2009 Honors of the Association

ASHA's highest achievement, the Honors of the Association, have been granted to four outstanding individuals for 2009. The awards are conferred in November at ASHA's Annual Convention. The following are the complete profiles for each ASHA Honoree that were originally published in The ASHA Leader.

Barbara Williams Hodson

Barbara Williams Hodson, professor and doctoral program coordinator in Wichita State University's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has helped countless numbers of children in the United States and throughout the world develop intelligible speech.

Hodson (BS, MS, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) has spent 50 years in the speech-language-hearing profession as a researcher, professor, mentor, presenter, and public school speech-language pathologist. She has influenced thousands of students and clinicians through her research-based contributions (more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and more than 400 presentations) on evidence-based clinical applications of that research.

Hodson's career is characterized by a commitment to helping children with severe speech sound disorders become intelligible as quickly as possible, and she has done so "by developing an approach based on sound theory, testing that approach, and making it available and understandable to thousands of clinicians," said Nancy Creaghead of the University of Cincinnati. Her paradigm-shifting approach is described in Evaluating and Enhancing Children's Phonological Systems: Research and Theory to Practice.

A gifted and sought-after presenter, Hodson and her practical and research-informed approach to improving both speech and literacy development in young children are well known throughout the world, said Gail T. Gillon of the University of Canterbury. In addition to her hundreds of presentations for national and state associations, colleges, county and regional associations, hospitals, and school districts, her more than two dozen international presentations on phonology include appearances in Canada, Iceland, England, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saipan, Ireland, and The Netherlands. She has also been a visiting professor at universities here and abroad.

Throughout her academic career—at the University of Illinois and San Diego State University before joining Wichita State in 1989—Hodson has received accolades for her teaching and mentoring. "As a teacher, she is challenging, insightful, practical, and current; her courses are rigorous, but she is highly engaging," said former doctoral student Raúl Prezas of Texas Christian University. "She is equally outstanding as a clinical supervisor, with the phenomenal ability to bring out the best in her students. As a mentor, she encourages students to think critically, ask research-oriented questions, and apply evidence-based knowledge."

She directed the dissertation committees of 14 students. Ray Kent of the University of Wisconsin noted that "no wonder hundreds of students have followed to their advantage the trail that Barbara carefully traced through the world of phonology and phonological disorders. Barbara is a one-woman resource in speech-language pathology." Ponjit Jitavech, a former master's thesis student who now teaches at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, lauded Hodson for "for encouraging and challenging me to do things that I never thought I would be able to accomplish."

Hodson, a Fellow of both ASHA and the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association, received a 1993 ASHA Editor's Award and the 2004 Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Achievement Award from the ASHFoundation. Joy Stackhouse of the University of Sheffield noted that Hodson "has had a real impact on the profession of speech and language treatment/pathology, not only in the States but across Europe and other countries. Her scholarly publications are used in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses throughout the world and she has influenced the development of research examining the nature and management of speech and literacy difficulties in children."

Hodson is a leader who, according to Wayne Secord of The Ohio State University, "has strong bedrock beliefs about what she does, the ability to swim upstream for those beliefs, a caring sensibility for children with disabilities, and a willingness to spend a lifetime in support of her value system."

Aquiles Iglesias

Aquiles Iglesias, professor of communication sciences and disorders at Temple University, has spent three decades shaping the professions' view of bilingual language development and disorder through his research, commitment to teaching and research training, and professional leadership.

Iglesias (BS, MS, Southern Illinois University; PhD, University of Iowa), is a "renowned scholar, an extraordinary teacher and mentor, a research-to-practice visionary, and an advocate for the professions," noted Jon Miller of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Throughout his academic career, he "conducted groundbreaking research on bilingual language development and disorders, documenting education, social, and linguistic barriers faced by children learning two languages" and revealing significant gaps in the knowledge base underlying clinical practice. His publications address phonology, classroom language, parent contributions, dialect variations, and the impact of oral narrative language on reading and school achievement.

Iglesias is passionate about the fact that "too many English-language learners lag seriously behind in academic achievement" and has dedicated his career to resolving it, said Elaine Silliman of the University of South Florida. His pioneering research on bilingual language development and disorders and bilingual learning environments have resulted in numerous publications, including 21 research papers in the highest-quality refereed journals and 25 book chapters and technical reports. The exceptional funding record for his work includes grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and U.S. Department of Education. His accomplishments are even more noteworthy given his academic responsibilities at Temple: professor, dean of the graduate school, associate director of the National Center of Education in the Inner Cities, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences, and coordinator of the future faculty fellows program.

Not only is Iglesias a leader in the area of child language—his students are, as well. "Whether it's phonology, semantics, syntax, or pragmatics, there is prominent scholar who earned his or her PhD under Dr. Iglesias," said Harry Seymour of the University of Massachusetts. "Their research appears in our most prestigious journals are often co-authored with Dr. Iglesias, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to and collegial relationship with his former students." Many of his more than 150 presentation at national and international conferences on research and clinical practice were presented with doctoral students, providing them the opportunity to hone their presentation skills under the tutelage of one of the best. He has broadened their perspective to think beyond individuals' abilities to individuals' interaction with their culture and environment.

Service to the professions is yet another hallmark of Iglesias' career. An ASHA Fellow, he also received the association's 1994 Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs. He has served on more than a dozen ASHA committees and boards including the Legislative Council, convention program committees, Committee on Specialty Recognition, and Financial Planning Board. He has also given his time and expertise to the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, the program committee for Head Start's national research conference, and the Administration on Children, Youth and Families of the U.S. Department of health and Human Services. He has served on a number of research advisory panels for NIH, NSF, and Department of Education, and serves on the editorial boards of five professional journals.

Iglesias' career has been marked by successful research grants, groundbreaking research, published papers and reports, the recruitment and mentoring of outstanding students, serving on local and national boards and committees, all while completed his professorial, department chair, and graduate school dean duties. "Through actions and written words, Dr. Iglesias has significantly influenced the professions' view of culture, languages, and dialect as they impact on the provision of services and has helped set national research agendas," Miller said.

Katherine Verdolini

Katherine Verdolini, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorder at the University of Pittsburgh and in the Department of Otolaryngology at its medical center, is a voice scientist who has brought national and international recognition to evidence-based practice and treatment strategies for persons with laryngeal disorders and is at the forefront of developing a clinical subfield of "vocology."

Verdolini (BS, MS, Indiana University; PhD, experiential psychology, Washington University; diploma of French language and civilization, La Sorbonne; MA, Italian literature and music history, Universita' di Ferrara) has combined myriad interests—language, literature, music, English as a second language, voice, and psychology—to bring attention to individuals with laryngeal disorders. "Not only has she revealed significant unmet needs for persons with voice disorders and their clinicians and gaps in the knowledge base underlying clinical practice, she has designed methods to meet those needs and fill those gaps," said Diane Bless of the University of Wisconsin.

Verdolini has studied "the roles of environmental, cognitive, motor-learning, neurological, and metabolic factors on voice, including vocal fold tissue damage, wound healing, vocal fold physiology and the overall functional impact on a patient's voice," particularly singers and others who use their voices heavily, said Rahul Shrivastav of the University of Florida, "and how behavioral factors affect the development, progression, and rehabilitation of voice problems. She has worked directly with patients to translate her findings from the laboratory to the clinic." Her research has been published in more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and two books; she has presented at hundreds of national and international conventions, conferences, meetings, seminars, and workshops.

Verdolini is praised for her innovations and foresight. She led efforts to develop a standard method for the perceptual evaluation of voice that is now a standard tool in clinics around the world; was the first to publish on laryngeal hydration and to address vocal therapy efficacy; and was an early proponent of vocal fold microsurgery in singers.

An ASHA Fellow, Verdolini served on many ASHA committees, and with Special Interest Division 3, Voice and Voice Disorders, and as speech editor for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, a position she held while simultaneously serving on a major review panel for the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, maintaining her own well-funded research program, and fulfilling her teaching and clinical responsibilities. Lorraine Ramig of the University of Colorado said that Verdolini's "integrative reviews are of great value, her impact on the Journal has been significant, her articles win awards, and her students and clients thrive."

As a mentor, Verdolini shines. She has advised, supervised, and served on dissertation committees for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students. "It is no surprise that she goes out of her way to nurture students in her classes or working directly with her on research projects," Shrivastav said. "However, what makes her truly deserving is how much she also mentors young researchers who are not working directly with her."

Starr Cookman of the University of Connecticut Health Center described Verdolini as "a seminal liaison between the fields of speech-language pathology and vocal music, facilitating improvements in our abilities to serve individuals with disorders of the voice. All this talent and dedication, as well as the ability to give presentations in at least three languages, result in justified global recognition of and respect for her work."

Terry Wiley

Terry Wiley, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has contributed to the field of audiology through pioneering and sustained contributions to two areas of research, dedicated and talented teaching and mentoring, and exemplary service to the profession.

Wiley (BA, University of Northern Iowa; MS, Colorado State University; PhD, University of Iowa) is recognized for research "that combines technical expertise, a firm grasp of hearing science, and clinical acumen" that "go a long way toward defining the contemporary practice of audiology," said Ray Kent of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was an early investigator in the field of acoustic immittance measurement, attracting funding from March of Dimes, NIH, and the Veteran's Administration; his findings are the basis for consensus statements by ASHA and the federal government and his Acoustic Immittance Measures in Clinical Audiology is a standard text here and abroad.

Although "mastery of one area of research in a career is difficult and challenging to accomplish," according to Robert Burkard of the State University of New York at Buffalo, Wiley has achieved mastery of a second research area: longitudinal changes in auditory function associated with aging. He collaborated with epidemiologist Karen Cruickshanks, who noted that "although epidemiological studies were a new challenge, Wiley enthusiastically agreed to contribute his essential expertise to this population-based research project to advance understanding of presbyacusis." Burkard added that Wiley "recognized the power of working with those outside of his profession long before ‘multidisciplinary research' became the ubiquitous mantra that it is today."

Wiley brought to his classrooms—at the University of Wisconsin and Arizona State University-Tempe—the same traits he bought to his scholarship: knowledge, insight, and clarity of thought and expression. He chaired committees for 16 master's theses and seven doctoral dissertations. Wiley expected his students to become "masters of their profession, in the clinic, the classroom, or the laboratory," Kent said. According to Burkard, Wiley teaches "by word and deed, the importance of academic honesty, even if such truth leads to conflict. Even before evidence-based practice became the talk of the clinical professions, Wiley discussed the evidence base of audiology in his clinical courses," and dismissed those that lacked scientific rigor.

Wiley has served in many roles in service to the profession. An ASHA Fellow, he was editor of the Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, associate editor of the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, hearing and coordinating editor of the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, editorial consultant for six journals, and reviewer for an additional 12 He served on the Legislative Council, convention program committees, Publications Board, and numerous other committees for ASHA and the Wisconsin Speech-Language-Hearing Association (WSLHA). His honors and awards include the Distinguished Teaching Award in Audiology from Beltone Electronics Corporation; the ASHA Editor's Award; Honors and Lifetime Achievement Award from WSLHA; and Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.

Wiley's authorship of a document assures its "meticulous accuracy, depth, clarity, completeness and value," said Martin Robinette of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, noting Wiley's 68 refereed articles, 19 book chapters and documents, and 87 published abstracts on speech audiometry, immittance and acoustic reflexes, and epidemiology of hearing loss.

Wiley is "the model of professional competence rooted in a critical reading of the literature, a tireless effort to synthesize the available information into a clinically coherent understanding of auditory function, and a compassion for those who contend with hearing loss," Kent said. "He shows how one person can be scientist, clinician, educator, and advocate."