Speech therapists present at national conference

Published 6:28 am Thursday, November 29, 2018

EPHRAIM MCDOWELL HEALTH

News release

DANVILLE — Ephraim McDowell Health speech therapists, including Bethany A. Berry and Mindy Bullock-Davidson, as well as a former associate, Michele Zaparanick-Brown, gave a presentation at the national American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on Nov. 16, 2018.

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The title of their presentation was “ABC’s of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Surgery: Pre-Operative to Outpatient Care.” This presentation sought to educate attendees on the history of ACDF surgery, anatomy and physiology changes post-ACDF surgery, and the most common mechanisms of injury to voice and swallow function.

The trio highlighted a pre-operative education program they created in efforts to improve patient’s understanding of potential impacts to their voice and swallowing. The presentation was well received, with attendees showing interest and asking questions about the program offered by Ephraim McDowell.

Bethany A. Berry, along with three other colleagues from Kentucky and Tennessee, presented on the topic of “Deliberate Supervision: Practical Strategies for Effective Clinical Supervision.”  The purpose of that session was to promote excellence in clinical education for speech-language pathologists who supervise. Participants learned strategies to develop structured and effective clinical learning experiences that match their learner’s needs through videos and case studies. It was well attended with standing room only.