Nina Benway, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a postdoctoral fellow in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Maryland – College Park. Her interdisciplinary training emphasizes speech signal processing, data science, machine learning, evidence-based clinical practice and clinical trial science. The breadth of this skillset positions Dr. Benway as an expert in the full lifecycle of responsibly developed, efficacious clinical speech technologies for artificial intelligence-assisted evidence-based practice.
Nina Benway will present Current Evidence-Based Practice and Future Possibilities for Artificial Intelligence in Speech Therapy on Friday, March 21.
Matthew Ford, MS, CCC-SLP, serves as the clinical coordinator of the Cleft-Craniofacial Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He is the hospital’s most senior provider of cleft and craniofacial services. Mr. Ford specializes in evaluation and treatment of structurally related speech production disorders and feeding and swallowing in the cleft and craniofacial population. He is a field instructor for multiple universities in the local region. He serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Duquesne University a role he has been in for 20 years. He participates in ongoing research with individuals affected by cleft and craniofacial anomalies and has lectured both nationally and internationally. Mr. Ford has many peer-reviewed publications and has contributed to multiple book chapters focusing on cleft and craniofacial anomalies. He has served as treasurer on the board of the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Cleft Palate Clinics. He currently is the chair of the Family Resources Committee for the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association.
Matthew Ford will present Multidisciplinary Habilitation of Individuals With Orofacial Clefts on Friday, March 21.
Jessica Huber, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor of communicative disorders and sciences at the University at Buffalo and serves as the department chair. The aim of her National Institutes of Health funded research program is to develop and test interventions for speech and voice problems in older adults with and without neurodegenerative diseases (like Parkinson’s disease) and to translate findings to clinical treatment. She is the inventor of a small, wearable device, the SpeechVive device, to treat communication impairments in people with Parkinson’s disease. She has a particular interest in understanding the impact of treatments on physiologic support for speech and effort. Her current research continues to examine how speech and cognition are changed by neurodegenerative diseases and how treatment impacts communication and speech physiology.
Jessica Huber will present Treatment of Speech in Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease on Thursday, March 20.
Alyssa Lanzi, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor and speech-language pathologist in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Delaware. She is on the Executive Committee for the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research in the College of Health Sciences and is a member of the Partnership for Healthy Communities Executive Team at the University of Delaware. Dr. Lanzi has dedicated her clinical research career to providing older adults education on brain health and dementia and helping rehabilitation health professionals treat functional cognitive deficits that result from Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD).
Alyssa Lanzi will present Counseling+ Activities: Empowering SLPs as Leaders in Dementia Prevention and Wellness on Friday, March 21.
Maegan Mapes, AuD, CCC-A, is an assistant professor at Penn State University. Dr. Mapes has more than 25 years of experience in the field of audiology. She worked in many settings such as ENT practices, private practice, schools, nursing homes and hospitals. Dr. Mapes would like to focus on auditory processing diagnosis and treatment with a concentration on patients with concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Her research interests include central auditory processing evaluation and treatment and implementation of auditory brainstem testing in the central auditory processing test battery.
Maegan Mapes will present Navigating Central Auditory Processing Disorder: A Comprehensive Review and Case Analysis on Thursday, March 20.
Kimberly Morrow, LCSW, a dedicated LCSW, brings more than three decades of compassionate expertise to her practice in Erie, Pennsylvania. Holding a master’s in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kimberly has honed her specialization in guiding individuals through the challenges of anxiety and OCD. Her commitment extends beyond her clinic, as she has been enlightening professionals on effective treatment methods for these disorders for more than 15 years. She is co-owner of AnxietyTraining.com, an online program to train therapists and school personnel on evidence-based treatments for anxiety and OCD. She has authored the book: Face It and Feel It: 10 Simple (But Not Easy) Ways To Live Well With Anxiety and co-authored a workbook for clinicians: CBT for Anxiety: A Step-By-Step Training Manual for the Treatment of Fear, Panic, Worry and OCD
Kimberly Morrow will present Embracing Discomfort: Learning How to Effectively Help Children With Anxiety on Thursday, March 20.
Jonathan Preston, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an ASHA fellow and a professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Syracuse University. His research focuses on neurolinguistically-motivated and evidence based treatments for speech sound disorders. He is currently involved in multiple clinical trials to study treatments for children with persisting speech sound errors as well as childhood apraxia of speech.
Jonathan Preston will present Treating School-Age Speech Sound Disorders With Speech Motor Chaining on Friday, March 21.
Beth Skidmore, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, FACRM, is an occupational therapist and rehabilitation scientist with expertise in neurological rehabilitation. Dr. Skidmore’s research studies examine rehabilitation intervention elements that stimulate cognitive function, reduce depressive symptoms and apathy, reduce disability and promote healthy levels of activity and participation after acquired brain injury and stroke. These studies have refined the implementation of meta-cognitive strategy instruction and behavioral activation approaches in inpatient, outpatient and community rehabilitation settings. Dr. Skidmore consults with practitioners, health systems and scientists representing a breadth of disciplines and serving various clinical populations; she provides guidance on intervention program design, specification, implementation and fidelity. In addition to being a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, she is also associate dean for research for the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Beth Skidmore will present Optimizing Rehabilitation for People with Cognitive Impairments on Friday, March 21.
Kristen West, EdD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor and assistant chairperson in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at PennWest University. Clinically, Kristen has experience in a variety of pediatric settings including early intervention, pediatric acute care, outpatient and school-based services. Prior to joining PennWest, she helped establish a public-school feeding program and served as a feeding consultant for the same program. Kristen is also a member and volunteer for SIG-13, PSHA, Feeding Matters and ASHA. She serves as the ASHA CoA SLP member for Pennsylvania. Kristen is passionate about advocating for feeding and swallowing services for children and their families across the continuum of care.
Kristen West will present Evidence-Based Interventions for Toddlers and Children With Pediatric Feeding Disorders and Dysphagia on Saturday, March 22.