Presenters for the 2023 ASHA Health Care Summit

Grand Rounds in Motor Speech Disorders

April 15, 2023 | In collaboration with Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The 2023 Health Care Summit features these expert speakers from Mayo Clinic along with individuals—and family members of individuals—with motor speech disorders:

Becky Baas, MA, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She has worked as a clinician in schools, private practice, and outpatient clinic settings. Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of early language acquisition, hearing impairment, craniofacial anomalies, and motor speech disorders in children and adolescents.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Hugo Botha, MD, is a Senior Associate Consultant in Behavioral Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Financial Disclosures:

None

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None

Kelly Green Brytowski, MA, CCC-SLP, has been a certified ASHA member since 2000. She received her Bachelor of Science at St. Cloud State University in 1997, and a Master of Arts at the University of MN-Duluth in 1999. She has been practicing speech-language pathology within the public school system for 23 years. She is currently employed as a licensed K-12 Speech-Language Pathologist with the Rochester Public Schools, and serves as the Lead Elementary SLP while additionally providing services to students in preschool through elementary grades. Throughout her tenure, she has provided therapy to students across the public school continuum that included preschool, elementary, and secondary levels and also serviced students within specialized intensive programs and transition to adulthood (18-21) programs.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Heather Clark, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Chair of Speech Pathology in the Department of Neurology and Associate Professor in the College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She is board-certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences and an ASHA Fellow. Her clinical responsibilities include differential diagnosis of communication and swallowing disorders in adults and children. She serves as co-investigator on several projects examining the nature of speech, language, and swallowing impairment in degenerative neurologic disease.

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Salary from Mayo Clinic

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Codeveloper of Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale

Lori G. Cohen, Esq., is Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig (GT) and Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Litigation Practice, leading a group of more than 600 attorneys, nationally and internationally. Lori is also Co-Chair of the Trial Practice Group, her “brain child,” which she created at GT. Upon joining GT, she built the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Group. Under Lori’s leadership, this group has risen through the ranks and has grown to more than 140 attorneys in more than 40 offices in the U.S. and globally; in 2021 and 2011, the group was named Law360’s “Product Liability Practice Group of the Year,” and in 2018, the group was named The American Lawyer’s “Products Liability Litigation Department of the Year.” Recognized for her extraordinary trial record of 58 defense verdicts, she has been referred to as a “trial wizard.” Lori is often called upon to “parachute in” at the last minute before trial, especially in challenging cases and dangerous jurisdictions. She has served as national, regional, and trial counsel for numerous medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, handling all types of litigation, including class actions, multidistrict litigation, and trials. Lori and her team routinely take complex cases to trial and win, including some of the most complex mass torts in history. Lori is a high-energy, high-profile leader among trial attorneys and an effective, passionate mentor. In an industry where two-thirds of attorneys in civil cases are men, and women represent only a quarter of lead or trial counsel, Lori stands out as a female leader and a champion of developing the next generation of attorneys, particularly diverse attorneys. Lori was honored as 2022 and 2019 “Product Liability Attorney of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation and is one of two attorneys listed in The Legal 500 “Hall of Fame” for product liability litigation. Lori has learned firsthand about motor speech issues as well as treatment and recovery from same after suffering an unexpected, rare illness that led to her dysarthria.

Financial Disclosures:

None

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None

Maja Z. Katusic, MD, is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, with a special clinical interest in autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay. Her clinical focus includes expertise in comprehensive medical evaluation and management of children from infancy through 18 years of age who present for a wide range of developmental or behavioral concerns, including autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, intellectual disability, learning difficulties, ADHD, and disruptive behavior; evaluating children through Mayo Clinic’s Dana Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program to determine how to best serve the needs of her patients and their families; and utilizing a compassionate, patient and family-centered approach when formulating the plan of care for a child and family. In addition to her clinical activities, Katusic is actively involved in research, with a special focus on investigating risk factors and outcomes in autism spectrum disorder. She is also passionate about education of medical students, residents, and her patient families about the field of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Kaylee Lanser, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Over the past 9 years at Mayo Clinic, she has provided evaluation and treatment to both inpatients and outpatients in the areas of speech, language, cognitive communication, and dysphagia. She enjoys working with patients along the entire continuum of care, rotating among acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient communication/cognition settings throughout the year. The breadth of these experiences allow her to better educate and counsel patients on the next steps of their therapy journeys. Lanser's clinical interests include interdisciplinary collaboration, functional and patient-centered goal setting, family/caregiver training, and, above all, empowering and training patients in self-advocacy despite their various communication challenges. She has published and presented nationally on dysphagia issues related to Parkinson's disease and public perceptions of non-oral nutrition. She enjoys providing education and observation opportunities for PM&R and Neurology residents, nursing staff, Mayo Clinic's Clinical Fellows, and PT/OT colleagues. In past years, she had the enriching opportunity to serve as a co-leader of Rochester's community aphasia conversation group, which took her passion for facilitating communication skills out of the medical setting and into the community.

Financial Disclosures:

Mayo Clinic employee
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Mike and Jen Maloney are parents of four children, two of whom have childhood apraxia of speech. They are so grateful for the progress of both children and attribute their success to a strong partnership with the speech team and all other supports the children had. Early and intense intervention made a huge difference for both kids. The parents worked hard to advocate for the children's needs and communicated with all caregivers on their speech goals each week. They feel blessed to have found wonderful SLPs who are experts in apraxia and have trusted their guidance and direction. They are excited to share their family's story about their two children who have severe childhood apraxia of speech and now are doing amazing in an immersion language program learning a second language.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for being part of this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Gina Mitchell, MS, CCC-SLP, is supervisor of the Speech Pathology division in Neurology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and is in her 28th year of clinical work in brain rehabilitation. A longtime member of Mayo Clinic's Traumatic Brain Injury Model System research center, she is currently working on a community-based study examining the use of telemedicine to provide coordinated brain rehabilitation and community support services in conjunction with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance.

Financial Disclosures:

None

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None

Margaret Moutvic, MD, is Medical Director at Neuro Disease Rehabilitation Clinic and Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation in the Department of PMR at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Moutvic graduated from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and completed her Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency at Mayo Clinic. Over a 30-year career she has worked in a number of outpatient settings caring for patients with both neurologic and musculoskeletal medical conditions. She has been a member of the multidisciplinary ALS Clinic for 10 years. She values collaborating with other health care providers to optimize management of complex and progressive medical conditions. Moutvic also enjoys helping medical and allied health trainees learn how to care for and treat individuals with disabling diseases.

Financial Disclosures:

None

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Tim Schut was raised on a farm near Chester, South Dakota. He is the oldest of three boys. After graduating from Chester High School, Tim pursued a degree in marketing at Northern State University, where he served as student body president. His first job out of college was a collector for Wells Fargo Financial Bank. Tim quickly got promoted to credit underwriting, a business development analyst, and finally an inbound call center manager. Tim then joined Waddell & Reed as a financial advisor; he was there for 7 years. Then he went to Investment Centers of America at Dacotah Bank as a financial advisor. The next stop was at First PREMIER Bank where Tim’s role was Private Banking Manager. Tim currently serves as a commercial real estate agent with NAI Sioux Falls. Tim also serves as a residential real estate agent with Signature Realty out of Madison, South Dakota. Tim married his high school sweetheart, Jen, and they have 3 daughters ages 13, 15, and 16. Tim is part of the closing panel, speaking about his experience as an individual with primary progressive apraxia of speech.

Financial Disclosures:

Financial compensation from ASHA for being part of this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Kristie Spencer, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a Professor and the Associate Chair for the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She has published over 50 articles and has given over 100 presentations in the area of neurologic communication disorders. Her research focuses on understanding the heterogeneity of speech/cognitive profiles for individuals with Parkinson's and cerebellar disease, and examining rehabilitative approaches for the cognitive deficits experienced by people with Parkinson's disease.

Financial Disclosures:

Salaried employee of the University of Washington
Royalties as editor of the Medical SLP book series
Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

Member of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS)
Member of the Writing Committee for establishing Practice Guidelines for Dysarthria Management.

Julie A.G. Stierwalt, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a Consultant in the Division of Speech Pathology, Department of Neurology, and Associate Professor in Mayo Clinic College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In this capacity she provides diagnostic and treatment services for individuals presenting with a wide range of speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing impairments. Prior to her work at Mayo, she was in academia for 19 years, where she taught courses in dysphagia, motor speech disorders, acquired communication disorders, structural-based communication disorders, and medical speech pathology. Stierwalt received her BA and MA degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and her PhD from the University of Iowa. She has written numerous articles, chapters, a co-authored textbook (Brain-Based Communication Disorders), and Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Language Disorders (5th ed., co-edited with Leonard LaPointe). Recently, the latter text has been translated and published in Mandarin Chinese and Greek. In 2009, ASHA recognized Stierwalt’s contributions to the field with ASHA Fellow status.

Financial Disclosures:

Mayo Clinic employee

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Ruth E. Stoeckel, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a Mayo Clinic emeritus SLP. She has worked as a clinician and independent consultant in schools, private practice, private rehabilitation agency, and clinic. Stoeckel is on the Professional Advisory Council of Apraxia Kids. She has presented nationally and internationally on motor speech disorders and related developmental issues and contributed to scholarly articles on the topic of childhood motor speech disorders and associated learning disorders.

Financial Disclosures:

Revenue share with MedBridge
Presenter fees from Apraxia Kids and Once Upon a Time

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

Professional Advisory Council for Apraxia Kids

Edythe Strand, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an Emeritus Speech Pathologist in the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic and Emeritus Professor at Mayo College of Medicine. Strand’s research has focused on developmental, acquired, and progressive apraxia of speech, as well as degenerative dysarthria. She is an ASHA Fellow and has been awarded Honors of the Association as well as Honors of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences.

Financial Disclosures:

None

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

None

Rene L. Utianski, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, is a Consultant in the Division of Speech Pathology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She is an Associate Professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. She earned her BA in Speech and Hearing Science and Psychology from The George Washington University. She earned her MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders and PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from Arizona State University. Her clinical responsibilities include differential diagnosis of acquired and degenerative speech and language disorders.

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