The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers a weekly Professional Development Seminar (Prosem) during the academic year. Prosem consists of presentations by invited speakers, covering a broad range of topics related to the field. Speakers include on-campus colleagues and collaborators, as well as off-campus visitors. Prosem occurs at noon on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Monday of each month of fall and spring semesters.
For doctoral students in the Department of CSD, there is an accompanying discussion section led by a CSD faculty member. Discussion may focus on selected articles provided by the speaker each week, or may include professional development topics such as ethics, scientific integrity, mentoring, and other areas related to scholarly development.
All faculty, staff, and students are welcome. CSD faculty, staff, and students are strongly encouraged to attend.
Upcoming Prosem Events
-
Nov17
Prosem Lecture: Hearing-related Behavior and Social-emotional Health Erik Jorgensen, Au.D., Ph.D. @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 150 Russell Laboratories Learn more about Prosem
Hearing loss is associated with increased risks of loneliness and depression. The mechanisms underlying this association are unknown. In this talk, we outline a possible hearing-related behavior framework for understanding how hearing loss may lead to negative social-emotional health outcomes. The framework posits that acoustic environments and perceptual abilities, including the effects of hearing loss and audiologic intervention, interact in complex ways to influence long-term well-being. We then provide preliminary empirical evidence testing this theory. Our results provide support for our hypothesized pathway from hearing loss to depression; however, the results also suggest that hearing aid use may change daily life behaviors in fundamental ways that call into question traditional philosophies of hearing aid benefit and outcome.
-
Nov24
Prosem Lecture: Oromotor Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Alexander Disease Jared Cullen, B.S. @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 150 Russell Laboratories Learn more about Prosem
Alexander disease (AxD) is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by dominant gain of function mutations in the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene, leading to protein aggregation, astrocyte dysfunction, white matter degeneration, and progressive neurological decline. Individuals with AxD frequently experience bulbar impairments, including dysphagia, feeding difficulties, compromised airway protection, and dysarthria, however these deficits have not yet been characterized in preclinical animal models. Our research assessed oromotor function in the CRISPR/Cas9-engineered GFAP+/R237H rat model, which carries the rodent equivalent of the severe and clinically prevalent human R239H mutation. To determine whether this model recapitulates clinically observed bulbar motor deficits, we conducted a series of baseline behavioral assays including tongue strength, mastication efficiency, swallowing function, and ultrasonic vocalizations to measure function directly related to swallowing and speech. Findings from this work establish the first evidence of oromotor dysfunction in an AxD animal model, paralleling bulbar motor impairments observed clinically in individuals with AxD. These results strengthen the translational relevance of the GFAP+/R237H rat model and its validity as a robust tool for future mechanistic studies and the development of therapeutic and/or rehabilitative techniques aimed at improving the bulbar function in Alexander disease.
-
Dec01
Prosem Lecture: Social Considerations in Sentence Repetition Liz Ancel, Ph.D. @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 150 Russell Laboratories Learn more about Prosem
Social Considerations in Sentence Repetition