NYU Steinhardt is now home to two more Fellows of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), as Sudha Arunachalam and Adam Buchwald, associate professors of Communicative Sciences and Disorders (CSD), were awarded this honor in 2022.
Fellowship is one of the highest honors that ASHA bestows and is reserved for scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the discipline of CSD.
According to both, the award is a huge honor, in part because they each found their way into CSD from other areas of expertise. Arunachalam’s background is in psychology and linguistics, while Buchwald’s is in cognitive science and neuroscience.
Sudha Arunachalam
“Because neither of us was raised in this field of CSD, the Fellowship award is particularly meaningful as a clear indication that our work is valued here,” says Arunachalam. “This is an indicator that people believe our work has impact, and that is a gratifying feeling.”
Scholars are nominated for the Fellowship by their peers in select areas of outstanding performance, such as clinical service; clinical education and academic teaching; research and publications; and service to ASHA.
Buchwald’s contributions to ASHA over the years include serving as an editorial board member and frequent guest editor for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR) and the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (AJSLP). Arunachalam also served as an editorial board member and editor of the language section for JSLHR and is currently a member of the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee, which runs several training programs.
Perhaps one of the most impactful and important roles for both is that of mentor: In fact, the pair met as mentors through ASHA’s Pathways program before they began working together at NYU. They have also served as mentors for several other programs aimed at supporting the career trajectory of PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty.
“ASHA’s mentorship programs for junior scholars can have great impact on early-career professionals and give them the leg up they need to succeed, which can be especially important in a field like CSD,” says Arunachalam, who serves on the committee that runs these programs.
Adam Buchwald
“One of things that drew me into the field of CSD is that it can be very supportive of people’s research and their professional and academic development,” echoes Buchwald. “I feel like I benefitted a lot from those programs in the beginning of my career, and now I have the opportunity to give back.”
All of the 2022 ASHA Fellows will be celebrated at an event during their annual convention this November, held in person in New Orleans. Also honored will be Maria Grigos, associate professor and chair of CSD, who became a Fellow in 2020.