Candidate for Vice President for Academic Affairs in Audiology
Jane A. Baran, PhD, CCC-A/SLP
ASHA Leader Interview | Video Interview | Video Transcript | All Candidates
Jane A. Baran, Ph.D., CCC-A/SLP, is currently Professor and Chair in the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In addition to the Chair position, she has served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Graduate Program Director and Audiology Clinic Coordinator in the Department of Communication Disorders. Dr. Baran's primary teaching and research interests are in the areas of central auditory processing, auditory evoked potentials, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the auditory system, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She has more than 60 publications on these topics, and she is a frequent presenter at regional, national, and international meetings.
Dr. Baran has been a member of a number of ASHA committees and councils, including the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, the Professional Services Board, the Council on Professional Ethics, and the Board of Ethics. She also has served as both Secretary and President of the Massachusetts Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) and has been a member of a number of other professional committees and boards. She is an ASHA Fellow and has received several awards and honors in recognition of her leadership and professional accomplishments, including ASHA's Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Higher Education, both the Distinguished Service and Honors of the Association awards from MSHA, the Clinical Educator's Award from the American Academy of Audiology, a Pew National Fellowship for Carnegie Scholars, and a number of teaching awards and fellowships from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Dr. Baran earned BA and MA degrees in communication disorders from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a PhD degree in audiology and speech sciences from Purdue University. She also recently participated in the HERS-Bryn Mawr Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration.
The ASHA Leader asked the candidates:
Given the position for which you are running, if you could change one thing about ASHA, what would it be?
As a candidate for vice president for academic affairs in audiology, I would like to see a greater focus within the association on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. As a discipline we have begun to make some important contributions in this area, but a great deal remains that can be learned from further inquiry into student learning that, if made public, can inform the practice of teaching within our profession. As new technologies and teaching methodologies emerge, it will be important for the association to work with the academic community to ensure that students in our educational programs are afforded quality educational experiences that foster the development of the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their professional careers as audiologists, educators or administrators.
Why are you running for a position on the ASHA Board?
What would be your top priority be if elected to your respective position?