Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at Georgia State University

💙Meet the student Monday💙

This week we are introducing Hanna Finch. She is a GRA with the Urban Child Study Center, working under Dr. Dean!

💙Meet the student Monday💙

This week we are introducing Cayce Sherer. She is a GRA with the Adult Literacy Research Center!

June is Aphasia Awareness Month! Aphasia affects a person’s ability to communicate, but it does not affect intelligence. Millions of individuals and families are impacted by aphasia, yet so many people still don’t know what it is. Through education, advocacy, and compassionate care, we can help create more understanding, patience, support, and accessibility within our communities. Every conversation matters, and every voice deserves to be heard.
Special shout out to those instrumental in making this Proclomation happen, including Anna and Ryan Teal, as well as other cities in the Atlanta metro area.

On May 8th, CSD hosted its 9th annual aphasia event. This event is designed to connect families of those living with aphasia in Atlanta and surrounding areas and improve aphasia awareness. It offers vital information on technology, recovery and other issues that people with aphasia and their friends and families face everyday. The event included a performance from GSU’s aphasia choir, as well as educational and personal presentations.

Last semester, Dr. Van Leer’s Voice Disorders Treatment Lab came out with a study that she worked on along with current and former GSU students. Madison Won and Mackenzie Curtison are graduates of our program, Lucas Ribas studies applied linguistics, and Tianqi Luan studied computer science. They measured the mental effort required to change voice quality by measuring pupil dialation. In order to conduct the study, they were granted equipment from Dr. Randy Engle’s lab at Georgia Tech. The study is titled “The Effect of Intentional Voice Quality Alteration on Mental Effort as Measured via Pupillometry and Self-Report Scales.” Read more about the study here https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00001?af=R

We are so proud of all of our almost graduates! The graduation ceremony was such a special celebration, and we are incredibly proud of everything our students have accomplished to reach this moment. After completing their medical and clinical internships this summer, they’ll officially earn their master’s degrees! We can’t wait to see all they achieve next🎓

Caption: Dr. Van Leer’s newest publication came out from her Voice Disorders Treatment Lab in collaboration with Emory Voice Center. The study was funded by an “Emory URC – Georgia CTSA“ grant and is titled, “Effect of the Fake Phone Call App on Patient Adherence Behavior and Motivation in Conversation Training Therapy: A Randomized Crossover Trial.” Read more about the study here https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/2025_AJSLP-25-00364

Congratulations to Dr. Debra Schober-Peterson on receiving the Outstanding Faculty Service to the Profession Award! No one is more deserving, we are so happy for you!

Congratulations to our student, Leah Mumpower, on defending and passing her thesis titled, "Examining the Relationship Between Stuttering, Intimate Partner Violence, and Help-Seeking Behavior." We are so proud of you!

Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! We had early celebrations with our photo wall and communication board. We loved hearing what communication means to our students and staff!