Beginnings
The earliest records we have suggest that what is now the Speech-Language Pathology Department at SUNY Buffalo State began in the early 1950s, as a specialty area within the Department of English. Although English may seem an unusual place for a program such as ours, it was not an uncommon academic home for its day. From its inception as an independent discipline in the 1930s, speech-language pathology has had cross-disciplinary roots. Its national founders came from fields as diverse as psychology, speech communication (“elocution”), linguistics, theater, education, and medicine. Though diverse in background, all shared an interest in the processes of human communication and a concern for individuals for whom communication was a challenge.
- In 1956, Betty Gallagher, a professor who specialized in public speaking, wanted to help children and adults speak more clearly, whether they struggled with a speech disorder or simply wanted to improve their “elocution.” With the support of the college, she opened the Buffalo State Speech Clinic located in Ketchum Hall.
- In 1967, the program moved and became part of the Department of Speech and Theatre Arts.
- In 1968, the program name changed to Communication Disorders and it moved again, this time to the Department of Exceptional Education. At this point in its history, the Speech Clinic shifted its focus from improving public speaking and elocution to treating individuals with communication disabilities. The academic faculty expanded during this period, with new hires specializing in voice disorders, stuttering, and audiology. These faculty taught academic courses and provided supervision for students in their area(s) of specialization.
- In 1977, the Communication Disorders program moved again, becoming a discipline within the Department of Journalism, Broadcasting, Speech and Communication. That move lasted ten years.
- In 1987, Communication Disorders became an independent department called Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) and moved to the Faculty of Applied Science and Education. Its first independent chairperson was Dr. Dolores Battle, who also served as the Clinic Director.
- In the mid-1990s, the name of the department changed to Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).
- In 2005, the School of the Professions was formed, and the Speech-Language Pathology Department immediately became a member of this new interdisciplinary school.
- Presently, both the department and the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic are housed in Caudell Hall.
Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic
Over the years, the clinic has continued to expand its service to the community. In addition to offering assessment and treatment services to individuals of all ages who present with a range of communication disorders, the clinic provides services in three satellite locations. During the summer months, the clinic offers several intensive treatment programs that regularly fill to capacity. The clinic also offers innovative group therapy for persons with aphasia, under the guidance of Dr. Deborah Insalaco, a specialist in aphasia treatment.
Notable Faculty
The Speech-Language Pathology Department is currently and has been home to several notable faculty members. These have included:
- Two Presidents of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Ronald Van Hattum, 1977; Dolores Battle, 2005),
- A Vice-President of Science and Research (Constance Dean Qualls, 2007-2009),
- A President of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (Dolores Battle, 2005-2007),
- The current President of the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Western New York, or SHAWNY (Deborah Insalaco, 2019 to the present), and
- The current Chair of the New York State Licensure Board for Speech-Pathology and Audiology (Karen Bailey-Jones, 2018 to the present).
Many faculty members from past years were recognized as national and international experts in their field of study. These renowned former faculty include:
- Dr. Judy Duchan (child language and qualitative study methods);
- Dr. Dolores Battle (multicultural communication);
- Dr. Chad Nye (autism and evidence-based practice);
- Dr. Nan Lund (child language disorders); and
- Dr. Constance Dean Qualls (multi-cultural communication; aphasia).
The current faculty have maintained this tradition of excellence in basic and clinically applied scholarship.
- Dr. Camilo Maldonado has continued Buffalo State’s rich heritage of producing ground-breaking work in multi-cultural communication and multi-cultural inclusionary practices. Presently, he and his student researchers are pursuing several projects related to speech and language service delivery challenges within Buffalo’s immigrant and refugee communities.
- Dr. Katrina Fulcher-Rood has become a nationally recognized authority on clinical decision-making and inter-professional practices and is regularly invited to present her research in these areas at national conferences and to write invited book chapters and manuscripts on these cutting-edge topics.
- Dr. Kathleen McNerney, in collaboration with colleagues in Buffalo and New Zealand, is performing fascinating research in both the areas of auditory processing disorders and the use of fMRI to evaluate the effects of sound therapy in tinnitus patients.
- The current Department Chair, Dr. Susan Felsenfeld, is internationally recognized for her work on the genetic epidemiology of developmental speech disorders.
- Our most recent faculty hire, Dr. Anita Senthinathan, is launching what will undoubtedly become a distinguished research career investigating the speech characteristics of persons with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Our Alumni
The Speech-Language Pathology Department is proud of its alumni. As a group, graduates of our MS.Ed. program in Speech-Language Pathology have gone on to have successful careers treating persons across the nation who have speech, language, and swallowing disorders. Collectively, these graduates have improved the lives of thousands (if not millions) of children and adults.
- Some of our alumni have also become entrepreneurs, starting successful clinical practice businesses in our community and elsewhere.
- A few have gone on to pursue doctoral study.
- Buffalo State SLP graduates are regularly recognized as outstanding clinicians and caring individuals.
We hope to continue attracting and educating the next generation of alumni to fill the national need for compassionate and evidence-based speech-language pathologists.
