Bio: 

Haley Messersmith, Au.D.,CCC-A, is a clinical audiologist and is currently serving as VP: Audiology for the Mississippi Speech Language Hearing Association. Dr. Messersmith received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Mississippi and her Doctor of Audiology from Auburn University. Dr. Messersmith works as clinical Audiologist and Instructor for the University of Mississippi and as a contract based clinical Audiologist at Ear Nose and Throat Consultants of North Mississippi. Her clinical interests are hearing aids for both the pediatric and adult populations as well as assistive listening technologies. Dr. Messersmith resides in Oxford, MS with her husband and two daughters.

Financial disclosures:  employed by the University of Mississippi

Non-financial disclosures: none

Learner Outcomes:

1. Participants will be able to interpret basic audiograms.
2. Participants will be able to discuss the different types of hearing loss
3. Participants will be able to describe the impacts of hearing loss on education.

Bio: Dr. Kimberly Ward is an Associate Professor of Audiology at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she teaches graduate courses in the Doctor of Audiology program. Additionally, she provides audiological services to the pediatric population in the USM Audiology Clinic. Kim has served as President of the Mississippi Speech-Language Hearing Association and the Educational Audiology Association. She is a recipient of the MSHA Honors of the Association as well as the MSHA Clinical Achievement Award. She has served ASHA on numerous boards and committees and is co-chairing the 2024 ASHA Conference in Seattle, Washington.

Financial disclosures:  receives a fee as a speaker for Fall Institute

Non-financial disclosures: none

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand the effects of hearing loss in an educational setting, along with amplification devices

2. To discuss auditory skill development and goal setting for students with hearing loss.

3. To describe basic therapy techniques for treating students with hearing loss.

Bio: Tracy B. Pate, M.S., CCC-SLP, Listening and Spoken Language Specialist/ Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist, has worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital since 2000. For the past 30 years, she has worked exclusively with children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing. She coordinates a program at ACH designed to develop functional listening skills and communication competence in this population. She received certification to practice Auditory-Verbal Therapy in 1998, which places her in a group of highly qualified individuals specifically training to teach listening and spoken language to young children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Financial Disclosures: receives a fee as a speaker for Fall Institute

Non-financial disclosures: none

Learner Outcomes:

1. Learners will identify viable options in communication modality approaches to therapy provision.
2. Learners will learn the framework for Auditory Verbal Therapy
3. Learners will identify various resources available to them for treatment of deaf/hard of hearing children.

Bio: Shari Robertson, Ph.D., is a Board Certified Specialist in Child Language, an ASHA Fellow and the 2019 President of ASHA. She spent twenty years practicing in the schools and twenty years as a professor in academia. Shari has published numerous articles, books, and clinical materials and presented hundreds of seminars at state, local, and international venues. She is committed to helping her colleagues thrive in their personal and professional pursuits and find their inner imaginologist.

Financial Disclosures: none

Non-Financial Disclosures: none

Learner Outcomes: 

1. Identify the desired outcome of a difficult conversation with supervisees
2. Discuss the steps in initiating and managing difficult conversations
3. Develop an action plan to apply strategies to difficult conversations in your professional setting.

Bio:

Jazmine D. Kelley is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a pre-medicine concentration as well as her M.S. in Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion from Mississippi State University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Higher Education where she studies the relationship between student success and institutional effectiveness for systemically excluded groups. Jazmine has an unwavering commitment to student well-being as well as diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice within higher education. She aspires to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of populations through the lens of community structures and health promotion practices. 

Jazmine is a Certified Health Education Specialist, Clinical Health Promotion and Wellness Coach, Certified Wellness Practitioner, Certified Physical Trainer, and independent author. She serves as the Diversity Education and Strategic Initiatives Director at the University of Mississippi. Jazmine also works as a Contractual Research Consultant for various research evaluation firms. During her free time, Jazmine enjoys reading, journaling, and hanging out with her family and friends.

Financial Disclosures: none

Non-Financial Disclosures: none

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the full spectrum of diversity, inclusive of visible and invisible aspects of identity
2. Articulate the importance of addressing implicit bias
3. Acknowledge a variety of bias-reduction strategies to address implicit bias & create inclusive spaces
4. Integrate equity-based practices into institutional processes, policies, and procedures