SLP Faculty Member Selected to ASHA Pathways Program

Dr. Kyomi Gregory, assistant professor in the College of Education and Rehabilitation’s Speech-Language Pathology program, was recently selected to participate in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Pathways Program. The professional organization’s program aims to mentor early-career clinical scientists in developing strong foundations for careers in independent research. Approximately 10 protégé applicants are selected throughout the U.S. and paired with experienced mentors.

Dr. Gregory is thrilled to be a member of the elite program and eager to advance her research repertoire.

“I applied for the Pathways Program because I know one of the primary ways you build a career in speech-language pathology is through good mentorship,” she said. “This program provides mentorship from individuals who have established research in the profession. I wanted to utilize this program to help advance my career as a clinical researcher in speech-language pathology.”

The program consists of two phases – an initial conference held earlier this summer followed by a year of ongoing, remote mentoring and educational support. Dr. Gregory was paired with Dr. Jan Edwards, a professor in the University of Maryland’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences and associate director of the Maryland Language Science Center. Dr. Gregory hopes to expand upon her dissertation research, which focuses on children who speak non-mainstream dialect of American English, such as African American English.

“I hope to follow-through with a five-year plan that I established at the [initial conference] in June to continue the research line I established with my dissertation,” she said. “My interest is in establishing a training method for teachers on how to identify speakers who are typically developing and have a specific language impairment that speak Non-Mainstream American English.”