Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning

10/09/2025

🎉 We’re excited to welcome Vanessa Hernandez, MA, CCC-SLP, to the NUCASLL clinic team!

Vanessa is a licensed, bilingual (English/Spanish) pediatric speech-language pathologist with over a decade of experience serving diverse pediatric populations. At Northwestern University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, she provides clinical services, mentorship, and education, focusing on culturally responsive care for multilingual children and their families. As a certified bilingual clinician, she is committed to preparing the next generation of clinicians to deliver evidence-based, compassionate care to bilingual and multicultural communities. 💜🗣️

10/08/2025

A must read! Shout out to our instructors and students!

David Catlin (second from left) and Elisha Boxer Magnifico (third from right), and the Northwestern Break the Blocks student leaders. Photo: Elisha Boxer

10/07/2025

🎭 Supporting Vocal and Hearing Health for Theatre Students 🎶

Incoming Department of Theatre students recently participated in comprehensive vocal health screenings — including laryngeal exams, aerodynamic acoustic, and hearing screenings — through an ongoing partnership between the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Department of Theatre.

Students in the AuD and MS SLL programs volunteered their time and expertise: Victoria Garelli, Hazel Banou Ge**er, Jessenia Maria Gonzalez, Gulnoor Kaur Grover, MariaElena Kouriabalis, Lynette Lopez, and Erin Marie Williams. Their work helped promote vocal wellness and interdisciplinary collaboration across campus.

Faculty collaborators included Catherine Fabian, AuD; Vidya Krull, PhD, CCC-A; Emma Laurash, MS, CCC-SLP; Mariah Morton-Jones, PhD, CCC-SLP; Nathan Waller, MM, SLPD, CCC-SLP; Sarah Inendino, PhD; and James Burns, MD. 💜

09/29/2025

👥 CSD Connects: Research Presentations
🗓️ Join us Monday, Oct. 20 12–1 p.m.
📍FSB 3-417 for two engaging talks in one hour!

- Megan Roberts, PhD, CCC-SLP – Professor, Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Expanding Access to Autism Evaluations in Early Intervention:
Learn about a new diagnostic pathway that reduces wait times and improves early autism identification.

- Pamela Souza, PhD, CCC-A – Professor, Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Benefits of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Adults with Hearing Loss and Cognitive Impairment:
Hear initial findings from a clinical trial exploring how OTC hearing aids may support communication for adults with MCI or ADRD.

No registration required — just stop by!

Open to NU students and faculty.

09/27/2025

📬 The September issue of NUCASLL News is almost here!
Don’t miss your chance to subscribe and get this month’s updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Each issue features:
🗣️ Practical tips for supporting speech, language, and hearing
📅 Upcoming events and programs
🌟 Highlights from our clinic team and community outreach

➡️ Sign up now to get on the list before this month’s newsletter goes out! https://nucasll.northwestern.edu/newsletter/

09/26/2025

🎓 Dialogue with the Dean

Join us Monday, Oct. 20, 6:30–8:00 p.m. CT for a conversation with Fan-Gang Zeng, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor at UC Irvine and a leader in hearing science. With 323 publications, 20,000+ citations, and innovations like the Nurotron cochlear implant and SoundCure tinnitus suppressor, Dr. Zeng has shaped communications research and technology worldwide.

Hosted by School of Communication Dean E. Patrick Johnson

📍 Attend in person at the Clara, Lu 'n' Em Theater (Wirtz Center) or online
🔗 Register: http://bit.ly/4my5dwc

09/24/2025

🧠 Boost Your Brain This Fall!

Join our 6-week virtual Cognitive Fitness series to improve memory, focus, and everyday cognitive skills—led by:

- Leigh Cohen, MA, SLP – Assistant Clinical Professor
- Elizabeth Meyer, AuD, CCC-A – Assistant Clinical Professor

Featuring experts:

- Bruce Wexler, MD – Yale University (Neuroplasticity)
- Andrea Graham, PhD – Northwestern University (Stress)
- Jenna Sheftel, Psy.D – Evanston Anxiety Clinic (Stress)
- Dr. Mitch Greene, PhD – Greenepsych (Exercise)
- Ariella Wilson, MS, CNS, LDN – Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (Diet)
- Dr. Pam Souza, PhD, CCC-A – Northwestern University (Hearing)

📅 Starts October 8 | Weekly sessions through November 12
💻 Virtual | Limited spots available

Reserve your spot today:
📞 847-491-3165 | ✉ nucasll@northwestern.edu
🔗 Learn More: Link in Bio

Discounts available for CSD students and NU students and faculty

09/22/2025

🎧 Behind the Scenes of Break the Blocks 🎭

Recorded in 2024, Northwestern professors Elisha Boxer Magnifico and David Catlin discuss the creation of Break the Blocks, an improv program designed to help tweens and teens who stutter build confidence. Hear about the program’s structure and the positive impact it’s had on participants, parents, and student leaders alike.

💜 Starts October 6 — spaces are limited!
🔗 Link to listen: https://bit.ly/3I87MHq
🔗 Link for more info and registration: https://bit.ly/3K2WFje

09/16/2025

Incoming School of Music Students Screenings 🎵🩺

Last Friday, NUCASLL partnered with the School of Music to screen 20 new master’s students, performing laryngeal exams, aerodynamic acoustic screenings, and hearing assessments. Second-year MS SLL students Madison Barrera, Victoria Garelli, and Chloe Teodoridis-Clarke volunteered to assist, alongside faculty from CSD (Jonelyn Langenstein, MM, MS, CCC-SLP; Kailyn MacFarlane, PhD; Mariah Morton-Jones, PhD, CCC-SLP), the School of Music (Theresa Brancaccio, MM), and Northwestern Medicine (James Burns, MD).

These screenings, our second collaboration with the School of Music since last academic year, support the NU community by promoting vocal and hearing health 🎶👂💙.

09/13/2025

🎭 Break the Blocks: Improv for Stuttering🎭

Hear directly from one of our past participants about what this program meant to them 💬✨

👉 A free, supportive space where tweens and teens who stutter can build confidence, explore creativity, and connect with others.

🗓️ Mondays starting October 6, 5:30–7:00 PM CT
📍 Northwestern University, Evanston
💜 Free with registration

🔗 Learn more and register: Link in bio, call 847-491-3165 or email nucasll@northwestern.edu

09/11/2025

🎉 We’re excited to welcome Elizabeth Lidov, MS, CCC-SLP, to the NUCASLL clinic team!

Elizabeth is a Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor and pediatric speech-language pathologist with extensive experience in both research and private practice. She is now seeing clients in our clinic, where she brings her passion for translating research into everyday care, supporting families 💜, and guiding the next generation of clinicians. 👩‍⚕️

04/09/2025

Big thanks to the Evanston RoundTable for featuring tonight’s stuttering event on campus at NU! There’s still time to register and we hope to see you there!

San Francisco-based filmmaker Maya Chupkov will be bringing her message of strength and resilience to the Chicagoland stuttering community in partnership