RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 12, 2006) — Saying "the time is ripe to create new initiatives that deal with highly needed research, education and service," Dr. Ross J. Roeser will step down as executive director of the acclaimed Callier Center for Communication Disorders at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) effective Oct. 1. Roeser will be replaced by Dr. Thomas Campbell, currently director of the Department of Audiology and Communication Disorders at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and a professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh.
Roeser has been at the center, which is renowned for its clinical, educational and research programs in communication disorders and is part of the university's School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, for more than 35 years. He has served as its executive director since 1988.
Dr. Thomas Campbell (right) will replace outgoing
Callier Center director Dr. Ross Roeser on October 1.
"We have achieved great success since opening the Callier Center in the early 1960s. I am particularly proud of the strides we have made in recent years in such areas as audiology, where we are ranked among the top five programs in the United States," Roeser said. "I look forward to seeing the center continue its rise to national prominence under Tom's leadership."
Roeser, who in 2005 received the Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education, will serve as director emeritus of the center and will remain a professor of communication sciences at the university. He also will continue as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Audiology, a leading professional publication in the science of hearing and hearing defects and their treatment that boasts a worldwide circulation.
Dr. Bert Moore, dean of UTD's School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, stated that, though he was losing an accomplished leader in Roeser, he was gaining a new perspective in Campbell.
"Ross has done a wonderful job leading Callier for nearly 20 years, increasing the center's distinction, educating countless students and attracting top researchers who have made advances in the study and treatment of communication disorders," Moore noted. "That said, Tom, who brings with him vast experience, knowledge and respect, is ideally positioned to seamlessly step into the management role. I believe he has the ability and vision to bring the center's strategic goals to fruition."
Those goals include three main areas of focus: promoting awareness of Callier's programs, refurbishing and expanding the center's facilities and funding endowed chairs and professorships.
"I'm thrilled to join Callier at such an exciting time in the center's history," Campbell said. "An important aspect of my vision for Callier is to continue to develop the center into a world-class facility for clinical service delivery for both children and adults with hearing and communication disorders, and I believe that this goal can be achieved with carefully integrated, innovative clinical research and education programs."
A certified speech-language pathologist, Campbell has focused his research on understanding the environmental, physiological and behavioral markers that underline speech and language disorders in children. In recent years, he has studied both the genetic and physiological processes that are associated with childhood motor speech disorders. He holds a Ph.D. degree in communicative disorders from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Campbell's wife, Dr. Christine Dollaghan, who was a professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh, also will join the Behavioral and Brain Sciences faculty at UTD. Dollaghan's research interests include child language development and language disorders, biologic and sociodemographic influences on speech and language development and evidence-based diagnosis and intervention in communication disorders.
About the Callier Center
Established in 1962, U.T. Dallas' Callier Center for Communication Disorders is nationally recognized for advances in the treatment and prevention of hearing, speech and language disorders that affect individuals of all ages, from infants to seniors. The center educates future clinicians and researchers, offers state-of-the-art clinical and educational services and conducts innovative research. It is strategically located on Inwood Road in Dallas, adjacent to such major medical facilities as The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, St. Paul Hospital and Parkland Hospital. In 2003, UTD opened satellite facility of the Callier Center on its campus in Richardson.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls nearly 14,500 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's website at www.utdallas.edu.
Taken from https://www.utdallas.edu/news/archive/2006/campbell-callier-1001.html
