University of Pittsburgh Communication Science and Disorders

We are delighted to announce the inaugural recipients of the Seed-the-Throughline Award, which seeks to kickstart or sustain programmatic lines of research. The award prioritizes work that advances one or more of the following: building readiness for extramural funding, bringing together investigators, seeding new collaborations, supporting early-career investigators as leads, bridging gaps between funding cycles, and integrating training opportunities for students.

Megan Arnold (MD/PhD Student) & Aravind Parthasarathy, Ph.D. (PI) and Xingyu "Mark" Zhang, Ph.D. (PI) & Interdisciplinary Team

The Communication Van Summer Team is out testing hearing and providing free hearing aids to the community! Drs. Ashley Parker, Taylor Murray, and Melissa Ruscetta are leading our AuD students (Izzy T., Sabrina C., Laura C., and Jessica W.) in their clinical placements this summer in our mobile unit all over Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.

Doctoral candidate Brandon Garivaldo, his advisor Dr. Leah Fabiano, and their collaborator Dr. Philip Combiths (University of Iowa) presented their research at the Bilingualism Matters conference last month at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Milan, Italy.

Assistant Professor and Director of Research Enterprise and Development, Dr. Ashley Parker, was recently recognized during the 2026 State of the School as a Shining Start within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS)! SHRS faculty and staff were honored with recognitions by their peers, highlighting their exceptional work. Ashley thanks her mentor and department chair in CSD, Dr. Catherine Palmer, for the nomination. Congratulations, Dr. Parker!

The Spring 2026 BSL Bulletin is here!💬💕🧠

We’re excited to share the third edition of the BSL Lab newsletter, filled with updates, stories, and highlights from our amazing community. From research milestones to special events, there’s something for everyone to explore.

Check it out on our website bsllab.pitt.edu under Newsletters.

Faculty all gathered on Saturday, May 2 to celebrate graduates from all of our programs (undergraduate, SLP, AuD, and PhD)! Congratulations to the class of 2026!

Dr. Frank Guenther was 's 27th Annual Jack Matthews-Herbert Rubin Lecture guest speaker! His discussion was on "Using Neural Modeling to Better Understand Speech Disorders."

27th Annual Jack Matthews- Herbert Rubin Lecture featuring Dr. Frank Guenther is TOMORROW Thursday, April 30th at 5:15PM!

Please register at: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9uAryjbl0sIXtSC?fbclid=IwY2xjawRe7xdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoNDZKZ010VHp3eFEwN0tZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmhYeG3P_uEs4BCzds_wfT6d4a4WxapcXukA2yzkgsnn-mphzGSUE8QMtWan_aem__zt2CmT4wA6zdaGp_SY7EQ