Strategic Objective Highlights

October 2025 (updates posted biannually)

For each of the Strategic Objectives included in ASHA's Strategic Pathway to Excellence, an owner was assigned, an objective outcome was developed, and work is underway toward those outcomes. Following are highlights of each Strategic Objective and contact information for the Objective Owner.

Strategic Objective #1: Expand data available for quality improvement and demonstration of value

Objective Owner

Interim owner: Margaret Rogers, PhD, Chief Staff Officer for Science and Research (mrogers@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA has advanced large-scale databases and outcomes measurement efforts to enable practice improvements, demonstrate value to external parties, and inform client choice.

Highlights

• Recruitment of audiologists and health care systems employing audiologists is ongoing for the new Audiology NOMS Registry. Data collection and recruitment of new participating sites is also ongoing for the new version of the SLP NOMS Registry.
• Convention sessions featuring data from each Registry have been submitted to the 2025 Convention.
• The new NOMS Data Center, has been launched on ASHA Stream. Visitors can use an interactive dashboard to look at NOMS data as well as view infographics developed from the data.
• The number of Demonstration of Value Fact Sheets now stands at 17, including eight newly published:
  • Cognitive Rehabilitation for Adults with Acquired Brain Injury
  • Diabetes and Hearing Loss
  • Parkinson’s Disease – Long-Term Impact of SLP Treatment
  • Prophylactic SLP Treatment for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
  • School-Based SLP Services: Adolescents
  • School-Based SLP Services: Elementary School Ages
  • School-Based SLP Services: Preschoolers
  • School-Based SLP Services: Prevention and Response-to-Intervention

Strategic Objective #2: Advance Interprofessional Education and Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPE/IPP)

Objective Owner

Loretta Nunez, MA, AuD, CCC-A/SLP, FNAP, Director, Academic Affairs & Research Education (lnunez@asha.org)

Outcome

Academic programs employ IPE approaches to personnel preparation and both students and ASHA members engage in interprofessional collaborative practice.

Highlights

• The SO2 target performance measures of 80% were achieved.
  • 95% of CSD academic programs offered IPE/IPP learning opportunities in 2024.
  • 82% of NSSLHA students reported engaging in IPE/IPP in 2024.
  • 81% of ASHA members (audiologists and SLPs) reported engaging in IPE/IPP on average over the past five years (2017–2025).
• Developed an expansive IPE/IPP web-based "hub" that feature practical how to resources, case studies, the benefits of IPE/IPP, and IPE/IPP evidence and research resources. A Quick Links page is available to access downloadable resources such as rubrics, checklists, videos, etc. for easy incorporation into education and professional development activities and clinical practice.
• A series of IPE/IPP videos that include CSD professions are available on ASHA Stream featuring best practices and exemplars.
• ASHA offers a stipend program to support ASHA members who attend the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Faculty Development Institutes.
• ASHA offers a travel stipend program for eligible non-CSD professionals who present at the annual ASHA Convention as part of IPE or IPP teams with an audiologist and/or speech-language pathologist.
• "Golden nuggets" [PDF] of lessons learned from ASHA Faculty Development Institute (AFDI) cohorts (2021, 2019) projects and a new webinar, Interprofessional Education: Moving From More IPE to Better IPE, provide guidance to support and inspire others' IPE/IPP efforts in CSD.
• Links to seminal IPE/IPP evidence and research resources (e.g., systematic reviews, research agendas, implementation science models, and funding opportunities) that support research in IPE/IPP conducted by members of the CSD discipline are updated regularly.
• Information and resources about IPE/IPP, the IPEC Core Competencies, and the value of IPE/IPP to clinical outcomes are shared via meetings, presentations, exhibits, ASHA publications, ASHA Convention, and related ASHA conferences.
• Collaborations are ongoing with related professional organizations and state associations to advance IPE/IPP.
• IPE/IPP competencies are incorporated into ASHA's Scope of Practice for Audiology, Scope of Practice for SLP, ASHA's Code of Ethics, CAA Accreditation standards, CFCC certification standards, and Academic Affairs Board recommendations for undergraduate education in CSD.

Strategic Objective #3: Enhance the generation, publication, knowledge translation, and implementation of clinical research

Objective Owner

Margaret Rogers, PhD, Chief Staff Officer for Science and Research (mrogers@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA has enhanced the generation, publication, knowledge translation, and implementation of clinical research.

Highlights

Generation

• All 11 Academic and Research Mentoring (ARM) Network programs, which span three academic–research career stages, are on track to be delivered in 2025.
  • Considering an Academic-Research Career
    • Progeny, Students Preparing for Academic Research Careers (SPARC), Research Mentoring-Pair Travel Award (RMPTA), Audiology Research Travel Award (ARTA)
  • Launching an Academic-Research Career
    • Mentoring Academic Research Careers (MARC), Pathways, Lessons for Success (LfS)
  • Advancing an Academic–Research Career
    • Advancing Academic Research Careers (AARC), Grant Review & Reviewer Training (GRRT), Clinical Practice Research Institute (CPRI), Dissemination and Implementation Science Travel Award (DISTAnce)
• Participant Outcomes at 3-years and 6-years post-participation are available at ARM Network Program Participant Outcomes Data. Highlights include:
  • 96–100% of the participants across these seven programs aimed at launching and advancing careers remained in the academic–research pipeline at 6 years post-participation.
  • For Pathways, LfS, and MARC, three years after the program, 70% of participants who applied were successful in obtaining research funding, and after 6 years, 81% had obtained research funding.
  • For AARC, GRRT, CPRI, & DISTAnce, three years after the program, 82% of participants who applied were successful in obtaining research funding, and after 6 years, 88% had obtained research funding.

Publication and Knowledge Translation of Clinical Practice Research

• The new Article Peer-Reviewer Training Program (APT) has been launched with an inaugural cohort of 12 early-career researchers. This is a new mentoring program in the ARM Network, which was designed to provide guidance for early career researchers learning how to provide article peer-review.
• A forum in JSLHR on Artificial Intelligence in CSD, stemming from the NIDCD-funded Research Symposium in CSD, was recently published. The audio-synced slides from the Symposia are available online.
• ASHA's Teaching, Learning, and Research Hub - the TLR Hub, launched in 2025. The TLR Hub consolidates access to curated resources and modules developed for faculty, researchers, and learners. Several extant resources have been migrated into the TLR Hub (e.g., ASHA's Clinical Research Education [CREd] Library, the Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Collection, Teaching Symposium on Teaching Foundational Sciences in CSD).
• New resources have also been created for in the TLR Hub such as a series of modules on teaching Evidence-Based Assessment and Mitigating Bias in Clinical Assessment, which was developed by ASHA's Clinical Research, Implementation Science, and Evidence-Based Practice (CRISP) Committee.

Implementation of Clinical Research

• In 2024, ASHA submitted a grant proposal in response to RFA-DC-24-009: Dissemination and Implementation Research in Communication Disorders Conference (U13 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). The grant has since been funded by NIDCD and the program (see below) that was at the core of the proposal will be offered starting in 2026.
• The Dissemination and Implementation Science Travel Award and Conference Event (DISTAnCE) is a research mentoring program that supports CSD scientists to incorporate implementation science into their next federal research grant proposal. The travel award provides funds to support awardees to attend the annual Conference on Dissemination and Implementation Science, which is sponsored by AcademyHealth and NIH. The program pairs awardees with mentors with expertise in implementation science, who can commit to attending the Conference on Dissemination and Implementation Science with the awardee and mentoring them as they prepare their research grant proposals over the following year. What distinguishes the new DISTAnCE program from the earlier version is that the day after the Conference on Dissemination and Implementation Science, awardees and their mentors will now attend a daylong workshop at the ASHA National Office – the DISTAnCE Conference Event – to discuss and learn more about conducting implementation science in their own area of research. Additionally, time is allocated for awardees to engage in planning with their mentor.

Strategic Objective #4: Enhance service delivery across the continuum of care to increase value and access to services

Objective Owner

Monica Sampson, PhD, CCC-SLP, Chief Staff Officer for Speech-Language Pathology (msampson@asha.org)

Outcome

Enhanced service delivery across the continuum of care to increase value and access to services

Highlights

• Service Delivery webpage includes access to resources on varied clinical practice, e.g., telepractice, functional goals using the ICF framework, and supervision tools/resources for practice and mentoring assistants.
• Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
  • Launched web resource incorporating user experience survey research describing social determinants of health, the role of the clinician, tools and supports, and additional resources.
  • Developed “Get the Big Picture” visuals for website, QR cards, print resources, and ads and launched a marketing plan to educate professionals on the impact of SDOH on clinical outcomes.
  • Developed experiential learning opportunities regarding the impact of SDOH on clinical outcomes: You Decide: SDOH in Practice
  • Shared resources at related professional organizations for physician, nursing, and public health audiences.
  • Ongoing engagement with payers and decision makers to highlight the impact of SDOH on clinical outcomes.
• The Supervision Hub was created to be a central resource for all information related to supervision and mentorship of graduate clinicians, clinical fellows, and assistants. Ten free webinars/conversations on supervisions have been curated within the hub to provide additional information to members.
• ASHA’s developmental milestones have been updated. Feeding and swallowing milestones are included for children from birth to age three (feeding milestones have been translated into Spanish), and communication milestones for children from birth to age five for children learning to speak English in the U.S.
• ASHA Advocacy continues to monitor state legislation and regulations related to assistants to support licensing/credentialing in alignment with ASHA's C-SLPA and changes to telepractice post-pandemic.

• The ASHA certification program for assistants in audiology and speech-language pathology continues to grow.

  • As of September 2025, over 1,500 assistants have been awarded certification.
  • Mentoring program for assistants in audiology and speech-language pathology continues to grow.

Strategic Objective #5: Increase influence and demonstrated value of audiology and speech-language pathology services

Objective Owner

Neela Swanson, Senior Director, Health Care & Education Policy (nswanson@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA members play an active role in reimbursement processes, effectively demonstrating the value of their services, and empowering and educating patients and clients to understand access and reimbursement.

Highlights

• Since January 1, 2025, ASHA Advocates have sent over 73,000 messages to their members of Congress or state legislators urging them to act on key issues including stopping Medicare payment cuts, protecting access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries, improving early intervention rates in New York, ensuring fair contract negotiations between providers and insurers, and much more. Become an ASHA Advocate today by taking action on issues important to you.
• ASHA has developed a resource page, Executive Orders Impacting Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, which provides an overview of executive orders that have the potential to significantly impact your work in education and health care. ASHA continues to closely monitor and track issues most relevant to the professions and will provide updates on current and new executive orders.
• The Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-ICC) has been adopted in 36 states and 1 U.S. territory. The ASLP-ICC is not yet issuing compact privileges to practice. The Commission is working with developers to create the necessary data system to receive applications, provide interstate data communications, and issue privileges to practice. It is anticipated that the ASLP-ICC will begin issuing compact privileges to practice in late summer 2025. ASHA members can contact their elected officials if their state is not a member of the ASLP-IC yet.
• ASHA hosted its 7th annual ASHA Payer Summit in May 2025 in Washington, DC. The Summit brought together national payers, utilization management companies, and state Medicaid programs to discuss audiology and speech-language pathology coverage, coding, and policy issues. Learn more about the Payer Summit and how it can help ASHA members.
• Planning is underway for Capitol Hill Day 2025, which will bring together ASHA volunteer leaders and members to advocate on key federal issues important to audiologists and SLPs. 300+ audiologists, SLPs, SLPAs, and students from 49 states and D.C. will be participating.​

Strategic Objective #6: Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the Association and the discipline

Objective Owner

Megan-Brette Hamilton, PhD, CCC-SLP, Chief Staff Officer for Multicultural Affairs (mhamilton@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA has implemented equitable practices and CSD is a more diverse and inclusive discipline.

• ASHA’s standards and systems improve the quality of care for all populations and increase access to and inclusion in the discipline.
• ASHA offers tools and resources for enhancing professional interactions across race/ethnicity.
• ASHA’s membership is more diverse.

Highlights

• The Accessibility and Inclusivity Guidelines: Creating Continuing Education for AUDs and SLPs. This new resource is designed to help ASHA CE course planners and instructors create inclusive and accessible courses for all learners.
• The ASHA Journals has added a new accessibility feature to improve reading preferences for individuals with visual impairments or dyslexia. With this new feature, eReader users of the ASHA Journals can choose the font that suits their reading preferences when viewing publications in EPUB formats. This feature also supports a wide range of languages and characters.
• The ASHA Leader has curated a Leader topic collection that includes coverage of topics in communication sciences and disorders addressing inclusive practices and representation. Topics range from FAQs about multilingual assessment, to legislation for gender-affirming voice treatment, to inclusive language and implicit bias related to dialect.
• The Hearing and Speech Career microsite continues to promote the professions to individuals from under-represented racial/ethnic populations, males, and bi/multilingual service providers and provides information about careers in CSD while focusing on representation and inclusion in the discipline.
• ASHA launched a multilingual student digital marketing outreach campaign using new videos and creative assets to drive traffic to the recruitment microsite. New outreach videos available on ASHA Stream, Recruit Future Auds & SLPs.
• The microsite Have You Heard has officially launched. The microsite is an equity action and accountability platform where users can report efforts and share ideas for systemic changes that promote inclusive practices in their organizations/facilities. Institutions and organizations may submit their efforts on the Have You Heard site.
• ASHA continues to collaborate with AAA, APTA, and AOTA to champion the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act. The legislation would provide grants to increase opportunities for individuals who are from underrepresented backgrounds, including students who are from racial/ethnic minority groups, in the professions of audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and speech-language pathology.

Strategic Objective #7: Enhance international engagement

Objective Owner

Lily Waterston, MA, Director, International Programs (lwaterston@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA is engaged internationally with service providers, educators, scientists and other groups to proliferate research, and improve professional preparation and service delivery.

Highlights

• Partnering with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen knowledge and build capacity of professionals and organizations that address communication disorders in selected countries. These are: Honduras, El Salvador, Guyana, Paraguay, Belize, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic (new country in 2025). PAHO approved ASHA's application to renew its official status as Non-State Actor (NSA) of PAHO for another three years (2024–2026). ASHA submitted an annual progress report to PAHO as a Non-State Actor in official relations with PAHO.
• Increasing the outreach and numbers of the International Affiliates (IAs): 564 IAs in 69 countries as of 12/31/24. Developing resources and regional strategies to better serve this audience, improve exchanges, and increase affiliation.
• Collaborating with WHO for public awareness campaigns. In partnership with the Hearing Loss Association of America, ASHA conducted a digital campaign to promote World Hearing Day (March 3). A new ASHA collaboration with WHO, announced the results of polling video game players ages 18–35 about their listening habits and interest in hearing protection.
• Partnering with international organizations for joint conferences in different regions of the world: in 2025, ASHA partnered with the Asia-Pacific Speech-Language Hearing Association and contributed to its congress that took place in Bangkok, Thailand.
• ASHA also participated in the 33rd Congress of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP) in Malta. ASHA had a strong presence, with its President, CEO, Director of International Programs and many ASHA members participating. Two ASHA-led sessions showcased the Association’s global initiatives: a) The ASHA–PAHO Collaboration, b) ASHA International Programs: Expanding Global Impact. Through presentations, networking, and its exhibit booth, ASHA advanced its priorities to foster innovation, build international partnerships, and support members in delivering person-centered, culturally responsive care.
• Participating in WHO and PAHO high-level meetings: In 2025, ASHA participated in the PAHO Executive Committee meeting, PAHO Directing Council meeting, and WHO World Hearing Forum meeting.
• Increasing publications from authors outside the U.S.: As of 12/31/24, there are 979 international authors in ASHA journals (including Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups). The ASHA Journals Academy includes information on translation services and resources for non-English speakers. Launched “Paperpal Preflight,” a service to provide authors automated editorial review of their manuscripts prior to submission. This is especially valuable for the success of international authors. 
• In 2025, the Publications Cluster developed the WeChat interface and went live in China with it on October 1. ASHA featured curated promotion of journal articles in six topic areas and provided article summaries, infographics, and promotion of ASHA "ENTs Hub" within ASHA WeChat account by key opinion leaders in a 3-month push through end of the year.

Strategic Objective #8: Increase members' cultural competence

Objective Owner

Karen Beverly-Ducker, MA, CCC-A, CAE, Senior Director of Multicultural Practices (KBeverlyDucker@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA members competently address cultural/linguistic influences on service delivery outcomes.

Highlights

• Through culturally responsive lenses, revisions continue to be made to several ASHA Practice Portal pages e.g. Acquired Apraxia of Speech, Aerodigestive Disorders (which has been split into two pages- ILO and ELO), Chronic Cough, Fluency, OMD, Speech Sound Disorders, and Classroom Acoustics.
• In response to a recommendation by the Ad Hoc Committee on Multilingual Service Delivery, contributions continue to be made to the Special Collections | ASHAWire. After reviewing over 200 recently published articles related to Multilingual Service Delivery, approximately 75 articles were initially tagged and 3 possible approaches for a special Journals Collection were identified related to (1) Spanish specific research, (2) content that can be infused into other collections (e.g. AAC, IPP/IPE, Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning (CRTL) Special Collection: Resources for All - ASHA Journals Academy), and (3) Client perspectives focus and family partnerships/training/involvement as a part of the EBP triangle. The original collection consisted of approximately 26 articles. More articles have been identified and shared as they relate to additional topics for consideration and integration into existing or new collections.
• In celebration of ASHA’s Centennial, the free CE course “Ethnographic Interviewing: A Practical Guide” was developed and contains content appropriate for both audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
• OMA collaborated with Journals and Editorial Services to implement changes to the Request to Translate and Distribute ASHA Content (Note: Occasionally, individuals request permission to translate and distribute articles—or portions of articles—from ASHA journals. ASHA grants such permissions on a case-by-case basis.) Requests to translate ASHA resources into Spanish (Chilean), Chinese (Mandarin), Brazilian Portuguese, and Romanian have been reviewed.
• Funding via the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Projects on Multicultural Activities 2025 was awarded to support the following projects:
  • “Advancing Equity in Aphasia Care: Culturally Responsive Aphasia Strategies for Black Communities”- Warren Brown, Jackson State University
  • “Bridging Voices: Enhancing Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology Through Bilingual Immersion and Cross-Institutional Mentorship”- Vannesa Mueller, University of Texas at El Paso
  • “Community-Based Approaches to Identifying Barriers to Hearing Healthcare among Black Adults: The Memphis SOUND Project”- Sarah E. Warren, The University of Memphis School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • “Establishing Developmental Language Norms for Dominican Spanish-Speaking Children: A 12-Month Pilot Study”- Miguelina Zapata, Howard University
  • “Medical Spanish for Audiologists: Pilot Study”- Laura Coco, San Diego State University
• The resource Legacy, Impact, Possibilities: How YOU Can Shape the Next Century provides members with a list of actionable steps that are divided into 6 areas:
1. Explore a variety of perspectives.
2. Reflect on your own practice and experiences.
3. Advocate and take action.
4. Deepen your knowledge base.
5. Create connections with your community.
6. Support clients, colleagues, and communities.
• The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Marketing Team piloted a combined, targeted email to test an email that contained combined messaging for the Multilingual Service Provider, SDOH, Communication Access, and Assistive Technology resources. There were three versions: Health Care, Schools, and Other (members have not specified a work setting on their record). The results show that combined messaging helps to shape the perception that there is more than just one tool to improve access to care, and ASHA has developed many resources to accomplish this. The single email saw a 61.6% open rate and a 0.7% click-through rate—matching or outperforming previous individual emails on these topics, all while reducing the overall number of messages sent to members. Based on this success, the teams will continue exploring ways to group related topics and collaborate on future communications. The top clicked links were:
  • https://www.asha.org/practice/multicultural/phono = 662
  • https://www.asha.org/practice/social-determinants-of-health = 347
  • https://www.asha.org/practice/assistive-technology-in-schools = 250
  • https://www.asha.org/communication-access = 119
• The subject matter reviews of more than 50 National Association for Hearing and Speech Action (NAHSA) consumer pages were completed to ensure culturally responsive content.
• The course AAC for Multilingual Learners: Introduction (free on ASHA stream) and AAC for Multilingual Learners (PD103008) (APD course) featured a 3-part innovative interview-style format, centered around real conversations with three practicing professionals, with added tips, tools, and activities.
• The article “Answers to FAQs About ADA Accommodations” was published in the ASHA Leader July/August 2025. Staff from the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and the Academic Affairs and Research Education Cluster developed this guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when serving students, patients, and clients with disabilities.
• In collaboration with the Continuing Education (CE) unit, the CE’s "DEI" subject codes were reviewed and updates proposed to align with changes to the CFCC's requirement.
• The Bill of Language Rights, developed by the Ad Hoc Committee on Bilingual Service Delivery, has been posted on the ASHA site. The document is included in the Ad Hoc Committee on Bilingual Service Delivery Final Report [PDF].
• A team worked with the Jewish Caucus and LGASP to develop social media posts as part of ASHA Observances.

Strategic Objective #9: Transform learning across the discipline

Objective Owner

Donna Fisher Smiley, PhD, CCC-A, Chief Staff Officer for Audiology (DSmiley@asha.org)

Outcome

ASHA has created and advanced a learning ecosystem that supports members’ ability to proactively navigate change and thrive professionally through life-long learning.

Highlights

• Current work on SO#9 is focused on Transformational Initiative #1: Develop and implement a competency framework for the professions
• Work continues in the following areas:
  • Education of and promotion to members and other stakeholder groups regarding a competency-based approach (presentations at conferences and to various committees, boards and councils)
  • Developed and deployed (Q2, 2025) a webinar series to educate ASHA certificants and others about the use of competency models for professional growth and career development
  • Development of core competency frameworks, one for each profession.

    Timeline for Establishing Core Competency Frameworks:

    • Fall 2023–Spring 2024 – Curriculum and Practice Analyses for Audiology and SLP completed in late 2023 (Audiology) and early 2024 (SLP) (entry level).
    • March 2024 – ASHA established an Ad Hoc Committee for Competency Frameworks (BOD Resolution 5-2024).
    • June 2024 – The AHC met June 3–4 at the ASHA National Office to initiate the work.
    • August–September 2024 – ASHA recruited two subject matter expert (SME) panels (one for audiology and one for speech-language pathology) comprised of academics and clinicians. The panels’ charge was to draft domains and competencies as part of a competency-based framework for clinical practice.
    • November 2024 – Conducted a competency-based framework workshop with the SME panels on November 7–10, 2024.
    • 2024–2025 – Develop the proposed competency-based frameworks for audiology and speech-language pathology.
    • 2025 – Conduct a select and widespread peer review to solicit additional input on the proposed competency-based frameworks.
    • End of 2025 – Release core competency models, one for each profession.