Warning: include(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in \\TECHSHARE.TTU.EDU\AMBASSADOR\newsletter\stories\06July\hsc-speech.php on line 53 Warning: include(http://www.texastech.edu/newsletter/topNav.html): Failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in \\TECHSHARE.TTU.EDU\AMBASSADOR\newsletter\stories\06July\hsc-speech.php on line 53 Warning: include(): Failed opening 'http://www.texastech.edu/newsletter/topNav.html' for inclusion (include_path='.;D:\php8_2\includes;D:\php8_2\extras;D:\php8_2\pear;D:\php8_2;D:\www;D:\www\include') in \\TECHSHARE.TTU.EDU\AMBASSADOR\newsletter\stories\06July\hsc-speech.php on line 53
Warning: include(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in \\TECHSHARE.TTU.EDU\AMBASSADOR\newsletter\stories\06July\hsc-speech.php on line 55 Warning: include(http://www.texastech.edu/scripts/emailArticle/include.php): Failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in \\TECHSHARE.TTU.EDU\AMBASSADOR\newsletter\stories\06July\hsc-speech.php on line 55 Warning: include(): Failed opening 'http://www.texastech.edu/scripts/emailArticle/include.php' for inclusion (include_path='.;D:\php8_2\includes;D:\php8_2\extras;D:\php8_2\pear;D:\php8_2;D:\www;D:\www\include') in \\TECHSHARE.TTU.EDU\AMBASSADOR\newsletter\stories\06July\hsc-speech.php on line 55

 

U.S. Congressman visits Health Sciences Center’s Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Randy Neugebauer, who suffered sudden hearing loss due to a viral infection, knows first-hand that hearing loss affects people of all ages, not just the elderly. He visited the Health Sciences Center as part of Better Hearing and Speech Month.

Research/Academic Showcase

Randy Neugebauer U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer visits with students in the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Department during a recent visit to the Health Sciences Center campus.

U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer knows first-hand that hearing loss affects people of all ages, not just the elderly. Neugebauer, who suffered sudden hearing loss in his left ear in 2004 due to a viral infection, visited Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center May 30 as part of Better Hearing and Speech Month.

To emphasize the importance of screenings and hearing loss prevention, faculty and graduate students in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences tested Rep. Neugebauer’s hearing and offered free hearing screenings to more than 100 adults.

Department faculty met with Neugebauer during his visit and discussed the national shortage of doctoral faculty in speech-language pathology and audiology, which affects programs across the nation. Other issues discussed in the meeting included direct access to audiological care, the need for better insurance reimbursement, and the role that speech-language pathologists and audiologist play in supporting literacy.

“We are pleased that we had the opportunity to visit with Congressman Neugebauer about the issues and challenges in the field of speech, language and hearing sciences,” said Paul Brooke, Ph.D., dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences.

The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the Health Sciences Center offers four degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Master of Science in Speech-language Pathology; Doctor of Audiology; and Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Some of the recent successes of the department include:

  • Initiated a Ph.D. program in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2004 which will enroll eight students for the fall 2006 semester;
  • Initiated a Doctor of Audiology program which has already graduated five cohorts of students;
  • Significantly increased external funding agencies over the past five years;
  • Obtained approximately $400,000 in funding from the School of Allied Health Sciences to enhance research infrastructure of the department; 
  • Recruited six new Ph.D. faculty during the past five years;
  • Implemented new community outreach programs such as Look, Listen and Learn for children with hearing loss; cochlear implant support groups for children and adults and the South Plains Autism Network;
  • and expanded  existing programs such as the fluency support group and the aphasia clinic and caregivers’ support group.

- Julie Toland