Thanks to all MSHA members who have renewed their dues for 2022.  Many of you renewed your dues in the fall, and we really appreciate your continued support. Many of our members renew their dues at conference time so please know that we are grateful to receive your renewals whenever you are able to do so!

We could use your help encouraging your colleagues who have not yet joined MSHA to do so. Membership dues are the lifeblood of our association.  We are stronger with a fuller representation across our state.  The 2022 MSHA Conference Preliminary Program will soon be mailed to all MSHA and ASHA members in Michigan, so you and your colleagues should be seeing that in the mail.  We have a wonderful conference planned for 2022 and if anyone asks "What does MSHA do for me?"  that is just one of the answers.

Thank you!  Hope to see you at MSHA in East Lansing

 

Starting in June of 2022 all Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in Michigan will be required to complete implicit bias training as a condition for initial licensure as well as license renewal. Training on Implicit Bias is in addition to any continuing education training already required. Implicit Bias is required every time you renew your license unlike the human trafficking requirement which is a “one time” training. The new requirement takes effect on June 1, 2022. New applicants for licensure are required to have
completed 2 hours of+implicit bias training within the 5 years immediately preceding issuance of the license. If you renew your license+after June 1, 2022 you would only be required to have 1 hour of training+for this initial renewal cycle. Subsequent renewals will require 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of the license cycle.+For SLPs and Audiologists, this means 2 hours of training during each renewal cycle. You can take one two-hour training course or two one-hour training courses to satisfy this requirement. Trainings can be completed in-person or online; however, online trainings must be completed live and allow for participant interaction with the speaker.
We will be providing a speaker at the MSHA Annual Conference, March 24-26, 2022 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing. For more information, please see the MSHA website at https://www.michiganspeechhearing.org/licensure.php

Happy New Year!  Greetings from the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (MSHF).  
We are pleased to begin the year with two new additions to the board: Greg Spray, past MSHA president, and Brian McTaggert, a 2018 MSHF scholarship recipient.  We remain confident that the MSHF will continue to grow under the board’s leadership with your help.    
 
Please encourage any eligible student you know to apply for a foundation scholarship. See the accompanying article by Katie Strong for details. MSHF has provided scholarships continuously since 2009. Over the past 16 years since the founding of MSHF in 2006, over 100 students have received scholarships. A total of over $30,000 has been distributed.

Won’t you consider giving a helping hand to a deserving future professional? Think about signing up to be a “SAINT” (i.e., Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Investing in the Next Generation of Therapists and Scholars). With a pledge of $100 a year over 10 years you can join the ranks of our most generous donors. Of course, we appreciate any level of giving. Go to our website: www.msha-foundation.org or   Click here to donate
 
As always, we appreciate all that you do every day to help individuals with communication disorders. And thank you for your support of the foundation. Again wishing you a safe and meaningful year.

Liz Stevens, President, MSHF

MSHF Board 2022
Pam Ansell       
Alyssa Eminhizer            
Courtney Halbower
Brian McTaggert              
Kathy Rigley
Greg Spray          
Liz Stevens
John Stevens               
Katie Strong                    
Tim Weise
MSHA Liaison: Ashley Gutowski

 

Join us on Friday March 25, 2022 to celebate Katie Strong, PhD., CCC-SLP, Central Michigan University, on recieving Honors of the Association.
The Honors of the Association is the highest recognition MSHA can award an individual. The Honors of the Association recognizes sustained, outstanding accomplishments in the profession of speech, language, and hearing. The Honors of the Association is conveyed to individuals who actively demonstrate their expertise through ongoing service which directly benefits MSHA and the field as a whole and has a significant impact on persons with communication impairments. The Honors of the Association is considered a coveted and earned award given to truly deserving professionals.
 

Protect Beneficiary Access to Critical Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Services
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the House introduced legislation to address the impending Medicare Part B payment reductions. Payments for Medicare Part B outpatient audiology and speech- language pathology services are scheduled to be reduced in 2022 to offset increases for certain primary care related services finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2020. Impending Medicare Part B payment cuts to audiology and speech-language pathology services will impede beneficiary access to critical hearing, balance, speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive care.

Please ask your members of Congress to cosponsor H.R. 6620, the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2021, and stop the 2% Medicare sequestration cuts next year.

Email your members of Congress today!

 

Greetings everyone! As we approach the beginning of a new year, I wanted to reflect on a few of the accomplishments we have made this calendar year. We advocated for changing a state bill to include speech-language pathologists and audiologists as professionals who can certify the presence of a communication “impediment” on state ID cards and driver’s licenses. We advocated for extending the Educational Limited License back to 24 months with the opportunity for a renewal. We advocated for telehealth reimbursement and supporting parent-implemented interventions for individuals with a diagnosis of ASD to establish billing codes for providers. Our Student Affairs Committee Newsletter has been a wonderful resource for student information and student engagement. And we established an Executive Board position and a committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to address the diverse needs of students and professionals. I appreciate the efforts of our Office Staff, Executive Board, Advisory Assembly, general membership, and students in continuing to make MSHA a strong association.

 
Our annual conference is approaching! It will take place in East Lansing at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center from March 24 to 26. Registration will be available in January.
 
As a reminder, there are three required courses for Michigan licensure: human trafficking, pain management, and implicit bias. These courses will be offered at the MSHA conference. Please refer to the MSHA website for further details about the courses, specific requirements for licensure, and other venues for completing the courses.
 
As always, I thank you for your continued support of MSHA. We thrive as an association because of your commitment and engagement. Therefore, I encourage you to renew your MSHA membership, and perhaps encourage someone who is not a member to join us. In addition, I also encourage you to support the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (MSHF), which supports the next generation of speech-language pathologists and audiologists, and the MSHA-PAC, which supports our lobbying efforts.
 
In closing, I want to continue to express how honored I am to serve as your President for 2021-22. The Executive Board and Advisory Assembly are here for you, and we encourage you to reach out to us.
 
All my best,
 
Derek E. Daniels, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
President, Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association
 

 

 

 

All conference forms can be found on the Annual Conference page, on the MSHA website.

It is not too late to get your Student Poster Session Submission in for the 2022 MSHA Annual Conference. The deadline is February 11, 2022. We are excited to once again have posters at the conference. Follow this link for the MSHA Call for Student Poster Session Papers.


We look forward to seeing you in East Lansing in 2022!

Justine Walker, MS, CCC-SLP
VP of Professional Development and Education

Alice K. Silbergleit, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Director, Speech-Language Sciences and Disorders
Speech-Language Pathologist
Senior Bio-Scientific Staff
Department of Neurology
Henry Ford Health System
Associate professor (Clinician Educator) FTA
Department of Neurology
Wayne State University School of Medicine
 
 

 

She has been a dedicated member of the speech-language pathology profession since 1981 and has been a long-standing active MSHA member. Karen received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, and her Master of Arts degree from Wayne State University. She joined the faculty of Wayne State University in 1990, and has served as course instructor, clinical supervisor, and advisor to undergraduate and post-bachelor’s students. In 2009, she became Director of Wayne State University’s Speech and Language Center (now Speech and Language Clinics), Clinical Program Director for Speech-Language Pathology, and Clinical Coordinator for Speech-Language Pathology. During her time at Wayne State, Karen has mentored and advised students, supervised student projects, presented at ASHA, MSHA, and other local institutions, organized and presented continuing education events on clinical education, ethics, and student supervision throughout Michigan, and served on numerous university and professional association committees. Karen has also consistently secured funding for supporting Wayne State’s Speech and Language Clinics. She is deeply admired by students, having received the Wayne State CSD department’s “Professor of the Year” award multiple times, and an “Excellence in Teaching” award from Wayne State’s College of Liberal Arts and Science. Her dedication and support of students and clinical education is noteworthy and admirable. In honor of her parents, Karen and her husband, Dr. John O’Leary, developed the Walter and Cecelia Mayor Schultz Endowed Scholarship for graduate students in Wayne State’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. We appreciate her presence and tireless efforts for continually raising the bar for student success, and wish her well in the next chapter of her journey!
 

Wayne State University Welcomes Two New Faculty

Keri Morgan, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a clinical instructor and supervisor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in speech communication from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Master of Arts degree in communication studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Keri teaches undergraduate courses in language and phonological disorders, and clinical practicum. Her clinical interests include child language disorders and speech sound disorders.

Xiying Guan, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. He received his Ph.D. Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in audiology. Dr. Guan’s research focuses on understanding the structure-function relationship of the ear under normal and pathological conditions, with the long-term goal of developing diagnostics and devices to treat hearing loss and other hearing disorders.