Dr. Brooke Findley, assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Deaf Studies, was recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as a recipient of its 2020 Distinguished Early Career Professional Certificate, which is given to ASHA members (aged 30 or less) who have had an impact in the areas of leadership, volunteerism and advocacy.

Dr. Miguel Perez, professor in the Department of Public Health, was voted into the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network’s Board of Directors — a nod to his depth of experience and commitment to the CPEHN mission of promoting health equity by advocating for public policies and sufficient resources that address the health needs of communities of color.

Drs. Bhupinder Singh and Jennifer Roos, faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy, received the 2020 Physical Therapy Influencer Award by the Physical Therapy Learning Institute. The award honored their virtual interactive poster presentation of the Fresno State Amputee Gait Clinic and its potential to have a positive influence toward excellence in physical therapy education.

Cher Teng (Bee) Yang, lecturer in the Department of Social Work Education, contributed to "Exploring Hmong Americans' Attitude Towards Hmong Traditional Full-Service Funerals: The Hmong Cultural Integration Project" — a piece published in the Hmong Studies Journal, volume 22. This was a collaborative effort with the Hmong 18 Council Organization out of Minnesota, whose mission is to provide mediation between traditional Hmong cultural practices and the American judicial system.

Vang Vang, librarian in Research Services, received the Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times Award from the Provost. Read more by going to the Madden Library News blog.

Dr. Soua Xiong received the Outstanding Service to the Association Award from The California College Personnel Association for his active participation and contributions. He is a past president of the organization and has held several other leadership roles. With more than 15 years of higher education experience as a student affairs practitioner, researcher and faculty member, his service and leadership in the student affairs profession have elevated Fresno State’s program to new heights.

Xiong became coordinator of the Student Affairs and College Counseling graduate program program in fall 2019. Since then he has created a cohort model for students with specialized coursework and helped establish a graduate student association. He further supports his students with their scholarly activities, mentoring and collaborating with them on publications, conference presentations and any assistance needed with service in professional associations. Graduating about 30 students annually, Xiong keeps busy focused on his students’ needs.

Visit Fresno State News to read more.

The California Speech-Language-Hearing Association State Honors Committee has awarded the Fresno State Parkinson’s Research Clinic with the Program of the Year Award for its outstanding contributions to the community and its clients — and for "the innovative way the service was delivered to train both graduate students and provide clients with Parkinson’s Disease services, and the research that has emerged from the clinic program."

The Department of Communicative Sciences and Deaf Studies launched the Parkinson's Research Clinic in fall of 2018 to provide clients an opportunity to work on cognitive communication functions, including individual speech therapy, voice projection and speech intelligibility.

The research clinic consists of two parts - SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd. Through SPEAK OUT!, individuals with Parkinson's and Parkinson-plus syndromes undergo 12 individual speech therapy sessions facilitated by graduate students. After completing the program, clients move on to the The LOUD Crowd, which consists of group therapy sessions meant to build on the progress made in the first part of the program. Graduate students, who receive clinical hours, are supervised by a licensed speech-language pathologist.

Read more about the clinic in Fresno State Magazine.