By: Jessica Carter, MS, CCC-SLP, Vice President for Research and Development
I feel energized! After the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) Executive Board meeting in June, I can tell you the future of TSHA is bright. Your TSHA representatives and volunteers are engaged in numerous initiatives to empower our members to provide the highest quality of care. I’m excited to share some glimpses of those projects within the area of Research and Development with you.
Have you seen our new webinar series Webinar Wednesdays and TSHA Tuesdays on social media? Webinar Committee Chair Jyutika Mehta and her team are collaborating with committees across TSHA to bring you high-quality webinar content each month. Webinar Wednesdays cover content broadly applicable to the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology such as licensure issues and professional boundaries. Look for each free-to-TSHA-members Webinar Wednesday on the first Wednesday of the month. TSHA Tuesdays are offered for a nominal fee and feature exciting topics for professionals looking for more advanced content. Whether you are a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or audiologist in an educational or clinical setting, you won’t want to miss these easily accessible continuing education opportunities.
The TSHA Professional Development webpage received a facelift! Professional Development Committee Chair Whitney Dittman is coordinating with the TSHA State Office to organize our current and new CE opportunities so they are easier for members to find and access. Check out the new layout and find courses in pharyngeal manometry, considerations for bilingual assessment, improving conversations with individuals with aphasia, and many more.
The co-chairs for the Continuation of Guidelines Committee, Judy Rich and Sarah Kelly, continue to coordinate with professionals across Texas to bring you revised, evidence-based Disability Determination Guidelines. The committee plans to bring you updated guidelines for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
I feel fortunate to collaborate with professionals who devote their time to promote the highest standards of practice among our professions. Special thanks go to the committee chairs listed above and to the chairs of the Continuing Education Approval Committee Co-Chairs Carmen McElfresh and Sharon Miller, Assistive Technology Committee Chair Sara Loving, and Swallowing and Feeding in Schools Task Force Chair Lisa Gore for their ongoing efforts. I look forward to sharing more contributions from their committees and task forces soon.
More Executive Board News
• The current TSHA budget is available for review upon request.