2026 Master’s SLP Open House
Join us to learn more about the Master’s SLP program at our annual Open House on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Hear from our SLP program director, academic and clinical faculty, and current graduate students. This is an excellent opportunity for recently admitted students to have their questions answered by representatives of the program. Please RSVP to the event using the link provided shortly after your admission letter was received; more information about how to join will be distributed to registrants prior to the event date and time.
Who is welcome to attend?
Anyone who was offered an admission for Fall 2026. RSVP information will be located in your offer letter, sent in mid-February. The program holds fall program information sessions that are better suited for prospective students who have not yet completed an application. Details for those sessions will be posted to our website over the summer.
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST
2026 Open House
Date: March 21, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST
What Makes Our Department Special
Our Award-winning Faculty
Our nationally and internationally recognized faculty educate incoming students to become clinicians, scientists, and teachers of the future. Our top-ranked program in speech-language pathology offers a variety of didactic and hands-on opportunities.
Our Incredible Students
Our students are talented and skilled clinicians who end up working in the hospitals, clinics, schools, and in the private sector. Discover what graduate students have to say about their UW-Madison experience.
The Wisconsin Idea
UW-Madison Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders employs best practices in inclusive excellence to engage in outreach activities that directly benefit professional colleagues, students, and individuals and their families in the community.
Meet Our Faculty
Rebecca Alper, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Learn more about Rebecca Alper, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Kathryn Basco, M.A., CCC-SLP
Kathryn has 37 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, clinical educator, and instructor, with extensive expertise in early intervention, pediatric feeding and swallowing, and receptive/expressive language delays and disorders. Additionally, she serves clients with hearing loss, fluency disorders, and phonological and articulation disorders. Kathryn supervises first year MS-SLP students in the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic and co-facilitates the Watch Me Grow Program for children birth through 4 years of age. Her clinical teaching emphasizes evidence-based intervention, family-centered care, reflective practice, and parent/caregiver coaching. Prior to joining UW–Madison in 2019, Kathryn worked for 13 years as a clinical educator at Elmhurst University where she taught numerous courses to undergraduate and graduate students in communication sciences and disorders. Kathryn is an experienced practitioner in pediatric acute care and outpatient medical and rehabilitation settings and early intervention programs. She has presented at state and national conferences on topics related to clinical education, family-centered intervention, language development and play, and developmental outcomes for medically complex children.
Learn more about Kathryn Basco, M.A., CCC-SLP
Maia Braden, M.S., CCC-SLP
Maia Braden has worked extensively in the areas of voice evaluation and treatment, and cleft palate and resonance disorders. She worked in specialized voice and upper airway clinics, with children and adults, and has served on multidisciplinary teams including cleft palate and craniofacial, tracheostomy care, and aerodigestive. Her areas of expertise include voice disorders, pediatric voice disorders, cleft palate and resonance, singing voice, and gender-affirming voice and communication. She instructs students in the master’s program both in the classroom and through work with clients in the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic. Areas of clinical care at UWSHC include voice disorders, gender-affirming voice and communication, speech sound disorders, and cleft palate.
Learn more about Maia Braden, M.S., CCC-SLP
Kimberly Caul, M.S., CCC-SLP
Kim Caul is a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), Certified Brain Injury Specialist and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at UW-Madison. Kim has over 20 years of experience practicing as an SLP across healthcare, education and university settings; treating individuals across the lifespan. Primary settings include post-acute brain injury rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient and outpatient in the hospital setting and currently through the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic (UWSHC) and the Dewane Neurorehabilitative Pro Bono Clinic, both campus clinics. Her areas of clinical interest and expertise include neurogenic communication disorders resulting from acquired brain injury (stroke/TBI), mTBI/concussion care, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), voice preservation in the neurodegenerative populations, developmental disorders in young adults, and advocacy and outreach. Kim instructs graduate students who are training in the Master’s Program through work with clients at the UWSHC and Pro Bono Clinic, and teaches coursework focusing on medical-based services. She also facilitates UWSHC’s Concussion Services for university students and community members. Kim’s services focus on patient-centered care and evidence-based, life participation approaches to support return to activity and to enhance patient quality of life.
Learn more about Kimberly Caul, M.S., CCC-SLP
Michelle Ciucci, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Ciucci’s research interests include sensorimotor control for voice and swallowing, dysphagia (swallowing disorders), and Parkinson disease. Dr. Ciucci has a joint appointment in the Department of Surgery-Division of Otolaryngology and is a faculty member in the Neuroscience Training Program. She conducts basic, translational, and clinical science research for voice and swallowing disorders.
Learn more about Michelle Ciucci, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Nadine Connor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Connor’s research interests include voice and swallowing disorders, head and neck cancer, aging, and neuromuscular function in the head and neck.
Learn more about Nadine Connor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Elizabeth Delsandro, M.S., CCC-SLP
Elizabeth has over 25 years of diverse clinical experience. She has worked in outpatient medical settings, specifically two centers of excellence in developmental disabilities, the Kennedy Krieger Institute (Baltimore, Maryland) and the Waisman Center (Madison, Wisconsin). Most recently, Elizabeth has provided diagnostic and consultation services in the Newborn Follow-up Clinic, Autism & Developmental Disabilities Clinic, Down Syndrome Clinic, and Feeding Team at the Waisman Center. Additionally, Elizabeth worked in the public schools as a direct service provider, assistive technology trainer, and an autism consultant. Elizabeth’s clinical interests include early intervention, language and social communication disorders, social emotional and behavior management.
Learn more about Elizabeth Delsandro, M.S., CCC-SLP
Haley Dresang, Ph.D.
Dr. Dresang investigates the neuroscience of language and neurological disorders that affect communication. Her research advances our understanding of the brain and how treatments can improve language following stroke, brain injury, and neurodegenerative conditions.
Learn more about Haley Dresang, Ph.D.
Alyson Eith, M.S., CCC-SLP
Alyson joined the clinical faculty team at the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in August 2014. Previously, she worked in school and community-based settings for 14 years with a diverse client population of children, adolescents, and adults. Alyson’s clinical interests include the areas of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Fluency, and serving individuals who are D/deaf and Hard of Hearing. Her approach to intervention involves functionally relevant therapy objectives, use of evidence based practice, and promoting self-advocacy. Alyson supervises clinical practica of individuals across the life span, including those with complex communication needs. In addition, she teaches the graduate level AAC course.
Learn more about Alyson Eith, M.S., CCC-SLP
Misha Finney, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Learn more about Misha Finney, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Amy Hartman, Au.D., CCC-A
Dr. Hartman is the director of clinical education at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She is involved in all facets of Au.D. education and is committed to student training, particularly in the area of pediatric audiology. Her clinical passion is working with children with hearing loss, particularly audiologic assessments of infants and children, and central auditory processing evaluations. She is actively involved in local, state, regional and national initiatives to promote screening, early diagnosis, and treatment for children with hearing loss. She has been involved in multiple student research projects focusing on early hearing detection and intervention. She is involved in many outreach activities including out of hospital clinics for the Amish and Mennonite population in Wisconsin. Additional clinical services include hosting a dramatic play summer camp for children with hearing loss. Before working at the university, Dr. Hartman worked at a children’s hospital, in a school setting and at a large otolaryngology clinic.
Learn more about Amy Hartman, Au.D., CCC-A
Katie Hustad, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Hustad’s research centers around children and adults with significant speech intelligibility problems associated with dysarthria. Her work has three main themes: 1) identification of variables that influence speech intelligibility, including factors related to the listener, the communicative context, and the speaker; 2) augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions to enhance communication effectiveness for individuals with reduced speech intelligibility; and 3) longitudinal development of speech, language, and communication in young children with cerebral palsy. Most of her research takes place at the Waisman Center, where she works closely with several clinical programs including the Communication Aids and Systems Clinic.
Learn more about Katie Hustad, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Margarita Kaushanskaya, Ph.D.
Dr. Kaushanskaya is a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences Disorders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She graduated with a BA in Linguistics and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She then moved to the Midwest, and got both her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology and her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University. Dr. Kaushanskaya leads and supervises research that goes on in the Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Lab.
Dr. Kaushanskaya’s research focuses on second-language acquisition and bilingualism in children and adults. She directs the Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Laboratory, housed in Goodnight Hall and the Waisman Center. The overall goal of her research program is to uncover the cognitive mechanisms that underlie language learning across the lifespan. The work in the Language Acquisition and Bilingualism lab examines the effects of bilingualism on learning and memory in children and adults; the interplay between linguistic and cognitive factors in shaping language proficiency of bilingual children and adults; and the nature and the developmental trajectory of language impairment in bilingual children.
Learn more about Margarita Kaushanskaya, Ph.D.
Kimberly Mueller, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Mueller’s research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms and behavioral aspects of speech and language changes across the spectrum of normal aging, preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, and other forms of dementia. Her work utilizes naturalistic speech-language samples as one means of analyzing and understanding subtle changes to communication. Dr. Mueller is also interested in the design and testing of identification methods of early cognitive change in the presence of AD biomarkers, and multimodal therapeutic interventions to address cognitive-communication difficulties in MCI and dementia due to neurodegenerative disease.
Learn more about Kimberly Mueller, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Kristin Murphey, M.S., CCC-SLP
Kristin joined the clinical faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2022. Kristin has over 15 years of clinical experience as a speech language pathologist across medical and university settings. She primarily worked in skilled nursing, home health and outpatient care and currently supervises clients in the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic (UWSHC) and Dewane Neurorehabilitative Pro Bono Clinic on campus. Kristin’s primary clinical interests include treatment of communication and swallowing disorders resulting from neurodegenerative diseases and neurological injury and patient and caregiver counseling.
Learn more about Kristin Murphey, M.S., CCC-SLP
Nicole Rogus-Pulia, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Learn more about Nicole Rogus-Pulia, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Courtney Seidel, M.S., CCC-SLP
Courtney joined the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders in September 2015 and brings broad experience working with students from early childhood through the college level in school, private practice, and home-based settings. A dedicated educator and clinician, she specializes in child language disorders, diagnostics, school-based services, and the assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse children.
Courtney teaches School Methods, Language Development, and Disorders in School-Age Populations. She works closely with the Department of Public Instruction Teaching Standards to arrange and supervise student teacher placements in public schools. She also supervises graduate clinicians in the UW Speech & Hearing Clinic through the Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) and diagnostic clinic.
In addition, Courtney oversees the Dane County Head Start speech and language screenings and represents UW–Madison on the ReachDane Programs and Education Committee.
Courtney is a Board Certified Specialist in Child Language; was selected as the Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year; received the University of Wisconsin–Madison 2019 Teaching Academy Fellow for Teaching Excellence; was awarded the state level ASHFoundation Clinical Achievement Award; and has earned numerous ASHA ACE Awards for continuing education.
Learn more about Courtney Seidel, M.S., CCC-SLP
Audra Sterling, Ph.D.
My work focuses on the cognitive and language development of individuals with developmental disabilities. In particular I am interested in children with fragile X syndrome, autism, and Down syndrome. The long term goals of my research seek to understand the contributions of both biology (as represented by genetic syndromes, e.g., FXS) and environment (as represented in this case by parenting) in the development of language and cognition in children with developmental disabilities.
The current study in my lab focuses on the language development of boys with fragile X syndrome as well as boys with idiopathic autism. Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and shares a striking number of similarities in terms of the language and behavioral phenotype with autism. Approximately 25-45% of males with fragile X also have a co-diagnosis of autism. The current study aims to describe the language profile of children with fragile X and children with autism, with a particular focus on syntax and morphology. I am also interested in the impact of autism on fragile X, and how this is similar and/or different to language in idiopathic autism. Additionally the study is also examining the best methods for assessing language in fragile X and autism. Very little is known about assessment and intervention for language development in fragile X, and the results of this study have important clinical implications in terms of designing and implementing the most effective treatments in this population.
I have several other projects focused on other areas of language and cognitive development in developmental disabilities, including the language and cognitive development of females with fragile X syndrome, adult language in idiopathic autism, and best assessment measures for autism in other clinical populations (i.e., fragile X).
Learn more about Audra Sterling, Ph.D.
Susan Thibeault, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Thibeault’s translational research investigates molecular and genetic factors that are the basis of normal vocal fold tissue and its vibration. Dr Thibeault studies vocal fold injury and wound healing as a disordered model. Specifically, Dr Thibeault’s lab has two main areas of study — tissue engineering of the vocal fold lamina propria and laryngeal immunology. The lab has developed unique primary and immortalized human cell lines, in addition to vibrational bioreactors to aid in the research pursuit.
Learn more about Susan Thibeault, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Lisa Vinney, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Vinney joined the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) in 2023. She serves as graduate program director and academic advisor for the speech-language pathology master’s program and teaches classes at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Lisa has worked in academic and voice-specialized clinical positions throughout her career. After graduating in 2006 from the MS program at UW-Madison, she completed a clinical fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center and then a PhD in CSD at UW-Madison, focused on voice and voice disorders. Lisa served as an assistant, then associate professor and associate chair in the CSD department at Illinois State University (ISU) for eight years before returning to Madison.
Since 2021, Lisa has provided specialized voice and airway assessment and treatment services in Wisconsin at the UW Health Voice and Swallowing Clinic. She is passionate about positively shaping clinical service delivery via quality education of the next generation of clinicians, program development, and research focused on understanding best practices in the CSD classroom and mechanisms of vocal behavior change in the clinic. As an instructor and advisor, Lisa is invested in supporting students’ well-being and success. She has mentored several students through theses and independent studies and taught courses focused on clinical writing, speech science, voice science, voice disorders, phonological disorders, fluency disorders, craniofacial disorders, and motor speech disorders.
Learn more about Lisa Vinney, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Additional Resources & Information
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Campus Life/Life in Madison
Where to stay? What to eat? We’ve got your back. Destination Madison publishes an official Visitors Guide filled with ideas of things to do, upcoming events, restaurants and more.
Madison, with a population of over 250,000, offers the amenities of a big city with the benefits and warmth of a strikingly beautiful college town. The Wisconsin Union Theater, the Overture Center for the Arts, the Kohl Center, and other facilities provide endless opportunities for students to enjoy national and local cultural events.
Campus Area Housing, a service of the Campus and Visitor Relations office, is UW-Madison’s official resource for individuals searching for privately-owned housing rentals in the campus area, downtown, and greater Madison area. The listing service provides a searchable database where individuals may use a filtered search for rental housing specified to their individual needs.
With more than 45,000 students representing 50 states and 134 countries, our community is diverse, energetic, and constantly in motion. Jump around with 80,000 Badgers fans at Camp Randall Stadium and witness athletic feats from our 23 Big Ten varsity teams. Join one of the nearly 900 student organizations—or start a new one. Stroll down Madison’s vibrant State Street and experience the largest farmers’ market of its kind as you walk around Capitol Square. Relax over live music and a stunning sunset at the Memorial Union Terrace. Build a lifelong community of kinship and support.
Grab a chair and soak up the sun on the historic Memorial Union Terrace. The years have passed, the space has grown and even the chairs have changed. But through it all, the Terrace has remained a favorite spot for UW students, faculty, staff, Union members and anyone else looking to enjoy sunny day or beautiful evening in the summer, spring or fall.
Campus Diversity
International Student Services
International Student Services (ISS) serves UW-Madison students on F and J visas by providing holistic support through advising on immigration, personal, and cultural matters, and by organizing events and activities to support students’ engagement and development within the campus community.
The primary mission of the Multicultural Student Center is to collaboratively strengthen and sustain an inclusive campus where all students, particularly students of color and other historically underserved students, can realize an authentic Wisconsin Experience.
Black Cultural Center (BCC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison serves Black students (including African-American, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, and African Diaspora) by facilitating opportunities for academic and social support, co-curricular programming, and community building.
The BCC welcomes all students and centers the voices, experiences, and dynamic lives of Black undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The Black Cultural Center exists to acknowledge the specific and particular realities of Black communities at UW-Madison, while also connecting communities to the larger Wisconsin Experience and fostering a sense of belonging.
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding
The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding is your resource for social networking, learning, and professional development. Housed within the Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, we focus on the needs of underserved graduate student populations such as graduate students of color and first-generation graduate students.
Bouchet Graduate Honor Society
The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society commemorates the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from an American university (Physics, Yale University, 1876). The Bouchet Society seeks to develop a network of scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy—exemplifying the spirit and example of Dr. Bouchet.
Gender and Sexuality Campus Center
The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center provides education, outreach, advocacy, and resources for UW-Madison student communities and their allies to improve campus climate and their daily intersectional experiences.
Veteran Services & Military Assistance Center
The Veteran Services & Military Assistance Center supports the Wisconsin Experience of military-connected students by fostering personal transitions and pursuit of academic success.
Campus Accessibility
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive campus experience for all members of the campus community. The University has a rich history in providing access to individuals with disabilities and strives to continue this strong tradition through an established network of programs and resources that highlight disability, accessibility, and accommodations for students, employees, visitors, and guests.
McBurney Disability Resource Center
We view disability as an important aspect of the diversity of UW-Madison and are committed to creating an accessible and inclusive educational experience for students. We do this by partnering with students, faculty, and staff to design accessible environments and to provide academic accommodations so that students can engage, explore and participate in the Wisconsin Idea. Whether you are a student or instructor, are new to campus or are already quite familiar, have a long history of accommodations or are just exploring disability-related accommodations for the first time, we invite you to learn more about the Center and to contact us with any questions you may have.
Questions?
If you have questions about our program not answered on this or related pages, please contact us: