Lynn Maher named American Speech-Language-Hearing Assoc. Fellow

Chair of Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders honored for research and service

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has awarded the title of “Fellow” to Lynn Maher, professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The honor recognizes Dr. Maher’s outstanding contributions to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders.

She was nominated and recognized because of her impact in the areas of administration, service to the community, and research.

“My current research is in the rehabilitation of individuals with aphasia – a language disorder that occurs after a stroke or other brain injury,” said Dr. Maher. “Most recently I have been examining the outcomes after constraint-induced language therapy.”

She is a co-founder of the Houston Aphasia Recovery Center, a non-profit organization that offers programs for individuals with aphasia, their caregivers, families and volunteers.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for audiologists, speech-language pathologists, speech, language, and hearing scientists, audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel, and students.

Dr. Maher was inducted into the ASHA Fellowship during an awards ceremony in November during the association’s national convention in Chicago. Fellowship in the association is “one of the highest honors” ASHA bestows on its members.

Under Dr. Maher’s direction, the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders now offers the only four-year bachelor degree program in American Sign Language Interpreting (ASLI) in the State of Texas. The department also has averaged over the past three years a 98 percent job placement for students who graduate from its master’s degree program in speech pathology.

In addition to leading a growing department, Dr. Maher has faculty appointments at Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and the University of Oslo, Norway.

She is a Research Health Science Specialist at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center, Houston and an investigator in the Veterans Administration Brain Rehabilitation Research Center of Excellence in Gainesville, FL.

Dr. Maher earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida and her M.A. from George Washington University.

“It is really an honor to be recognized by your peers for the work that you do,” said Dr. Maher.

- By Monica Byars