Twenty-one SLP gradu-
ate students and Professor
Cindy Grazio attended the
American Speech-Language
and Hearing Association’s
Convention, held in down-
town Philadelphia on No-
vember 17-20, 2010. The
convention experience al-
lowed the students to learn
new information and to
strengthen their profes-
sional knowledge in the
speech-language and hear-
ing fields. The students
spent three days attending
a variety of lectures, visit-
ing product exhibit and ca-
reer fair booths, viewing
poster sessions, and talking
with specialists and poten-
tial employers. Many stu-
dents also took advantage
of the opportunity view the
historical sites that Phila-
delphia offers, including
Independence Hall that
houses the Liberty Bell and
Betsy Ross’s home.
(continued on page 5)
ASHA in Philadelphia
As the fall semester comes to a close,
the Speech-Language Pathology depart-
ment is packing up its offices and the
Leader Clinic. The department is relocat-
ing to the new Human Resources Building
with the Nursing program for the spring
2011 semester!
The new building, located along the
southwest edge of Mallory Lake, offers
many opportunities for academic learning
and professional development. The SLP
department is located on the second floor,
which houses a classroom-seminar work-
shop room equipped with the latest teach-
ing technology, a graduate student work-
room, and a graduate student library-
preparation room. There are eight faculty
offices, including two for the clinic direc-
tor and the program director near the
front of the clinic. The clinic lobby is
equipped with a play area for clients as
they wait with young children. The clinic
has six treatment rooms, plus an adult
treatment room, a pediatric treatment
room, a fluency lab, an audiometric testing
room, and an instrument lab with repair
shop. The therapy rooms offer private
observation areas so families can view
treatment sessions without interruption.
In addition, the therapy rooms are wired
for DVD recording for reviewing and stor-
ing treatment sessions.
The SLP department is excited to open
a new chapter in its program, as treatment
services begin in the Human Resources
Building. New Human Resource Building
We’re Moving!
Fall 2010
Volume 2, Issue 1
Cochlear Connection
Inside this issue:
New Faces at Leader 2-4
Alumni News/Awards 4
ASHA in Philly 5
Alumni Conference 6
Scholarships 7
NSSLHA News 7
Program Statistics 7
Edinboro
University of PA
Created by Rosa Gerber
Edited by Dr. Char Molrine
2nd Year Placements 8
The Leader Clinic welcomes Amy Jacobs as a clinic supervisor for the fall semester. She has been a site supervisor at Meadville Medical Clinic for the past 15 years, during which she managed more than 20 students from the EUP speech-language pathology program.
Mrs. Jacobs has a MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Clarion University and holds her CCC-SLP. She treats people of all ages, in-cluding the pediatric and geriatric populations. She has special inter-ests in school-age children with auditory processing disorders and
adults suffering with dysphagia (swallowing difficulty).
Mrs. Jacobs cur-rently works part-time at Meadville Medical Center, where she has been employed for 18 years. At MMC, she works in acute care, inpatient rehab, transi-tional care, and outpa-tient therapy.
Through her experi-ence in supervising stu-dents at the Leader Clinic, Mrs. Ja-cobs says, “I love to see the clini-cians grow into knowledgeable and
competent speech-language pa-thologists. I hope that as their clinical supervi-sor I can help them be-come successful speech-language pa-thologists.”
Mrs. Jacobs lives with her husband, Duane, and two chil-dren, Sarah (age 17) and Logan (age 14). She takes pride in be-ing very involved in her
children’s lives, including being a “super sports” mom, an activities coordinator, and a “whip up some-thing fast” chef.
language pathology from Kent State University. She specializes in working with young children using a family-based ap-proach to interven-tion. She currently operates a private practice in Erie. Many of the chil-dren that she treats have an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and she is inter-
Julie Haas has served as tempo-rary faculty in the SLP department at Edinboro University for several years. This year, she is teaching Communication across the Lifespan for undergraduate students and leading the second half of the se-mester for the graduate course Lan-guage Disorders, while Dr. Leigh is on maternity leave.
Professor Haas received her BA in psychology from Allegheny Col-lege and her MA in speech-
ested in working with children with a Central Auditory Proc-essing Disorder. Pro-fessor Haas has also served as a volunteer on a cleft palate team for over 15 years.
Professor Haas lives with her husband in North East. They have three children and an Old English Sheep dog.
Julie Haas
New Faces around Leader Clinic
Psychology Department Secretary, as a temporary secretary for the Campus Police, and on the custo-
dial staff.
After working in the Psychology Depart-ment for the last 24 years, Linda felt ready for a new challenge. She has a bachelors of arts in Psychology with a minor History and feels the new po-sition of Leader Clinic
is a great fit to utilize her education and to continue to be involved with the students and faculty. Her warm smile and friendly personality help create a welcoming environment for the Leader Clinic.
Linda has been happily married to her husband, Roger, for nearly 33 years. They have two children, Josh and Allie, and one grandson, Kyler. She lives in Edinboro and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also enjoys travel-ing, boating on Edinboro Lake,
Over the summer, the Leader Clinic welcomed Linda Davis as the new secretary for the Speech-Language De-partment. Linda has worked at EUP for 28 years, as the
Linda Davis
Amy Jacobs
Page 2 Cochlear Connection
Dr. Janet Trychin joins the Speech-Language Pathology department this fall to supervise hearing screenings throughout Erie County and to aid with the Early Intervention Class. She specializes in early intervention, aural rehabilitation, educational audiology, and assistive equipment.
Professor Trychin earned bache-lors and masters degrees from San Jose State University and completed her doctorate in Audiology at the Uni-versity of Florida. She completed her ASHA certification as CCC-A, received her license in three states (PA, CA, and VA), and is certified for a rehabili-tation teaching in California. From the University of Florida, Dr. Trychin
received the Mark Phelan Memorial Scholarship Award for Excellence in Academic Achievement and the Achievement Award from Sweetwater Optimist Club in San Diego.
Currently working at the Gertrude Barber Na-tional Institute’s Early In-tervention Program, Pro-fessor Trychin previously served on the faculty at Howard University in Washington, DC, and at the University of Akron. She worked in the San Diego and Monterey County School Districts in California and had private practice on Bainbridge Island and in Seattle.
Professor Trychin’s husband, Sam Trychin, is a psychology professor at
Penn State Behrend in Erie and is hearing impaired. For the past 25 years, he has specialized in group work with people who have hearing loss and their families through a program he devel-oped, Living with Hearing Loss.
Not having taught a class at Edinboro University before,
Professor Trychin said she loved be-ing in a room with students who are interested in a variety of aspects of communication.
ogy from Edinboro University. She specializes in pediatric feeding and swallowing, sensory integration dys-
function, and nutrition and cognition. The married mother of two children also has continuing education credits to-wards a mas-ter of arts de-gree in Holistic Nutrition.
Mrs. Rupert currently works at the Meadville Medical Center. Previ-ously, she served in both the pro-gressive care unit and long term care unit at Hamot Medical Center and in long term care at Nova Care. She has also been self employed, specializing in accent reduction and, through AFLAC, in early interven-tion.
Mrs. Rupert is excited to be sharing her early intervention ex-periences with graduate students in the Leader Clinic at Edinboro Uni-versity.
Regina Rupert joins the Speech-Language Pathology team as a clinic supervi-sor with emphasis on early intervention for the fall semester.
Having earned her CCC-SLP credentials, Mrs. Rupert completed her bachelor of science de-gree in Speech Pathology from Indiana University and her master of arts in Speech-Language Pathol-
worked as an SLP for the past 20 years in various settings, in-cluding rehab for brain injury at Lake Erie Institute of Re-habilitation, hospital at St. Vincent’s, and skilled nursing facilities.
In working
Christine (Chris) Shumaker joins the speech-language pathology de-partment as a supervisor for the Leader Clinic during the fall semes-ter. She is serving as an augmenta-tive/alternative communication (AAC) consultant with two graduate student clinicians with AAC clients.
Mrs. Shumaker has a M.S. from Clarion University and holds her PA license and CCC-SLP/L. Her primary area of specialty is AAC. She has
at the Leader Clinic for the fall se-mester, Mrs. Shumaker is excited about expanding the AAC program as the clinic moves into the new building for the spring semester. She is incorporating ongo-ing technology for new child and adult clients.
(continued on page 4)
Chris Schumaker
Janet Trychin
Regina Rupert
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 3
The Speech-Language Pathology De-partment welcomes in-terim professor Dr. Diane Sabo to teach courses in audiology, while Dr. Roy Shinn is on sabbatical.
Dr. Sabo earned her PhD in Audiology from the University of Pitts-burgh and completed her CCC-A credentials. Her specialty is in pediatric audiology. She currently serves as the Director of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Previous honors include PA Department of Health Service Award Excellence for her work in newborn hearing screening. In her free time, Dr. Sabo enjoys cooking and gardening.
During the fall semes-ter, Dr. Sabo is teaching her first two classes at Edinboro University, Audiology for the Speech-Language Pathologist and Introduction to Audi-
ology, with hopes for a good teach-ing-learning experience for all.
The Speech-Language Pathol-ogy department is excited to wel-come Patti Schaal back for the fall semester. Professor Schaal re-turns to the department to teach the Fluency Disorders class. In the past, she had taught the Flu-ency Disorders and Voice Disor-ders classes. She has dedicated most of her career to the treat-ment of fluency disorders, with a focus on stuttering, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experi-
ence to share with students.
Conservatory of Music and Arizona State University and earned his degree in speech pathology from Indiana University. Professor Roth is currently pursuing a PhD in Speech Pathology at the University of Pitts-
burgh. He also sings professionally as a tenor in the Pittsburgh area and maintains an ac-tive private voice studio.
Professor Roth’s areas of research interests are in the laryngeal effects of allergy and the methods by which people learn skilled vocal behaviors.
This fall, Doug Roth joins the Speech-Language Pathology depart-ment to teach the Voice Disorders class. Professor Roth works as a singing voice specialist at UPMC Voice Center.
He holds music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-
The Award for Continuing Education
(ACE) award is given by ASHA to those
individuals who demonstrated a commit-
ment to lifelong learning by earning 7.0
ASHA CEU’s within a 36-month period.
Michelle Franz earned the ACE Award
in 2010. She graduated EUP in 1995
and is currently employed at Aegis
Therapies where she works primarily
with the geriatric population.
The Certification of Clinical Compe-
tence (CCC) is awarded by ASHA to
clinicians who complete a supervised
year of post-graduate clinical work.
Amber Trask earned CCC recognition in
July 2010. She graduated from EUP in
May 2009 and is currently employed by
the Warren County School District,
where she works with the K-12 popula-
tion.
Isaac Joseph Imler was born March 31,
2010, to Jill (Zamierowski) Imler
(graduated 2002) and her husband. He
joins big sister Elizabeth Mary, 2 years
old, and big brother Charles David, 4
years old.
Michele Rundquist-Franz (graduated
1995) celebrated the birth of her
granddaughter, Kayleigh Lorraine, on
September 23, 2010. Kayleigh joins big
brother Emory, 3 years old.
Alumni News
New Faces around Leader Clinic (continued from page 3)
Doug Roth
Diane Sabo Patti Schaal
CCC’s Awarded ACE Award
Cochlear Connection Page 4
Students received substantial mone-
tary support from EUP’s Graduate
Professional Development Program to
help defray the cost of the confer-
ence and trip.
Several students share their ex-
periences:
“ASHA was such a refreshing
experience. It was a rejuvenating
experience to be around expert
SLP's from around the nation with
very different specialties. I found
the exhibitor fair to be particularly
interesting as I was able to talk with
employers and researchers and ob-
serve a variety of new therapy tools
and techniques. The sessions that I
attended really helped me to hone in
on my unique area of interest and
provided me with a wealth of useful
information to use in my future ther-
apy sessions. I am so glad that I
people involved in the
field. My favorite part of
the ASHA Convention was
the NSSLHA Day. Several
informative session were
offered. I went to the
Crash Course on Tech-
niques session, where
graduate students had the
opportunity to talk with
experts in a specialty in a
round-robin setting. Top-
ics included overviews and
techniques for disorders
in voice, fluency, TBI, hearing aids,
cochlear implants, neurogenics, pho-
nology, and autism spectrum disor-
ders.”
-Rosa Gerber, first year graduate
student
“We were very fortunate to have
foundation of the
Susan G. Komen for the Cure and hearing
the ASHA president,
Tommie Robinson,
speak the importance
of leadership . Addi-
tionally, this educa-
tional experience was
coupled with enjoy-
ment from great
shopping and Phila-
delphia’s rich his-
tory.”
-Halley Marchese, sec-
ond year graduate student
“As a first-year graduate student,
attending the 2010 ASHA Convention
was a privileged experience! In only
three days, I was able to learn an
abundance of new information on top-
ics ranging from autism to Alzehim-
of students attend the ASHA confer-
ence in Philadelphia this year. Be-
tween the general
and poster board
sessions and the
exhibit hall and
career fair, an
abundance of func-
tional information
was provided; ulti-
mately motivating
us to excel in our
field. Many great
experiences were
presented for us
such as listening to
Nancy G. Brinker discuss the process
and motivation that led to the
attended and I cannot wait for next
year!”
-Kim Buettner,
first year
graduate stu-
dent
“ASHA was
a great experi-
ence! It was
exciting to see
how expanse
the speech-
language and
hearing fields
are and to hear
about new advances and research be-
ing developed. It was also interesting
to meet so many such a large number
er’s disease. Speaking to represen-
tatives at the career fair was a
great way to network with prospec-
tive employers and gain experience
in professionalism. It was inspiring
to be in the presence of so many
professionals who have such passion
and enthusiasm for their career.
Seeing and listening to the latest
research by the experts of our
field was fascinating. Upon leaving,
I was able to take home not only a
wealth of information and a list of
therapy ideas, but also the ambition
to continue to aim high.”
-Lauren Mehalik, first year gradu-
ate student
ASHA in Philadelphia (continued from page 1)
ASHA in Philadelphia!
First year graduate students Ashley Ar-
nold, Danielle Hyde, and Lauren Mehalik
Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 5
On September 24, the Speech-
Language
Pathology
depart-
ment
hosted the
22nd An-
nual Alumni
Confer-
ence at
Edinboro
Univer-
sity. The
confer-
ence featured two guest speakers.
Dr. Scott Yaruss discussed treat-
ing stuttering in school-age chil-
dren, while Dr. Michelle Bourgeois
spoke about using spaced re-
trieval strategies with people
with dementia. A memorial rec-
ognition and celebration was held
during the conference’s luncheon
in honor of Dr. Frank Johnson.
During the luncheon for the
alumni conference, the depart-
ment honored the late Dr. Francis
“Frank” R. Johnson, the founder of
the Speech and Hearing Disorders
program at EUP, with a plaque in
recognition for his years of service.
Dr. Johnson’s vision and experience
led to the flourishing bachelor and
master degree programs offered
through the university. He was also
actively involved in planning and
equipping an on-campus clinic for
speech and hearing. Dr. Johnson’s
family was present to participate in
the celebration.
November 2010. Dr. Bourgeois de-
scribed of a range of memory and
language deficits
that were treatable
with visual cueing
and applied visual
cueing technology to
problem behaviors in
a variety of settings.
She encouraged cli-
nicians to construct
an assortment of
visual cueing stimuli,
such as memory
books, reminder
cards, memo boards,
etc. Dr. Bourgeois
Dr. Michelle S. Bourgeois
offered her presentations on
Effective Visual and Graphic Memory Cueing Strategies for Clients with Dementia and
Spaced-Retrieval: A Cognitive Intervention to Compensate for Memory Impairments. Dr.
Bourgeois is a professor in
the Speech and Hearing Sci-
ences department at Ohio
State University, and she was
honored as an ASHA Fellow
at the ASHA Convention in
also stressed the importance of un-
derstanding problems with assessing
quality of life in patients with demen-
tia.
Page 6
Dr. Michelle Bourgeois
22nd Annual Alumni Conference
First year grad students Dan-
ielle Franklin & Kailey Lechefsky
Science and Disorders
at the University of
Pittsburgh. The seminar
offered a description of
the nature of stuttering
in school-age children to
foster understanding
and rationale for treat-
ment for clinicians. The
presentation emphasized
the importance of devel-
oping appropriate individual-
ized therapy plans for each
student through diagnostic
and treatment strategies con-
sidering the entirety of the
stuttering disorder. Dr. Ya-
russ provided specific treat-
ment goals and strategies for
generalization of gained skills
in and out of therapy.
Dr. J. Scott Yaruss presented his
short course Practical Treatment Strategies for School-Age Children Who Stutter. Dr. Yaruss is an ASHA
Fellow, board-recognized specialist
and mentor in fluency disorders, and
associate professor and director of
the MA/MS programs in Speech-
Language Pathology/Communication
Dr. Scott Yaruss
Dr. Frank Johnson Memorial
First year grad student
Jessica Barkhurst and
speaker Michelle Bourgeois
Speaker Scott Yaruss
First year grad student Lauren Mehalik,
Kara Dreikorn, and Christina Marquez
Cochlear Connection
During the 22nd Annual Alumni Con-
ference luncheon, two first year gradu-
ate students received scholarships in
recognition of their accomplishments in
the Speech-Language Pathology depart-
ment at Edinboro University.
Danielle Franklin of Panama, NY, was
awarded the Dr. Frank Johnson Schol-
arship, which provides a modest sum to
help with academic expenses. The Dr.
Frank Johnson Scholarship was estab-
lished in 1999 and is presented annually
to a high achieving first year MASLP
student who received a bachelor degree
in SLP from EUP. Dr. Johnson, who
passed away in September 2006, was
instrumental in establishing the under-
graduate program in Speech and Hear-
ing Disorders in 1960, as well as imple-
menting an on-campus clinic.
Kara Dreikorn of Johnstown, PA, was
honored with the Dennis Ranalli Award,
which also provides a modest monetary
amount for school-related costs. The
award is given to an accomplished first
year graduate student who received a
bachelor degree in SLP from EUP. Mr.
Ranalli earned an undergraduate degree
in Speech and Hearing at EUP in the
1970s. He has served on the EUP
Alumni Board and is a member of the
EU Athletic Hall of Fame for tennis.
informational pamphlet was included in
every person’s itinerary folder. During
lunch, club members
collected money for
the purchase of an
SGD, while Dean Terry
Smith gave his entire
presentation using an
SGD to
demon-
strate
how they
operate
and to
increase
awareness
of their use.
On October 23, mem-
bers of the undergraduate
and graduate Speech and
Hearing Club gathered to
participate in RAKE
(Random Acts of Kindness
in Edinboro). The students raked and
bagged leaves around neighborhoods of
Edinboro, working in morning and after-
noon shifts, as a service to the commu-
nity.
In December, club members wrote
letters to soldiers serving overseas to
show support and share holiday cheer.
The club also held its annual banquet at
Nick’s Place to celebrate the successful
semester
with depart-
ment pro-
fessors and
students.
Second year
graduate
students
voted for
each other
on class
superla-
tives, while
first year
graduate
students
voted on TV reality show titles for the
professors. The banquet also served as
a goodbye to the second year students.
On September 25, members of the
EUP Speech and Hearing Club partici-
pated in the
Memory Walk in
Erie to raise
money to bene-
fit the care,
support, and
research ef-
forts of the
Alzheimer’s As-
sociation. Dur-
ing the month of
September, the
club recruited
37 graduate and
undergraduate students of the SLP pro-
gram to fundraise for the event. Mem-
bers of the team joined 425 people for
the Memory Walk and picnic at Liberty
Park in Erie. The EUP team contributed
$563 to the almost $67,000 raised.
During the 22nd Annual Alumni Con-
ference at EUP, the Speech and Hear-
ing Club organized a fundraiser for
Speech Generating Devices (SGD). An
Median NESP Exam Scores:
Performance Range: 600-750
Median Score: 660
National Examination in Speech-
Language Pathology (NESP) 2010:
Number of Students: 20
Number & Percent Passed: 20 (100%)
Program Completion Rate (%):
2010 Graduates: 20/20 (100%)
Employment Placement Rates in
Profession (%):
19/20 (95%)
Program Statistics 2010
First Year Graduates Receive Scholarships
NSSLHA News
NSSLHA chapter officers: Events Coor-
dinator Cayla Zukowski, Treasurer Halley
Marchese, Secretary Laurel McCrory,
and President Kari Allgeier (Vice-
President Stephanie Braun not pictured)
Speech and Hearing Club members par-
ticipate in Memory Walk
Page 7 Volume 2, Issue 1
Student Pediatric Placement Adult Placement
Kari Allgeier Colorado Springs District 11
Colorado Springs, CO
Stephanie Braun Hams Hill Elementary The Buffalo VA Medical Center
Williamsville, NY Buffalo, NY
Teresa Casey West Palm Beach School District Medspeech
West Palm Beach, FL Palm Beach Gardens, FL
JoAnn Cimarolli-Wykoff Chestnut Hill Elem/JS Wilson St. Vincent Health System
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Amy Corbran Wattsburg Elementary Center Hamot Medical Center
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Alisha Dickey University Park Elementary School HealthSouth-Harmarville
Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh, PA
Rachel Dolan Hilliard (OH) School District Riverside Methodist Hospital
Hilliard, OH Columbus, OH
Sara Farley West End Elementary School Meadville Medical Center
Meadville, PA Meadville, PA
Kevin Farr Northwestern Elementary School St. Vincent Health System
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Gina Girt Cochranton Elementary School Meadville Medical Center
Meadville, PA Meadville, PA
Mike Grande Ridgefield Elementary School Hamot Medical Center
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Halley Marchese Ft. LeBoeuf School District Select Specialty
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Laurel McCrory Mount Lebanon School District UPMC-Mercy Hospital
Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh, PA
Deb McMechan Weisman’s Children’s Hospital Lancaster General Hospital
Marlton, NJ Lancaster, PA
Stephanie Pace Iroquois Elementary School Potoker-Hoehn/VA Medical Center
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Danielle Siard Pittsburgh Public Schools UPMC-Shadyside
Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh, PA
Hali Snyder Fairview Elementary School Ashtabula Medical Center
Fairview, PA Ashtabula, OH
Erik Undzius Erie School District HealthSouth-Erie
Erie, PA Erie, PA
Katie Vaughn Maplewood Elementary School HealthSouth-Erie
Townville, PA Erie, PA
Cayla Zukowski Center Valley School District Good Shepard Rehab Hospital
Monaca, PA Allentown, PA
Where are the Second Year Graduate Students Going?