Two Speech and Hearing Professors Honored for Excellence by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Professors Stephanie Borrie and Camille Wynn, both in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences (SHS) at USU, were recently awarded with prestigious honors from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Borrie was named an ASHA Fellow, and Wynn received ASHA’s Early Career Contributions in Research Award.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the well-earned honors of Drs. Borrie and Wynn,” said Karen Muñoz, department head of SHS. “Being named an ASHA Fellow is one of the highest honors bestowed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and Dr. Borrie is exceptionally deserving of this distinction. Additionally, Dr. Wynn’s remarkable productivity and contributions to the field make her highly deserving of recognition. We are delighted to celebrate her outstanding early-career achievements.”

Borrie joined USU in 2014 as an assistant professor in the then Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education. Over the past 12 years, Borrie has served as principal investigator on seven grants totaling more than $7 million. Her research centers on improving communication for people with speech disorders resulting from neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and stroke. She currently leads three National Institutes of Health-funded projects, including a five-year clinical trial, focused on understanding and improving communication for people with Parkinson’s disease and their communities.

Today, Borrie is a professor in SHS and interim associate dean for research in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. She was elected an ASHA Fellow in recognition of her outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and service. Fellowship is one of the highest forms of recognition given by ASHA and is public declaration of outstanding professional achievements.

“I’m incredibly honored to be elected a Fellow of ASHA,” said Borrie. “Much of my work has focused on understanding the everyday experience of conversation—what makes communication work well, what makes it difficult, and how we can support successful interactions for people with communication disorders. Research has always been a very collaborative endeavor for me, involving students, colleagues, research participants, and people with communication disorders whose experiences shape the questions we ask. I feel very fortunate to have spent my career doing work I genuinely love alongside so many people who have contributed to it.”

Wynn’s award for Early Career Contributions in Research acknowledges significant scientific accomplishments by individuals beyond the dissertation and within five years of receiving their doctoral degree, other terminal degrees, or completion of post-doctoral training.

Wynn earned her undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees at USU before taking a faculty position at the University of Houston. She recently returned to USU as an assistant professor in SHS, where she is furthering her research on conversation in autistic teens. This research is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, an institute within the NIH.

“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Wynn. “I’m excited to continue pursuing this line of research and hope that, ultimately, I can make a meaningful difference in the lives of autistic teenagers.”

Wynn was mentored by Borrie from her undergraduate years through her doctoral training. “What makes the recognition especially meaningful to me is that, in the same year, Camille Wynn received ASHA’s Early Career Contributions in Research Award,” Borrie remarked. “It feels pretty special to be recognized alongside someone I had the opportunity to mentor and who has gone on to do such meaningful work of her own.”

In November, Borrie and Wynn will be formally recognized by ASHA at an awards ceremony held in conjunction with the annual ASHA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.