Five new faculty getting settled in SECD



Five new faculty getting settled in SECD

19 Sep 2018     By Kelcey Buck

Five new faculty have joined the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders for the 2018-19 year. Four of the five are new to the university, while Anne Thomas has transitioned from a lecturer to an assistant professor of practice in special education. Learn more about Michelle Hughes, Lisa Lenz, Amanda Rodriguez, Joshua Sevier and Anne Thomas in the Q-&-As below.

Michelle Hughes, associate professor in audiology

Ph.D., Hearing Science, University of Iowa, 2003
M.A., Audiology, University of Iowa, 1995
B.S., Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1992

What made you interested in pursuing a career in audiology?
I found audiology through a rather serendipitous route. I read the book about Helen Keller when I was a kid, and was fascinated with how she learned what she did with dual sensory deprivation. I had always loved the biological sciences, but was somewhat pushed toward becoming an engineer. After 2 years of studying computer engineering, I finally realized it was not for me because it lacked the biological and social aspects that I wanted in a career. I thought Speech Pathology and Audiology sounded perfect, so I switched majors and never looked back! I originally went to grad school for Speech Pathology, but switched to Audiology halfway through my program because I kept coming back to my interest in deafness. Finding my niche in cochlear implant work was the perfect fit.

What made this position at Nebraska the right fit for you?
Where do I start? So many things, but the biggest one is being able to have a much more significant impact in my work by training our next generation of clinicians and scientists. Plus, I grew up in Nebraska and did my undergrad here, so I’m a Husker at heart. I really can’t be anywhere else!

What goals do you have for your first year in SECD?
Get my lab up and running, and survive this first semester!

How do you enjoy spending your free time when you’re not at work?
Most of my free time is occupied by my kids’ sports (soccer, softball, and baseball). Otherwise, I like to paint.

Lisa Lenz, assistant professor of practice and speech-language pathology externship coordinator

Doctoral Candidate, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, anticipated graduation 2019
B.A., English, Lipscomb University, 1995
M.A., Speech-Language Pathology, Indiana University, 2000
B.A., English, Lipscomb University, 1995

What made you interested in pursuing a career in speech-language pathology?
My undergraduate degree was in English, and though I love language, I wanted to find something that involved science, as well. Speech-language pathology represents the perfect mixture of language, science, and healthcare for me.

What made this position as SLP Externship Coordinator at Nebraska the right fit for you?
The position at Nebraska draws on many things I have done over the years - my experience as an administrator for a pharmaceutical company, my time as a speech-language pathologist in clinical practice, my years of teaching and doing research, even my life as a mom - the skills I have used in all those jobs help me do the things this unique position requires. I felt the SLP Externship Coordinator position would allow me to do a variety of things that I enjoy, whereas other positions I considered were more focused on one skill, such as mostly research or mostly teaching. Having the ability and the freedom to do the variety of things required for this job keeps me on my toes!

What goals do you have for your first year in SECD?
My first goal is simply to master all the things my predecessors in this position have done. There are a lot of moving parts in my job, and so I want to learn them all and learn them well to ensure the best outcomes for students and clients. Second, I am still working on my dissertation, so I want to make headway there and develop other avenues for research that involve supervision and clinical practice. Third, I want to delve into the culture here - in the department, at UNL, and in Nebraska as a whole. Everyone has been kind and welcoming so far, and I am enjoying learning what it means to be a Husker!

How do you enjoy spending your free time when you’re not at work?
My kids keep me really busy when I'm not working, and it's fun to see them develop their own interests and to share some with them. We enjoy cooking together, especially baking, and we like to travel. I enjoy working out as much as I can, and I'm training now for my next half-marathon in Des Moines in October. I enjoy reading, too, and recently did a little indoor rock climbing. I'm open to just about anything, but I admit I almost never just sit down and watch TV, so maybe I need to learn to relax more and do a little less in my free time!

Amanda Rodriguez, assistant professor in audiology

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pediatric Vestibular Function and Assessment, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 2018
Ph.D., Vestibular Function & Assessment – Communication Sciences & Disorders, Texas Tech University, 2016
Au.D., Doctor of Audiology, Texas Tech University, 2014
B.S. Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Texas at Austin, 2010

What made you interested in pursuing a career in audiology?
My parents are both registered nurses, so growing up I liked learning about healthcare. As I got older, I found that I really enjoy interacting with patients, figuring out their diagnoses and helping them feel better. Audiology has really unique medical aspects, like vestibular science. People who have vestibular and/or balance problems can have multiple medical causes for their symptoms and that requires one to really think about how their anatomy and physiology is functioning. So you could say I really like getting to put the "pieces of the puzzle" together and collaborating with other medical professionals. As I continued to see patients across the lifespan, I recognized that we didn't have all the answers for our vestibular and balance patients, particularly for children and athletes who are not often thought to have vestibular and balance problems. I also saw that there was a disconnect between the science and clinical practice. These gaps are what led me to pursue applied vestibular and balance research.

What made this position at Nebraska the right fit for you?
I think this is really three-fold. First, the culture of the university, CEHS, and SECD was in line with my work values and I felt welcomed to be a researcher, teacher, and clinician. Secondly, I felt that the skills that I had honed in on during my training could contribute to SECD and UNL, and I could learn something new in return. People were interested in my expertise and helped me navigate ways in which I could collaborate. For example, I am housed within the Center for Brain, Behavior, & Biology which lends itself to have even more collaborations. Thirdly, I think the missions of CEHS and SECD fit well with who I am as a person. I've always believed in serving individuals, whether that be children or athletes and their families so that they can have optimum health throughout their lives. I thought to myself, if this is the collective goal, I will have no problem waking up each day to go do my job.

What goals do you have for your first year in SECD?
During my first year I want to continue to strengthen my programmatic line of research and role as an independent investigator. I also want this year to be about planting my feet down, being present, and being accessible to others as either a resource or fresh perspective.

How do you enjoy spending your free time when you’re not at work?
When I am not at work I enjoy being outdoors with my significant other and our dog, whether we are hiking, gardening, or traveling all over Nebraska to visit some of its great state parks!

Joshua Sevier, lecturer and Cochlear Implant Program coordinator

Au.D., Doctor of Audiology, Pacific University, 2016
A.S., American Sign Language, Nashville State Community College, 2013
B.S., Biology, Cumberland University, 2012

What made you interested in pursuing a career in audiology?
Following my time in the military as a medic, I naturally first wanted to be a trauma surgeon. In college I began interacting with a group of Deaf students at Gallaudet University. While I knew that healthcare was my calling, I researched healthcare careers working with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. After discovering audiology and touring local Au.D. programs near my home, I decided to jump into the field and haven’t regretted it for a second.

What made this position at Nebraska the right fit for you?
The majority of my time in the field has been working with cochlear implants. After working in CI’s for two years at Boys Town National Research Hospital, I was recruited to come to Nebraska to start and grow a cochlear implant program. After meeting and feeling the excitement from the faculty and staff, I knew It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

What goals do you have for your first year in SECD?

  1. To develop a sizable patient population.
  2. Allow students to train and gain great experience in cochlear implants while completing their Au.D.
  3. Begin to see candidates for implantation and develop a multidisciplinary CI team here at the university.
  4. Perform several Cochlear Implant activations here at the university.

How do you enjoy spending your free time when you’re not at work?
Free time… That’s an interesting concept. I work in politics nearly full-time as well outside of the university. I currently help run a state legislature campaign, write legislation that benefits audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and their patients, and serve as co-chair of the legislative affairs committee for the Nebraska Speech-Language-Hearing Association. When I do have days off, I love hiking, traveling, playing ice hockey, and watching sports.

Anne Thomas, assistant professor of practice and Deaf Education program coordinator

Ph.D., Educational Studies – Early Childhood Deaf Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2017
M.Ed., Special Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing, University of Pittsburgh, 2004
B.A., Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2000

What made you interested in pursuing a career in special education, particularly in the area of deaf education?
When I was a senior in high school, I worked at a restaurant that taught sign language courses in the basement. My manager was the American Sign Language (ASL) instructor. One day we were talking about my foreign language requirement and she suggested that I take ASL. A couple weeks later I looked into it, and although ASL wasn’t formally offered as a foreign language at the time, I eventually got it approved as my foreign language. Once I started taking ASL classes, I became more interested in the people who communicated using the language, and there began my journey in deaf education.

What made this assistant professor of practice position at Nebraska the right fit for you?
Nebraska’s Deaf Education program is a nationally recognized program that has an excellent reputation, so when the opportunity came along to be part of that program, I didn’t hesitate. In addition, I am a native of Lincoln and my entire family (all 60+ of them) lives in or around Lincoln, so working at an institution that is close to home made it a natural fit.

How do you hope to build on what you started last year as a lecturer?
Every day I am working to improve and expand what I learned as a lecturer and develop courses that prepare students to meet the diverse needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the current and future years, I hope to develop and incorporate more interdisciplinary training opportunities that prepare my pre-service deaf educators to work collaboratively and effectively with other teachers and clinicians that provide services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, including special educators, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists.

How do you enjoy spending your free time when you’re not at work?
I enjoy spending as much free time as I can with my family (immediate and extended), going to music concerts/shows, getting together with friends, going on walks, and working in my garden.

 


Special Education and Communication Disorders