery, Ph.D. is the Director of Audiology and Director of the Audibility, Perception and Cognition Laboratory at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Ryan’s research explores the factors that influence speech recognition in children with normal hearing and those who wear hearing aids.  Ryan is a co-investigator on the Outcomes for School-Age Children who are Hard of Hearing (OSACHH) multi-center research study, which documents audiological and developmental outcomes for a large cohort of school-age children who wear hearing aids. 
  1. Aparna Rao, Ph.D.
    1. Aparna Rao is an assistant professor in the department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She teaches courses in pediatric audiology, aural rehabilitation and hearing assessment. Her research interests are in the areas of auditory evoked potentials and otoacoustic emissions. Her passions include volunteering for professional organizations and humanitarian work in audiology.

 

  1. Jeffrey Martin, Ph.D.
    1. Jeffrey Martin received his PhD in 2006 from the University of Texas at Dallas in Communication Sciences and Disorders. In 2007, Dr. Martin joined the audiology UTD faculty in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Dr. Martin currently is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program and serves as the Head of Audiology at the UTD Callier Center for Communication Disorders. Dr. Martin teaches several graduate courses and serves as a research mentor to students in the AuD and PhD programs. Dr. Martin's research focuses on the behavioral and electrophysiological study of individuals with listening-related problems believed to arise from difficulties in how the brain processes information. Past research studies by Dr. Martin and colleagues focusing on the complexities of central auditory assessment and diagnosis have been recognized by the Hearing Journal (2005, 2007) as being one of the top peer-reviewed research articles appearing in the hearing science and audiology literature. More recent research activities have focused on the development of different behavioral test paradigms to be used in diagnosis, particularly the electrophysiological assessment of dichotic listening function. Dr. Martin serves as a co-investigator on a clinical trial evaluating the use of vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of tinnitus.  

Schedule of Events

7:00a--8:00a  -  Registration and Continental Breakfast; Exhibit Hall is Open

8:00a--8:15a  -  Opening Remarks, Arun Joshi: SAA President

8:15a--9:30a  -  Jeff Martin, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Dallas

9:30a--9:45a  -  Break

9:45a--11:00a - Ryan McCreery, Ph.D., Boys Town  National Research Hospital

11:00a-12:30a - Aparna Rao, Ph.D., The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

12:30p--1:45p – Lunch/Exhibit Hall is Open

1:45p--3:15p  -  Virginia Ramachandran, Au.D., Ph.D., Henry Ford Health System

3:15p--3:30p  -  Break

3:30p--4:45p  -  Erin Schafer, Ph.D., The University of North Texas

4:45p - Closing Remarks, Participant Questions, and Discussion About the Educational Sessions

5:15p - Exhibit Hall Closes

Conference Fees

Students – Free

Professionals - $50

Checks payable to UNT-SAA.

A parking pass, breakfast, lunch, and the pre-conference social gathering are provided with registration.

 

 

 

**PAYMENT INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS**

Your registration is NOT complete until you’ve (1) registered online AND (2) UNT-SAA has received your payment. You will receive a confirmation only after we’ve received your payment.

Registration form AND payment (checks or money orders only) must be mailed to the following address:

UNT Student Academy of Audiology
Attn: Amyn Amlani, Ph.D.
1155 Union Circle #305010
Denton, TX 76203

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at saa.unt@gmail.com

 

 

**STUDENTS**

Student registration DOES NOT require payment and is complete once you’ve registered online. You will receive a confirmation following your registration online.

Conference fees are supported in part by the generous support of the:

 

Once Upon a Time Foundation

 

We thank our corporate sponsors for exhibiting their products and services:

 

Advanced Bionics

Audigy

Audiology Systems

GN ReSound

MED-EL

Oticon

Phonak

Siemens

Widex

Lunch Options

Turkey, Ham, Veggie (choose 1)

Meal will include cookie, bag of chips, and a pickle.

Refreshments will be provided on-site.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations postmarked by May 15, 2015, will be refunded in full. Cancellations made after May 15, 2015, will be refunded 50% of the registration fee. All cancellations must be made in writing. Refund payments will be made after the conference.

Conference Attire

Business Casual

Hotel Information

A block of rooms is reserved at the Best Western Atrea Crown Chase Inn & Suites. The conference rate is $84/night (+Tax). For reservations, call 877-674- 3172 and use the code “Audiology” or visit the following link http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/groupSearch.do?groupId=H28SF5H7