Ottawa, ON - Canadian leaders in speech, language and hearing are being honoured for contributions to the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology at an awards banquet of the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) held in London, Ontario, on May 1, 2009.
The CASLPA Awards Program has a rich history dating back to 1976 when the first Award for Distinguished Service was presented to Robert Coulling of the Elks. Since then, more than 363 individuals have been recognized in 13 categories. The individuals that have been honoured have set high goals and achieved much in their professional and personal lives.
2009 recipients are being recognized in each of the following categories: Lifetime Achievement Award, Eve Kassirer, Mentorship Award, Editor's Award, Promotions Award, Award of Excellence for Interprofessional Collaboration, Supportive Personnel Award of Excellence, Consumer Advocacy Award, Isabel Richard Student Paper Award, CASLPA Certification Exam Award, and Student Excellence Awards.
The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologists (CASLPA) is the national voice of more than 5,400 professionals. A not-for-profit association, CASLPA supports the professional needs of its members, champions the interests of those who require speech, language, and hearing services and promotes awareness of how speech-language pathologists and audiologists contribute to the well being of Canadians living with communication disorders.
Visit us at: www.caslpa.ca/english/profession/awards.asp
CASLPA Award Winners 2009
The CASLPA awards program has a rich history dating back to 1976 when the first award for Distinguished Service was presented to Robert Coulling of the Elks. Since then, more than 363 individuals have been recognized in 13 categories. The individuals that have been honoured deserve our recognition and respect for all their efforts and significant accomplishments. Each has set high goals and achieved much in their professional and personal lives.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded to a CASLPA member who has a long history of distinguished and dedicated service to both CASLPA and the profession of speech-language pathology or audiology.
Dr. Richard C. Seewald, London, ON - Dr. RichardSeewald holds a Canada Research Chair in Childhood Hearing at the National Centre for Audiology in London, Ontario. He is also a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Western Ontario. For the past 35 years, Dr. Seewald's work has focused on issues pertaining to the selection and fitting of amplification and early habilitation for infants and young children who have hearing loss. Various procedures and prescriptive algorithms developed by Dr. Seewald and colleagues are now used to fit infants and young children with hearing aids in most jurisdictions
throughout the world.
Eve Kassirer Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement
Awarded to a CASLPA member who has made a significant contribution in the areas of education, clinical services, administration and/or public awareness.
Marlene C. Stein, Toronto, ON - Marlene Stein is presently manager of the Early Years Programs Unit in the Ministry of Children and Youth Services of Ontario. She began her career establishing the first speech pathology department at both the Mount Sinai Hospital and the Baycrest Centre in Toronto. Marlene has been involved in the development in Ontario of the home care program, establishment of grants and bursaries through the Underserviced Area Program, an integrated services system for young children with speech and language disorders, the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program, and the development and implementation of the Preschool Speech and Language Initiative.
Promotions Award
Includes radio or television broadcasts containing educational information, e.g., talk shows, video training, and community cable or public information programs or other public awareness activities such as billboards, special events, etc.
Keri Dalman, Saskatoon, SK - Keri Dalman has been editor of the Humboldt Journal for the past six years. During the past decade, Keri has won a large number of Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Awards for her writing as well as three national awards from the Canadian Community Newspaper Association.
Award of Excellence for Interprofessional Collaboration
To recognize interprofessional collaboration and acknowledge the role that speech-language pathologists and audiologists play on interprofessional teams. The award is presented to an interprofessional team that has contributed/impacted/strengthened patient/client outcomes and/or the fields of speech-language pathology or audiology through their collaboration and teamwork.
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Rehabilitation Team, Ottawa, ON - CHEO's Rehabilitation Team provides service for children and families from western Quebec, northern and eastern Ontario as well as Nunavut. The primary goal of this interprofessional team is to help individuals reach their optimal potential for independent living and social integration. The team is present from the very early stages of admission to the hospital right through to discharge.
Supportive Personnel Award of Excellence
Awarded to a CASLPA supportive personnel member who has demonstrated excellence in their field. Considerations include distinction in assisting with implementation of treatment plans, demonstration of outstanding team participation and excellence in the provision of patient/client care.
Judith Woodward, London, ON - Judy's passion for speech and language began while volunteering at the Thames Valley District School Board and later was employed by the London District Catholic School Board in 1994 where she continues to work. She achieved her Educational Assistant Diploma from Fanshawe College and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at the University of Waterloo.
Consumer Advocacy Award
Awarded to an individual (or group) that is not a speech language pathologist or audiologist, but who has made an outstanding impact on the profession(s) by actively and significantly advocating on behalf of individuals with communication disorders.
Wendy Nieuwland, Minesing, ON - Wendy is an occupational therapist who has been actively involved in the highly specialized field of driver rehabilitation for 17 years. She enjoys working with those who have communication challenges, particularly those with aphasia. Wendy is the co-owner of Skill Builders Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre and currently her practice mostly focuses on brain injury rehabilitation and driver rehabilitation.
Editor's Award
Recognizes the best paper published in the Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology within the calendar year. CASLPA membership is not a requirement.
Dr. Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird, Halifax, NS and Krista G. Feltmate, Waterloo, ON - "Language Learning in Four Bilingual Children with Down Syndrome: A Detailed Analysis of Vocabulary and Morphosyntax", Volume 32, No. 1, Spring 2008. Dr. Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird is a professor in the School of Human Communication Disorders at Dalhousie University. Her research and teaching focus on child language development and disorders, with particular attention paid to children and adolescents with Down syndrome.
Krista G. Feltmate has been working for Community Rehab in Cambridge, Ontario, since graduation with a Masters in speech-language pathology in 2006. She provides community-based services to both school-aged and adult populations.
Mentorship Award
Awarded to a CASLPA member who has significantly influenced or contributed to the clinical training and/or professional development of a student(s) or colleague(s) in the field of speech-language pathology or audiology, either as a clinical supervisor or a mentor.
Carrie Stacey, Saskatoon, SK - Carrie has worked in a variety of settings in her 20-year career including schools, community health, acute care and a long-term care facility. Currently she is employed by the Saskatoon Health Region in the Alvin Buckwold Child Development Program, which is an outpatient facility for children with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.
Darla Orchard, Pointe-Claire, QC - Darla's career has allowed her to engage in a variety of roles, including clinician, administrator and teacher. She has worked as a clinical administrator at McGill, as a speech-language pathologist working with adults with aphasia at the Richardson Rehabilitation Centre in Montreal, and most recently at L'Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques.
Isabel Richard Student Paper Award
Presented to a CASLPA student member for the best paper written on a specific topic related to the professions. Papers are judged on both style and content.
Sasha Wade, Edmonton, AB - Sasha is currently completing her master's degree in speech-language pathology at the Unversity of Alberta. As a master's student, she works with children with autism at the Ability Society, mentors high school students in the WP Wagner Mentorship Program and acts as one of two CASLPA student representatives for the university.
Clinical Certification Exam Award
Awarded to the CASLPA member in each profession who attains the highest score on the clinical certification exam. The winner is determined by CASLPA's Standards Advisory Committee.
Suzanne Bassett, S-LP, Toronto, ON - Suzanne is currently working at Speech Therapy Centres of Canada, a private company based in Thornhill, Ontario, where she has a mixed caseload of adults and children with cognitive communication, language, voice and articulation disorders.
Craig D. Spencer, AUD, Toronto, ON - Through volunteer experience at a local audiology clinic, Craig decided to pursue a career in audiology. His interests range from hearing physiology and assessment to counseling and amplification. Currently he is working in private practice in the Toronto area.
Student Excellence Award
Awarded to a CASLPA student member in their graduating year of study from each of the S-LP and audiology training programs in Canada. Nominees are judged to be the best allround future professional, shall have shown significant enthusiasm for their profession and have instilled in others a desire to contribute to the development and growth of S-LP or audiology. Selection is based on a peer nomination process.
University of British Columbia
AUD - Lauren R. Hulecki, Victoria, BC
S-LP - Jill Petersen, Vancouver, BC
University of Alberta
S-LP - Julia Giesen, Edmonton, AB
University of Western Ontario
S-LP - Jenna L. Merritt, Chatham, ON
AUD - Melissa Polonenko, London, ON
University of Toronto
S-LP - Julienne Impey, Colborne, ON
Université d'Ottawa
AUD - Isabelle-Anne Pleau, Gatineau, QC
S-LP - Marie-Lyne Lussier, Shediac, NB
McGill University
S-LP - Isabelle Allain, Dieppe, NB
Université de Montréal
S-LP - Marie-Hélène Lambert, Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, QC
AUD - Katherine Randall, Laval, QC
Université Laval
S-LP - Marie-Claude Gaudet, Lévis, QC
Dalhousie University
AUD - Susan Lawlor, St. John's, NL
S-LP - Christine Michelle Comeau, Saint John, NB
