Kathleen Youse Elected as Next President of ANCDS

Kathleen M. Youse, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, director of the University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, was recently elected as the next president of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS).

The professional organization’s main goal is to enhance the communicative needs of people affected by neurologic disorders by providing leadership and mentorship to support clinical expertise in neurologic communication disorders. It also promotes and provides education for practitioners in the field, provides board certification, develops professional practice guides and promotes research that contributes to better understanding and management of neurologic communication disorders.

Dr. Youse’s three-year term will be comprised of president-elect in 2019, president in 2020, and past president in 2021. As a result of serving on the ANCDS board for 10 years of her 18-year membership, she ultimately feels prepared for new position.

“I have a strong understanding of ANCDS’ mission, which is to enhance the communicative lives of people affected by neurological disorders, and I value the organization’s rigorous commitment to its members and the community of individuals with neurological deficits to whom we provide services,” she said. In 2006, and through ANCDS, Dr. Youse passed the board certification which distinguishes her as an expert in the specialty area of adult neurogenic communication disorders. “ANCDS has been a really important organization to me, not only in my development as a clinician but also as an academic and it has allowed me an opportunity to work with some of the well-respected researchers in our field,” she said.

Dr. Youse hopes this new opportunity to serve the Academy will contribute to and enhance her leadership skills and will also help spread the word about the University’s SLP program on a national level.