Health Care & Business Institute
Conference Faculty
View the Health Care & Business Institute 2013 Disclosures page for information on speakers' financial and non-financial interests relevant to the content of their presentations.
Rachel Arntson, MS, CCC-SLP, has been a practicing SLP in the greater Minneapolis area since 1980. She has a specific interest in using music to enhance the speech and language skills of children. For the past 21 years, she has worked with infants, toddlers, and their families in an early intervention program with Osseo area schools in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Pursuing what she describes as an out-of-control hobby, she has recorded nine critically acclaimed CDs (two in Spanish) that serve as simple, engaging speech and language practice for young children. She has also written a parent training book, WE CAN TALK, which she uses in her work with families in early intervention. In 2002, she co-founded Kids' Express Train, LLC and in August 2012, began a new company, TALK IT ROCK IT, LLC. Arntson presents creative and interactive workshops nationally and internationally, sharing her passion for music and her love for working with children and families.
Martin B. Brodsky, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on the effects of critical illness and critical care medicine on swallowing and its long-term outcomes. He remains active in clinical practice specializing in adult swallowing and communication disorders in the acute care and outpatient settings. Brodsky is a continuing education reviewer for ASHA; a reviewer for several scientific journals; and is a member of the Dysphagia Research Society, the American Psychological Association, and a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s task force on Post-Intensive Care Syndrome.
Heather Bupp, Esq, is ASHA's director of ethics. She provides ethical guidance to ASHA members, the professions, and the public through informal telephone and e-mail consultation, written statements from the Board of Ethics, continuing education, and speaking engagements. Before joining the ASHA staff, Bupp was a solo practitioner specializing in ethics and professional discipline, including conflicts of interest, malpractice, practice management, and legal technology. She is a sought-after speaker who teaches continuing education classes for state licensing boards and associations, law firms, universities, and conventions.
Denise Dougherty, MA, CCC-SLP, owns a private practice in Pennsylvania. She is a past-president of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology (AAPPSPA) and has written articles and conducted seminars on developing and managing a private practice. She is the AAPPSPA's CE Administrator, serves as their liaison for ASHA's Health Care Economics Committee, and has received the academy's Honor Award for her achievements. In addition to her practice, Dougherty has served as a consultant for the Arijah Children's Foundation in Anguilla, British West Indies, providing evaluations and therapy for children with special needs. Dougherty earned her bachelor's degree in communication disorders from Marywood University and a master's degree in communication disorders from St. Louis University.
Carol C. Dudding, PhD, CCC-SLP, is director of the speech-language pathology graduate program and assistant professor at James Madison University. Holder of a doctorate in instructional technology, she directs an online master's degree program in speech-language pathology. Dudding has published and presented internationally, nationally, and locally on the topics of clinical education, supervision, telepractice, e-supervision, and online learning.
Laurie Alban Havens, MA, CCC-SLP, is director of private health plans and Medicaid advocacy for ASHA. She has provided testimony to the Department of Health and Human Services on habilitation and rehabilitation as part of the essential health benefits package in the Affordable Care Act. She has also written articles and provided information for ASHA members and others about the impact of the Supreme Court decision as it affects Medicaid and private health plans. She holds an additional degree in health care administration and has worked as a health care compliance officer, reimbursement consultant, and skilled nursing facility administrator, in addition to working as an SLP.
Heather Keskeny, MA, CCC-SLP, is a specialty clinician at the Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for children, where she has specialized in feeding and swallowing disorders for 10 years. She graduated from the University of Texas, Austin in 1997, and has been working with children for the duration of her career. She has given many presentations and papers at national conferences, including ASHA's Convention and the annual meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society. She has a specific professional interest in treating infants following tracheotomy placement.
Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, is senior director of the Division of Speech-Language Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She is also professor of clinical pediatrics and professor of otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Under her direction, the speech-language pathology program at Cincinnati Children's has become the largest pediatric program in the nation and one of the most respected. Kummer has written numerous articles and book chapters on business and professional practices, and also on cleft palate, craniofacial anomalies, resonance disorders, and velopharyngeal dysfunction. She was one of the authors of Business Practices: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists (ASHA, 2004). She is also the author of Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies: The Effects on Speech and Resonance, 3rd Edition (Delmar Cengage Learning, 2013). She has given many lectures and seminars nationally and internationally. Kummer has received Honors of the Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSLHA); the Outstanding Clinician Award from OSHLA; distinguished alumnus award from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders of the University of Cincinnati; and is an ASHA Fellow. In 2007, she was named one of the 10 Most Inspiring Women in Cincinnati.
Don MacLennan, MA, CCC-SLP, is the chief of the Speech Pathology Section of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. He has provided cognitive rehabilitation across the continuum of care to veterans and active duty service members for more than 30 years. In 2008, MacLennan received the Rick L. Bollinger Clinician of the Year Award for outstanding clinical practice within the VA. He currently provides clinical service in a polytrauma transitional rehabilitation program dedicated to helping veterans and service members with traumatic brain injury (TBI) reintegrate into the community, including return to work and school. He is frequently invited to speak on topics related to return to school after brain injury and assistive technology for cognition (ATC) and has helped develop national guidelines for ATC within the VA Health Care System.
Lori Burkhead Morgan, PhD, CCC-SLP, has practiced speech-language pathology since 1994 in a variety of settings. She earned a PhD from the University of Florida in 2005. Her focus is on using exercise-based principles in dysphagia diagnosis and management. She has presented domestically and internationally and published peer-reviewed articles and a book chapter relating to dysphagia. Her current research focuses on developing more effective approaches for dysphagia evaluation and treatment using principles of exercise science.
Dee Adams Nikjeh, PhD, CCC-SLP, is co-chair of ASHA's Health Care Economics Committee. She has appeared before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of ASHA to propose new diagnostic codes and modification of existing codes for the benefit of speech-language pathology. Nikjeh is an ASHA representative to the American Medical Association Health Care Practitioner Advisory Committee Review Board where she has presented speech-language pathology procedure codes for valuation of service. Her clinical experience spans 30 years. Nikjeh provides services for patients of West Coast Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates; she specializes in endoscopic procedures for evaluation and management of voice disorders. She is also a research assistant professor at the University of South Florida and an associate of Fearon & Levine, a national consulting firm that focuses on practice management and payment policy in the outpatient rehabilitation setting. Nikjeh, an ASHA Fellow, has served on ASHA's Legislative Council, and the Executive Board of the Council of State Association Presidents and is a past-president of the Florida Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists.
Richard K. Peach, PhD, CCC-SLP, is professor of communication disorders and sciences, neurological sciences, and otolaryngology at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. He is a Fulbright Scholar and an ASHA Fellow who is board certified in neurologic communication disorders in adults by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences. His research has focused on acoustic and psycholinguistic factors underlying language comprehension in acquired language disorders, electrophysiological measures of auditory and lexical processing in listeners who are elderly and have aphasia, the neuropsychological bases of sentence planning difficulties following traumatic brain injury, and diagnostic and treatment procedures for acquired speech and language disorders in adults. He has published extensively in a variety of peer-reviewed journals and books and is co-editor and contributor to Cognition and Acquired Language Disorders: An Information Processing Approach (Elsevier Mosby, 2012). Peach is the former editor of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. He has also served as a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Communication Disorders, Clinical Aphasiology, and Clinics in Communication Disorders and has served as an editorial consultant for numerous journals. Peach is a member of the Advisory Board of the National Aphasia Association.
Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center Assistive Technology Team. The Tampa Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center of the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital is one of five facilities in the country providing intensive rehabilitative care to veterans and service members who have experienced severe injuries (including brain injuries) to more than one organ system. The mission of the Polytrauma Assistive Technology Program is to effectively support clients with cognitive, sensory, or physical disabilities to reach their highest potential at home, school, and work by adding appropriate assistive technologies to their lives.
- Telina Caudill, MS, CCC-SLP
- Vandan Kamath, MS, CCC-SLP
- Kathryn Kieffer, MS, CCC-SLP
- Imelda Llanos, MS, Visual Disabilities
- Erline Nakano, MS, CCC-SLP
- Linda Picon, MS, CCC-SLP
Paul R. Rao, PhD, CCC-SLP, is vice president of inpatient operations and compliance at the Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC. He is a visiting professor at the University of Maryland and is a certified professional in health care quality and administration. Rao has published on topics including customer service, policy and procedures, supervision, health literacy, accreditation, emotional IQ, and management. He is a sought-after speaker—having presented more than 200 lectures in over 40 states, Canada, and New Zealand. A recipient of Honors and Service Awards from the Maryland Speech and Hearing Association, Rao is a Fellow of both ASHA and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He also received the ASHA Foundation's Clinical Achievement Award for Maryland and the District of Columbia. Rao has been an invited member of "expert panels" convened by ASHA, Joint Commission, General Accounting Office, Rand Corporation, National Stroke Association, American Heart Association, Institute of Medicine, CARF, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He has served on a number of national committees including ASHA's Honors Committee, Board of Division of Coordinators and Board of Ethics. Rao is past-president of the Maryland Speech and Hearing Association, the Maryland Board of Examiners, and the DC Association for Healthcare Quality. He served as ASHA's president in 2011.
Gail J. Richard, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor and chair of the Communication Disorders and Sciences Department at Eastern Illinois University. She specializes in childhood developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum, processing, selective mutism, syndromes, and learning disorders. She has numerous clinical publications, including The Source for Processing Disorders, Language Processing Test, and Differential Screening Test for Processing. She chaired an ASHA committee charged with exploring the role of the SLP in identifying and treating auditory processing disorders, which resulted in an evidence-based systematic review and series of clinical forum articles in the July 2011 issue of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools. She is an ASHA Fellow and currently serves on the ASHA Board of Directors as the vice president for speech-language pathology practice.
Bari Hoffman Ruddy, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. She also serves as the director of the Voice Care Center at Ear, Nose, & Throat Surgical Associates in Orlando and has worked clinically in this center for more than 12 years. Hoffman Ruddy received her PhD from the University of Florida in 2001. Her clinical work and research focus on the physiologic study of voice production in children, professional vocalists, and persons with neurogenic disorders. Her current research interests involve the application of computer simulation training in voice therapy with children and adults, as well as 3D computer modeling of upper and lower airway function in patients with malignant lesions. She actively publishes and lectures in these clinical areas.
Christine Sapienza, PhD, CCC-SLP, is chair of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the College of Public Health and Health Professions with the University of Florida Health Science Center. A full professor, Sapienza's research interests include normal and disordered adult voice and adult neuromotor disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. Her most recent work has focused on the use of strength training paradigms in these populations, in persons with spinal cord injury, and others with physical and neurological insult. She has authored more than 100 articles, which can be found in journals including the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR), The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Journal of Applied Physiology, Journal of Voice, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (AJSLP), and others. She maintains an active research laboratory and clinical practice at the UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. She also is a research health scientist at the Malcom Randall Veterans Administration in Gainesville. Sapienza serves on the editorial boards of JSLHR and the Journal of Voice, and has been an editorial consultant for numerous peer-reviewed journals. In 2009, Sapienza authored the graduate textbook Voice Disorders (Plural Publishing) and Voice Disorders Workbook and DVD on Vocal Images (Plural Publishing). The second edition will be published in November 2012.
Ilona Schmalfuss, MD, is a radiologist and residency program director in the Department of Radiology at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, Florida. Schmalfuss is also an adjunct professor at the University of Florida, Department of Radiology's neuroradiology subdivision. In addition to her accomplishments in extensive peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and presentations, Schmalfuss has an accomplished record in imaging the larynx and upper aerodigestive tract using CT, PET, and dynamic MRI technology. She is board certified by the American Boards of Radiology with an added qualification in neuroradiology.
Lt. Cmdr. Cathleen Shields, MS, CCC-SLP, is an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. She is the section chief for mild traumatic brain injury in the TBI Clinical Standards of Care Division. She is part of the team that works to identify and develop clinical recommendations and tools to support high-quality assessment and treatment of TBI and related conditions. She received her bachelor's degree in communication disorders and master's degree in speech-language pathology from Pennsylvania State University. Shields is a clinical specialist for adult dysphagia and neurological diseases and has more than 15 years of experience in a variety of clinical, management, and administrative capacities in hospitals, home health, and skilled nursing facilities.
Paula A. Sullivan, MS, CCC-SLP, BRS-S, is an SLP in the Department of Neurology/Speech Section, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, Florida. Her clinical expertise and research focus on swallowing disorders in head and neck cancer and at end of life. Sullivan has published numerous articles, authored book chapters, and co-authored books related to these topics. She is a former coordinator of ASHA's Special Interest Group 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. She is an ASHA Fellow.
Nancy B. Swigert, MA, CCC-SLP, BRS-S, is the director of speech-language pathology and respiratory care at Central Baptist Hospital, an acute care facility in Lexington, Kentucky. She is the co-leader of the initiative to bring Lean problem-solving methodology to Central Baptist. In this role, she coordinates large Lean projects and teaches the methodology to other directors and staff. Her main clinical interests are in pediatric and adult dysphagia. She has authored seven publications with Linguisystems. Swigert lectures extensively in the areas of dysphagia and motor speech disorders. She also writes and lectures on coding, documentation, and reimbursement. She served on ASHA's Health Care Economics Committee for 9 years and chaired it for 6. She was the alternate to the American Medical Association Relative Value Update (RUC) Committee and also presented at the AMA CPT Panel. She serves on the advisory board for Eli Rehab Report. Swigert is a former president of the Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Council of State Association Presidents, and was ASHA's president in 1998. She currently chairs the Specialty Board for Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders.
Michelle S. Troche, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a research assistant professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida Health Science Center. The goal of her research is to develop treatment paradigms to improve upper airway dysfunction in persons with neurodegenerative disease. Her current research interests include expiratory muscle strength training for dysphagia/dystussia; defining cough disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD); the effects of cognition on airway protective mechanisms in PD; and defining the effects of deep brain stimulation surgery on airway protective mechanisms. Troche remains active in clinical practice with the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, where she evaluates and treats speech-language, voice, and swallowing disorders in persons with movement disorders. She also participates in monthly education for newly diagnosed patients with PD and dystonia.
Carol Westby, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an ASHA Fellow and holds specialty recognition in child language. She has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Iowa's Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, the ASHA Award for Contributions to Multicultural Affairs, and Honors of the Association. She has published and presented nationally and internationally on play, language-literacy relationships, narrative/expository development and facilitation, assessment and facilitation of written language, metacognition/executive function, and issues in assessment and intervention with culturally/linguistically diverse populations. She has been principal investigator on a number of clinical service, research, and personnel preparation grants, including Project BRIDGE (Building Reading in Diverse Groups in Education)—which prepared graduate students in speech-language pathology to work within classrooms to facilitate language-literacy development of children from Hispanic and Native American backgrounds—and Project PLAY (Play and Language Attunement in Young Children)—which trained caregivers to increase the quality and frequency of interactions that promote development of theory of mind and language. She has a BA in English from Geneva College and an MA and PhD in speech pathology from the University of Iowa.