Telepractice Today

Join us for our 100th episode celebration with an all-star panel that includes: Michelle Boisvert, Dawn Cotter-Jenkins, Abbie Hickling, Michelle Posner, and Sarah Wu!

Barbara Fernandes, founder and CEO of Smarty Ears, is well known for her innovative and breakthrough product development, which translates science into user friendly and powerful technology to support individuals with communication disorders. Barbara transformed an entire industry to adopt mobile technologies through the design and development of over 60 mobile applications and an entire communication symbol library. As the founder of Smarty Symbols, Barbara also created the most inclusive and comprehensive symbol library and developed a powerful new technology that is disrupting the special education field by providing a platform for custom visual support creation. Most recently, Barbara has been awarded a small business innovation research grant by the National Institute of Health, and she released a ground-breaking technology called the Speech and Language Academy.

Karin Hartunian Koukeyan, M.S., CCC-SLP is currently the Head of Telehealth and Clinical Standards at SLPTELE, LLC., a nationwide provider of clinic-based telehealth services. Karin has over 20 years of experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist working in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, Home Health, Clinics, Private Practice, and Schools. Her experience growing up as a first generation immigrant in a multilingual home inspired Karin to pursue a career in Speech-Language Pathology.  After a brief hiatus from work in 2010, telepractice allowed her the opportunity to resume her career as a new working parent and paved a path of new possibilities. 

Emily Smith is the Founder & CEO of TeleTeachers, an early-stage technology startup helping schools and organizations meet the rising demand for special education providers and mental health clinicians. A school-based speech pathologist by trade & the daughter of a special education teacher, Emily is working to cultivate a culture of inclusion and belonging at TeleTeachers, so our most valuable resources – our teachers and providers– can find true balance in their work and life.

Ms. Jakubowitz is a recipient of the Honors of the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a Fellow of ASHA.  She was also the California recipient of the DiCarlo Award in 2013.

With over 12 years of telepractice experience, Lesley Edwards-Gaither, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, has managed and researched many aspects of telepractice technology and service delivery. Lesley received her Ph.D. from Howard University, Washington DC, completing a dissertation study on the use of eHelpers in teletherapy sessions. She is currently an adjunct professor at George Washington University and an independent eLearning consultant developing online courses and training programs for Speech-Language Pathologists. Her research areas include the intersections of communication, culture, and technology. She currently serves as a continuing education manager for SIG 18 Telepractice and a reviewer for several professional publications.

Susan L. Whitney, DPT, PhD, NCS, ATC, FAPTA received her PhD in motor development/motor learning from the University of Pittsburgh and her professional physical therapy education from Temple University. She is a professor in the Departments of Physical Therapy and Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Whitney is supported by the Department of Defense to develop technology for persons with vestibular disorders and mild brain injury. Dr. Whitney has authored or coauthored over 180 articles on Medline and is currently engaged in research related to concussion and persons with balance and vestibular disorders.

I was born in Mexico City and lived there until I was 9 years old. From 9 until 20 I lived in Houston Texas. It was in my time in Texas that I came to the field of speech-language pathology. I was blessed with a brother in 1992 who was later diagnosed with Autism. As a significantly older sister, I often took my little brother Danny to a variety of therapies (speech, OT, sensory, etc.). In 2001 I moved to Tampa, Florida, where I completed my undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of South Florida (Go Bulls).  I have been serving monolingual and bilingual children and families with communication delays/disorders since 2006. I've been fortunate enough to work in the school system, early intervention, hospital and in private practice.  I have my Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA and am licensed by the DOH in Washington DC and in Virginia. After 15 years as an SLP, I decided to take my passion for helping families in a new direction and Bilingual SLP LLC was created. I am blessed to truly love what I do. I am passionate about dual language learning, creating fun speech therapy materials, and helping monolingual SLPs feel more comfortable serving bilinguals.

Sue Ann Lee, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a professor of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock TX.  Lee has held a professorship for 17 years after earning the master and Ph.D. degrees in speech-language pathology at Ohio State University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively. Her interest in telepractice was highly motivated by observing underserved children in rural areas of West Texas. As the first generation of Korean-American SLP, Lee is always interested in healthcare disparity and global outreach. Lee has been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Dental Craniofacial Research to conduct telepractice intervention research for children with repaired cleft palate. As an active ASHA member, she serves on the multicultural issues board and editorial board member of Perspectives Journal. Lee also serves as the President of the Asia Pacific Society of Speech, Language, and Hearing.

Nerissa Hall, PhD, CCC-SLP, ATP is co-founder of Commūnicāre, LLC, a company specializing in augmentative and alternative communication, assistive technology, and tele-AAC working primarily with school-aged individuals, providing specialized, evidence-based intervention, assessment and consultation services. Nerissa received her Master and Doctorate degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, focusing on tele-AAC, and has presented nationally regarding this and other related topics. Nerissa has served as a LEND Fellow, adjunct faculty at Elms, Cambridge College and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is former Associate Editor of ASHA’s journal, Perspectives on Telepractice, and serves on the editorial board of this journal and others.