Lesley Sylvan and Michelle Swartz Each Awarded an Advancing Academic-Research Careers (AARC) Award

AARC supports the Association’s Strategic Objective to Increase Research Commitment. This $5,000 award is given to new faculty in higher education to support their academic and research endeavors in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD). The AARC has been awarded since 2004.

• Lesley Sylvan, Montclair State University
  Teaching Mentor: Janet Koehnke, Montclair State University
  Research Mentor: Elaine Hitchcock, Montclair State University
• Dr. Sylvan’s research program is focused on conducting research that empower practitioners to quantify the impact of SLPs’ various prevention-oriented practices on student literacy outcomes.

• Michelle Swartz, Thomas Jefferson University
  Teaching Mentor: Kathryn Cabbage, Brigham Young University
  Research Mentor: Laura Koenig, Adelphi University
• Dr. Swartz’s research program is focused on increasing clinician’s understanding and use of acoustic analysis methods in disordered speech and voice populations. It is noteworthy that Dr. Swartz is one of the first students to receive a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from MSU in May 2022.