UMMC Speech-Language Pathology

09/23/2025

💙🌍 It’s International Neonatal Therapy Week! We’re celebrating the vital role of neonatal therapists helping our tiniest patients thrive.

A special shoutout to our SLPs who just presented at the Mississippi Speech-Language Hearing Association conference—sharing their expertise and passion for this important work! 👶✨

09/20/2025

The past few days at our state conference (MSHA) have been exciting and rewarding! UMMC Division of Speech Pathology has been represented so well!
We are very proud of our own, Jenna Nassar, for receiving the Honors of the Association award. This award is given as recognition of distinguished contributions to speech-language pathology in Mississippi! Anyone who knows Jenna, knows how much she gives to the field of speech pathology!

Congratulations Jenna! Well deserved!

09/19/2025

Congratulations to Emma Grace Olsen on her award of Distinguished Early Career Professional from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association! This award is granted to professionals who have made an impact in the field and their community early in their career.
We are so proud of you, Emma! Well deserved!

09/15/2025

UMMC is proud to be our state’s only academic medical center, and we look forward to having speech pathology graduate students train with us each semester during their clinical practicum!

Speech therapy patient, Harper, is especially happy to have a new friend in grad student Ansley!

09/12/2025

Happy NICU Awareness Month! Our team of Speech-Language Pathologists are helping to enhance language and neurodevelopment by participating in our NICU’s Read-a-thon!

08/20/2025

We are so excited to welcome Alden to our team! She is a former student and is now completing her Clinical Fellowship at the CAY center! Join us in congratulating Alden and give her a warm welcome to the UMMC SLP team!

“Hi! My name is Alden Parsons and I am a CF-SLP, working at the CAY Center as part of the Child Health and Development Promotion Fellowship.
I earned my bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University before completing my master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Mississippi.
I completed my spring practicuum in adult acute care at UMMC, and I am thrilled to continue serving patients and families at UMMC, focusing on supporting children’s communication development and overall well-being.”

08/14/2025

Happy birthday to Wyatt! 🥳 He is a rockstar in speech and feeding therapy. We love celebrating our patients! 🩵

07/18/2025

🌟 Employee Spotlight! 🌟

We’re thrilled to celebrate our incredible SLP, Dr. Kelsey Murray, whose research article was just published: "Exploring Current Hyolaryngeal Excursion Assessment Practice Within the United States" 🎓📄

Her dedication to advancing the field of speech-language pathology is truly inspiring. We’re so proud of her hard work and the impact she’s making through her research. Way to go, Dr. Murray! 👏💬

07/16/2025

Happy Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month from Michael, Nikolia, Rowdy, Wyatt, and our cleft team SLP, Emma Grace!
Children’s of Mississippi has the only American Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Association (ACPA) approved team in the state of Mississippi. Our multidisciplinary team follows children from birth to adulthood to ensure they receive the very best care! 💫

07/10/2025

We are so excited to welcome Dr Chandra as chair of Otolaryngology and in to the UMMC family! We are excited to be a part of what’s to come for our department under his leadership!

We are excited to welcome Dr. Rick Chandra as the new Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UMMC!

Dr. Chandra brings over a decade of leadership and clinical excellence from Vanderbilt University, where he served as professor of otolaryngology, chief and fellowship director of rhinology and skull base surgery, and vice chair for faculty affairs. His impressive career also includes faculty roles at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Tennessee, and Northwestern University. He trained at Northwestern followed by a fellowship in rhinology, sinus and skull base surgery at Penn.

Welcome to UMMC, Dr. Chandra!

07/01/2025

🎉 July is Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness Month, and we’re so excited to celebrate our amazing patients and raise awareness! 💜✨

Throughout this month, we’ll be sharing fun facts, helpful tips, and inspiring stories to educate our community about cleft and craniofacial development and disorders. 👄

Let’s come together to celebrate, educate, and spread love for the incredible individuals and families in our care. 💪💜

06/12/2025

💙June is Dysphagia Awareness Month! 💙

Did you know SLPs help both kids and adults who have difficulty swallowing? From bottle feeds in the NICU to safely enjoying meals in adulthood, we’re here to make mealtimes safer and more enjoyable for all ages 🍽️🍼