News Archive

The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Western Michigan University is pleased to share accomplishments and updates on its faculty, staff, students and alumni.

4th Annual Max & Lisa Herrera Memorial Golf Outing
All proceeds benefit the memorial scholarship established in their name at Western Michigan University. The outing is Saturday, July 8, and is a four person scramble with a 9 a.m. shotgun start at  Ridgeview Golf Course. The day will include a silent auction, raffle and meal to follow. The cost is $65 per golfer, which includes golf, cart and meal. Click here for printable brochure.

2016 Van Riper Lectures
The 2016 Van Riper Lecture will take place Friday, Sept. 30, at Fetzer Center. The topic is Communication: The Lived Experience, and we are very excited about our two speakers -- Michael Turner, documentary filmmaker and director of "The Way We Talk," and Gael Hannan, author of "How I Hear It." More information.

NSSLHA Fundraiser
On Sept. 29, 2016, the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) WMU chapter hosted a screening of Michael Turner's film, The Way We Talk, at KVCC. A reception and discussion with the filmmaker followed. The screening was a fundraiser for Camp Shout Out, a camp for youth who stutter that is hosted near Muskegon, Michigan each summer. More information.

SPPA Student Wins Best Honors Thesis Award
Autumn Kearney, an honors student majoring in speech pathology and audiology, won the WMU Best Honors Thesis Award for Spring 2016.  Autumn completed her thesis under the direction of Dr. Yvette Hyter.  Autumn's thesis was based on the project that she completed through the study abroad program in Senegal, which is co-led by Dr. Hyter.  Autumn is the second SPPA student to receive this award while working under the direction of Dr. Hyter.

Increase your aphasia awareness
Aphasia, a communication disorder that affects a person’s ability to use and process speech, is quite common, with about two million Americans living with it and upwards of 80,000 Americans acquiring the disorder each year. However, many people are not aware of it. June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, and the Aphasia Communication Enhancement Program in the Charles Van Riper Language, Speech and Hearing Clinic is observing the month with the National Aphasia Association and Lingraphica, a health care technology company. To increase your aphasia awareness please visit Faces of Aphasia and also view this video.

Faculty Member chosen for ASHA Pathways program
Dr. Robin Criter was among a handful of early career researchers selected from the around the country to participate in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) Pathways Program.  According to ASHA, "The role of the Pathways program is to mentor early-career clinical scientists in developing strong foundations for independent research careers. To this end, Pathways assists participants with developing a five-year research career plan, acculturating to a research career, building a publication record, and learning about funding mechanisms appropriate to this career stage. The specific goal of the program is to prepare eligible candidates to become competitive applicants for NIDCD R03 or K23 awards. It is intended as an initial step to enhance the training, retention, and funding success of clinical scientists in CSD, with the ultimate goal of advancing the evidence base of the discipline."

AuD student wins award
Hannah Hodges, a graduate student in the Doctor of Audiology program, was awarded a Graduate Student Research Grant by the WMU Graduate College.  Ms. Hodges' faculty mentor is Dr. Robin Criter.

Newsletter available
A Fall 2014 issue of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Network News is available.

Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology forms alumni board
With the leadership of Donna Oas ’66, the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology has recently formed an alumni board. Emeritae Mary Ida Hunt and Karen Seelig, alumna Logan Brown, and current faculty member Kathy Hillenbrand served with Oas on a planning committee, which met to develop goals and procedures for the board.

2014 Van Riper Lecture Series
Oct. 9 and 10, 2014

Whistles may harm hearing, study shows
A study by audiology graduate student Nathan Williams and professor Gregory Flamme shows that referees were much more likely to report symptoms of ringing in the ears and trouble hearing than people of the same age in the general population. The study, "Sports Officials’ Hearing Status: Whistle Use as a Factor Contributing to Hearing Trouble," was published in January in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. 

Photo of Yvette Hyter.Professor Hyter honored as American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Fellow
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology professor Yvette D. Hyter was honored as a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association at the association’s 2013 convention in November.