50th Anniversary Celebration

Location: Friedman Building and IRC Labs

Guests were given the opportunity to tour the School's teaching and research spaces in the Friedman Building and IRC. Current faculty, emeriti and students were present to showcase the facilities and technologies available to students and researchers at the School today. The School's clinical coordinator team also presented some of our exciting School/community partnerships and reflected on some of the significant changes that have taken place in our student externship program over the last 50 years!

Location: Woodward IRC Room 4

Guests were given an insight into the School's research program and strengths with speed presentations by the following SASS faculty and emeriti:

• Dr. Barbara May Bernhardt, Professor Emerita
• Dr. Valter Ciocca, Professor
• Dr. Paola Colozzo, Associate Professor
• Dr. Tony Herdman, Associate Professor
• Dr. Tami Howe, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Stefka Marinova-Todd, Associate Professor
• Dr. Glenda Mason, Instructor
• Dr. Navid Shahnaz, Associate Professor
• Dr. Stacey Skoretz, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Susan Small, Associate Professor

Location: Jack Poole Hall, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre

Complementary BBQ lunch was available for attendees of the daytime program.

Location: Jack Poole Hall, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre

Welcome by:

• Prof. Santa J. Ono, 15th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia
• Dr. Dermot Kelleher, Dean for the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, at the University of British Columbia
• Dr. John H. V. Gilbert, the School's founding Director & Professor Emeritus, former Director of the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, and founding Principal of the College of Health Disciplines at the University of British Columbia

Plenary Speakers:

Our speakers provided a broad historical-to-contemporary overview of the evolution of their respective fields (audiology/hearing science and speech-language pathology/sciences) during their career, including promising directions for the future.

Jean-Pierre Gagné, Ph.D, Professor (University of Montreal)

Jean-Pierre Gagné, Ph.D. is a Professor in the École d’orthophonie et d’audiologie at the University of Montreal. He obtained his Ph.D. from Washington University (St. Louis, MO, USA) in 1983. He has held academic positions (Western University and the University of Montréal) since 1986. Professor Gagné is a researcher at the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM) where he currently holds the Endowed research Chair of the Fondation Caroline-Durand en vieillissement et audition de l’Université de Montréal. His recent work has focused on the psychosocial effects of hearing loss in older adults, namely the self-stigma and interiorized ageism associated with hearing loss in older adults. Also, he is a strong proponent of addressing hearing loss and aging from a public health perspective. His current work in this area includes conducting a large-scale hearing screening program for older adults and developing hearing health services for older adults who reside in home care facilities.

Carol Stoel-Gammon, Ph.D., Professor Emerita (University of Washington)

Carol Stoel-Gammon, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle. She received her doctorate in Linguistics from Stanford University in 1973 and joined the faculty of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, in 1984. She has taught courses in Brazil, New Zealand, and Canada. Her primary research is in the area of early speech and language development with a particular focus on the relationships between prelinguistic and early linguistic development. Her work has involved a variety of clinical populations including children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, children with Downs syndrome, children diagnosed with apraxia of speech, and children identified as late talkers. She is interested the assessment and early identification of speech-language disorders in infants and toddlers and in approaches to early intervention.

Location: Jack Poole Hall, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre

This session involved a one-hour moderated panel discussion involving four discussants, the plenary speakers, and the audience. The discussion provided an opportunity for four other scholars and clinicians to follow up on points raised by the plenary speakers, briefly offer their reflections from their respective fields, and participate in a Q&A with the audience.

Panel discussants:

• Barbara May Bernhardt, Ph.D., RSLP, Professor Emerita (University of British Columbia)

Barbara May Bernhardt was professor at the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences from 1990-2017. She was in the first cohort of SASS MSc students (1972 alumna) and was the first PhD student (1990). Her primary area of study is language development and intervention (phonology focus). Outcomes of a continuing international crosslinguistic project on phonological development include the free website phonodevelopment.sites.olt.ubc.ca. Other areas of study include ultrasound in speech therapy, and approaches to service delivery for Indigenous people in Canada, for which she co-developed the SASS course, AUDI 540. As Emerita, Dr. Bernhardt continues the above while allotting more time to other interests in the arts and outdoors.

• Tracey Findlay, M.A., RSLP, Practice Leader for SLP at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, UBC Hospital & Vancouver General Hospital

Tracey Findlay is the Practice Leader for speech-language pathology (SLP) at Vancouver Coastal Health’s GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, UBC Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. She is a Clinical Instructor with UBC SASS and is currently the Clinical Faculty representative for SLP. Tracey has participated in school curriculum reviews; recruitment of academic faculty and accreditation. She is honored to be invited to participate on this panel. Her clinical areas of interest include acquired speech and language disorders and dysphagia.

• Grace Shyng, M.Sc., Aud. (C), RAUD, RHIP, Interim Executive Director at the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Grace Shyng is currently the Interim Executive Director for Interim Executive Director for the Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility (formerly Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), and was previously their Head of Audiology for over 19 years. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor with UBC SASS, and has participated on many professional committees for the School, Speech-language & Audiology Canada and BC Speech & Hearing.  Grace is also a proud recipient of the UBC SASS Noelle Lamb Award for Excellence in Clinical Education.   Her areas of interests include amplification, aging and accessibility.

• David R. Stapells, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus (University of British Columbia)

David R. Stapells is a hearing scientist with special expertise in physiological measures of hearing, both applied and basic. His work concerning auditory evoked potential (ABR, ASSR, CAEP) assessment of infant hearing informs early hearing/screening programs across Canada and worldwide. Prior to coming home to UBC in 1996, Dr. Stapells was faculty at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa in 1984. Professor Emeritus at UBC since 2012, Dr. Stapells continues consultant work with the British Columbia Early Hearing Program, as well as research with colleagues at UBC.

Location: Jack Poole Hall, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre

Guests browsed a presentation of posters showcasing recent studies and/or conceptual overviews of research currently being undertaken by SASS faculty, emeriti, research collaborators, PhD and thesis students. Our clinical coordinators were also presenting information about the School’s externship placement history.

Location: West Atrium, Life Sciences Centre

The School hosted a special gala dinner to celebrate what the School has achieved over the past 50 years and to imagine what opportunities and advances the next 50 years could bring! The exciting program of entertainment included:

• A welcome from the School's founder, Dr. John H. V. Gilbert
• A Scottish pipe-in to dinner by SASS alumnus, Jeff Rowell, MSc, R-SLP
• First Nations songs led by Tiare Laporte, former AUDI 540 Community Learning Coordinator (SASS ensemble):
  • Hopi Bear song
  • Cree song Kitaskinanaw: Composers C. L’Hirondelle/J. Naytowhow ©2006
• Music by DJ James Larsen