Speech and Hearing Science News

News Headlines

Remembering John J. O’Neill.

John J. O'Neill, renowned audiologist and founding head of the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois, passed away on June 29, 2009. After a distinguished military career he attended Ohio State University where he earned a B.S. in Education in 1947 and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Speech Science in 1951. He served on the faculty at OSU until 1959 before coming to the University of Illinois to chair of the Division of Speech and Hearing Science, then a part of the Department of Speech Communication. He played a major role in the transformation of Speech and Hearing Science at the UI to its current status as the nationally-ranked Department of Speech and Hearing Science and served as the first head of the department from 1973 to 1979. The O'Neill Lecture Series was established in his honor by former student Dr. John Deck to bring distinguished speakers to the campus.

Read more about Dr. O’Neill’s contributions and honors.

SLP Clinical Instructors

Speech Language Pathology Clinic is seeking part-time dynamic clinical instructors 2008–09 year. Responsibilities include clinical education/supervision of students, and participation in clinical operations at a new state of the art facility. CCC’s and Illinois license required. Send or fax resume by Aug. 11, 2008 to:

Director SLP Clinic
Speech & Hearing Science Dept.
2001 S. Oak St.
Champaign, IL 61820
fax: 217-244-2206

New Faculty Spring '08

Fatima Husain, Ph.D. joins the department as an assistant professor.

New Department Head

Dr. Adrienne Perlman assumed the position of department head effective August 16, 2007. Meet Dr. Perlman.

New Faculty Fall ’07

Pamela Hadley, Ph.D.—Associate Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Science.
Focuses upon early grammatical development in children with specific language impairment and the clinical methods used to identify and treat these children.

Matthew Rispoli, Ph.D.—Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Science.
Studies how children acquire language and linguistic abilities.

Torrey Loucks, Ph.D.—Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Science.
Explores neural control of speech and voice production and neurological voice disorders in normal and stuttering individuals.

Traumatic Brain Injury in the War Zone

Speech and Hearing Science professor Adele Proctor and colleagues will use $1 million, five-year training grant to:

• serve GIs returning with traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• address cognitive effects of TBI
• focus on training for speech-language pathologists

Read article about TBI research.

Johnson Named ASHA Fellow

Professor Cynthia Johnson became a Fellow of the America Speech-Language-Hearing Association and received her award at the November 2006 national convention. Based on exceptional professional contributions, the status of Fellow is retained for life. Professor Johnson joins others in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science who have previously received this prestigious honor.

Nanoparticles Target Cancer Cells

Ongoing and important research by Kenneth Watkin, professor in the Dept. of Speech and Hearing Science, may lead to a new breed of medical-imaging contrast agents that could improve head and neck cancer treatment and recovery. Read details of Watkin's nanoparticle research.