Joseph (Joe) Ashenden, SLPD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. In this role, his primary responsibilities include providing clinical education and classroom teaching in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Ashenden joined the department from Pittsburgh Public schools, where he served as a speech-language pathologist for students in grades kindergarten through 12. His clinical and research interests are focused on educational speech-language pathology and teaching and learning in the field of communication science and disorders. Ashenden received his doctorate in speech-language pathology from Northwestern University.
Dr. Ashenden will present Providing School-Specific Supervision Using a Learner-Centered Lens on Friday, April 12.
Kendrea Garand, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a Doctor of Clinical Science in Medical Speech-Language Pathology (CScD) from the University of Pittsburgh, and a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She then completed her post-doctoral fellowship at MUSC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. She has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for more than 15 years, and she is recognized as a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) and Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S). She currently is the vice chair for the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and editor of ASHA Perspectives of the Special Interest Groups (SIG 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders). Her research predominantly involves studying the impact of healthy aging, neurodegenerative disease and obstructive sleep apnea on swallowing function and responsiveness to targeted interventions. She has approximately 60 peer-reviewed publications, and you may find some of her work in Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, Rheumatology, Muscle & Nerve, Dysphagia, Sleep & Breathing, and the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
Jim Coyle, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches courses in the Master’s Program in Speech-Language Pathology and courses in the SLP Clinical Doctorate Program. He also supervises undergraduate and graduate student dysphagia research. Dr. Coyle evaluates patients and teaches clinical practicum at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals and is funded by the NIH to investigate the use of technology and signal processing in the screening and treatment of dysphagia. Other research includes the effects of exercise in relating dysphagia caused by radiation therapy for head and neck cancer and investigation of brain networks related to swallowing function. He’s a Fellow of ASHA and received the University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2016.
Drs. Garand and Coyle will present Your Social Media Clinical Questions Answered!, Parts 1 and 2 on Thursday, April 11.
Leah Fabiano, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor and director of the PhD program in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests focus on phonological development and disorders in bilingual Spanish-English speaking children and clinical issues related to racially and ethnically minoritized children.
Dr. Fabiano will present The Bilingual IEP Meeting Toolkit: How to Advocate for Language Access on Friday, April 12.
Ali Lewandowski, MA, CCC-SLP, is assistant professor and director of the undergraduate program in Communication Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Lewandowski joined the CSD department in 2021 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology where she served as a voice specialized speech-language pathologist at the UPMC Voice Center and now continues to serve as a Clinical Instructor to SLP graduate students. She is also a proud alum of Pitt’s Communication Science and Speech-Language Pathology programs.
Ms. Lewandowski will present Finding Your Path: Transitioning From Student to Clinician on Thursday, April 11 and Early Career Panel: A Collection of Lessons, Advice and Cautionary Tales on Friday, April 12.
Donald L MacLennan, MA, CCC-SLP, served as speech-language pathologist (SLP) and chief of the Speech Pathology Section at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center where he provided specialty care in cognitive rehabilitation to Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members for nearly 40 years. He has frequently collaborated with VA leadership, the Department of Defense and private-sector settings to identify best practice in cognitive rehabilitation and share those findings with SLPs in the field through more than 150 conferences, workshops and webinars. In 2008, he received the Association of VA Clinical Speech-Language Pathologists Clinician of the Year for his role in developing VA’s National Polytrauma Rehabilitation Program, which provides inpatient transitional rehabilitation services assisting Veterans and Service Members to return to community roles including return to work and school.
Mr. MacLennan will present The Case for Dynamic Coaching: Application to EBP and PBE and The Case for Dynamic Coaching: It’s Not About Workbooks on Thursday, April 11 and The Case for Dynamic Coaching: Motivation is Key and The Case for Dynamic Coaching: Dynamic Coaching in Action on Friday, April 12.
Maegan Mapes, AuD, CCC-A, has more than 25 year’s experience in the field of audiology. She worked in many settings such as ENT practices, private practice, schools, nursing homes, hospitals and for Oticon. Dr. Mapes has been involved in many different aspects of audiology in those settings from treatment, to practice management and on the academic side. Dr. Mapes is currently an assistant professor at Penn State University. Her clinic interests include central auditory processing evaluation and treatment, education of future audiologists and providing sustainable treatment to patients in need across the world.
Dr. Mapes will present Dissecting Uncommon CAPD Cases on Friday, April 12.
Lissa Power-deFur, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is a professor emeritus at Longwood University where she served as program director, department chair and interim dean. She taught the speech sound disorders graduate class and supervised graduate students. She previously worked as a special education administrator at the Virginia Department of Education and as a clinician in school, early intervention and rehabilitation settings. She has offered more than 200 presentations and 35 publications and is an active volunteer in the professions. She has been honored to serve on the board of the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia for more than 10 years and serve on the ASHA Board of Directors. In her free time, Lissa enjoys her garden and time with her grandchildren.
Dr. Power-deFur will present Become a Speech Sound Detective to Improve Your Students’ Performance and Vibrant Assessment Techniques That Support Special Education Eligibility Determination on Thursday, April 11.
Pamela Smith, PhD, CCC-SLP, has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in swallowing and other acquired disorders at a number of universities over the past 25 years. Retired from Bloomsburg University, she has recently worked as an adjunct professor at Ohio University, Moravian University and the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.
Dr. Smith will present Informed Consent: How We Got Here and Why It Matters and Social and Nutritional Aspects of Dysphagia on Friday, April 12.