Speech-hearing program earns praise, accreditation through 2020

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tina M Shelton, (808) 692-0897
Communications Director, Office of Dean of Medicine
Henry Lew, MD, (808) 692-1580
Professor and Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Posted: Jan 22, 2014

Dr. Chiemi Tanaka demonstrates an exam in the new speech-hearing clinic, which is open to the public
Dr. Chiemi Tanaka demonstrates an exam in the new speech-hearing clinic, which is open to the public

The UH Mānoa Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Department (formerly known as the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology) has received the longest accreditation in its history (through 2020), reflecting several years of work to steady, strengthen and improve the program.

The accreditation comes at a time when student certification (Praxis) scores in the program--already above the national average--have soared, and graduates have achieved a 100% completion rate.

CSD, a master’s program and a department within the John A. Burns School of Medicine, prepares students to become speech-language pathologists, health-allied professionals who evaluate and treat individuals with speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders. People served by speech language pathologists at CSD since 1945 range from infants to the elderly. Speech-language pathology requires a minimum of a master’s degree in a specialized area (CSD) which includes intensive didactic and clinical training, prior to obtaining clinical certification and licensure.

CSD is the only program in the State of Hawai‘i that offers a Master of Science degree in CSD and one of the few programs in the U.S. featuring preparation in a multilingual/multicultural environment. The Master’s degree in CSD requires two full years of study. This year, the CSD will also offer a one-year online post-bachelor’s certification program (PCP) to help those students who do not have a CSD undergraduate degree obtain the pre-requisite courses required for admission to the graduate school.

The accrediting team (from the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology) praised the department leadership, its new facilities (including a Speech & Hearing Clinic, classroom and research areas) and its new neighborhood—across the street from the medical school, where CSD students have access to the anatomy lab.

The accreditation team described Henry Lew, MD, Department Chair of CSD, as a “visionary leader” who has worked collaboratively to improve the program’s curriculum, community outreach and reputation within the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). “We are humbled to receive 8-year accreditation,” said Lew. “Our department worked very hard as a team and would like to thank JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges, Dr. Roy Magnusson, Dr. Satoru Izutsu, Dr. Richard Kasuya, Nancy Foster, Jeff Long, Ezra Bendiner, along with Dr. Patricia Blanchette and the entire team at UCERA, JABSOM's practice plan, as well as the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the UH Mānoa Assessment Office for their continuous support of the department," Lew said.

CSD and its Speech & Hearing Clinic are located at 677 Ala Moana Boulevard, Suite 625. The clinic is open to the public and provides a range of services. For more information about services offered, see manoa.hawaii/csd.

UH photographs of the speech-hearing clinic, which is open to the public, may be downloaded at: FLICKR.

For more information, visit: http://jabsom.hawaii.edu