2025 Research Symposium at the ASHA Convention

The Research Symposium is an annual event at ASHA's Convention where clinicians and researchers discuss current research in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). Each year's symposium has a specific research theme. 

Find out more about the Research Symposium at the ASHA Convention and its associated travel award.

Symposium Topic: Clinical Trials Conducted with Adult Populations

Coordinated by Leora R. Cherney, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, FACRM (Shirley Ryan AbilityLab / Northwestern University) the Symposium highlighted clinical trials conducted with adult populations.

Symposium Presentations

Methods and Results of an RCT Designed to Improve Script Training for Aphasia
Speaker: Leora R. Cherney, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, FACRM (Shirley Ryan AbilityLab / Northwestern University)

A Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Many vs. Few Features in Semantic Feature Analysis
Speaker: William Hula, PhD, CCC-SLP (VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System / University of Pittsburgh)

Building Meaningful, Implementable Dyadic Interventions—Lessons from the Communication Bridge Trials
Speaker: Emily Rogalski, PhD (The University of Chicago)

Improving Healthcare Communication with Patients with Communication Disabilities—A Tale of Two Trials
Speaker: Megan Morris, PhD, MPH, CCC-SLP (NYU Grossman School of Medicine)

Respiratory-Swallow Training—Impact on Swallowing Safety and Efficiency
Speaker: Bonnie Martin-Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP (Northwestern University)

The Research Symposium at ASHA Convention is funded, in part, by a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).

Symposium Publications

Papers based on the 2025 Research Symposium were published in a Forum in the October 2026 issue of Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR) and are open access.

Cherney, L.R. (2026). Clinical trials in adult communication and swallowing disorders: Building the evidence base for patient-centered care. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69 (10), 4562-4566. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-26-00569.
Cherney, L.R., Kinsey, L.E., Blaze, E.E., Gray, E.L., Kwasny, M.J., & Van Vuuren, S. (2026). Dose considerations and generalization following script training for poststroke aphasia: A randomized factorial clinical trial. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69 (10), 4567-4586. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-26-00120.
Hula, W., Dickey, M.W., Autenreith, A., Swiderski, A.M., Babiak, M.C., Nunn, K., Johnson, J.P., Nader, M.M., Tessmer, R., Hula, S.A., Cavanaugh, R., Goldberg, E., Ranjan, C., & Golovin, J. (2026). A randomized comparative effectiveness trial of many-features and few-features variants of semantic feature analysis treatment for naming impairment in aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69 (10), 4587-4614. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-26-00097.
Martin-Harris, B., Davidson, K., & McFarland, D. (2026). Respiratory–swallow training in head and neck cancer: Impact on swallowing safety and efficiency. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69 (10), 4625-4635. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-26-00075.
Oshita, J., Studts, C., Haywood, C., Wong, A., Duffecy, J., & Morris, M.A. (2026). Implementation of communication disability documentation and accommodations in primary care: A pragmatic type III hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial protocol. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69 (10), 4636-4652. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-26-00080.
Rogalski, E., Fegter, O., Rademaker, A., Bona, M., & Roberts, A.C. (2026). Lessons from the Communication Bridge Trials: Advancing meaningful dyadic interventions toward implementation. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69 (10), 4615-4624. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-26-00074.