Szekeres Honored with Distinguished Service Award
The New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NYSSLHA) honored Shirley Szekeres, PhD, CCC-SLP, of Nazareth College with The Distinguished Achievement Award at its annual convention in Rochester, N.Y.
Photo Caption: ( left to right) Joseph Sonnenberg, president of NYSSLHA; Shirley Szekeres; and Salvatore Gruttadauria, chair of NYSSLHA’s Honors & Awards committee
The Distinguished Achievement award is given annually to a NYSSLHA member who has distinguished him or herself in a discipline of communication sciences and disorders and/or the profession of speech language pathology and audiology by virtue of their outstanding academic, clinical and/or research contributions.
Szekeres came to Nazareth College as chair of the Communication Sciences & Disorders Department (CSD) in 1991. An outstanding teacher and administrator, she led the speech-language pathology program to accreditation, and with her passion for improving clinical services for individuals with aphasia, she established the Aphasia Clinic, now the Brain Injury Clinic, which has served thousands of individuals and continues to provide an unparalleled training ground for graduate student clinicians. In addition Nazareth provides services through a satellite program at the Hickok Center for Brain Injury, another outreach program Szekeres established. Clinical outreach programs under Nazareth’s CSD Department umbrella provided more than 20,000 hours of services on and off campus during the past year, at little or no cost to the individuals served.
Szekeres became dean of the Nazareth’s School of Health & Human Services in 2004 in recognition of her leadership and vision. One of her most notable accomplishments as Dean has been her championing of interprofessional education. As part of this effort, she has been the driving force behind Nazareth’s new Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute (WRI), which brings together our unique constellation of therapy programs -- speech-language pathology, audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, art therapy, nursing, and social work -- into a unified center. She has worked tirelessly to develop collaborative programs that provide cutting edge interprofessional education and therapy services. Following a $16 million fundraising effort and extensive building renovation, the new facility will open in 2015, a showcase for state-of-the-art clinical teaching and services. Szekeres will become the founding Director of the WRI.
“Shirley Szekeres is recognized and respected for her passion and leadership as an educator and administrator. She has demonstrated outstanding dedication to scholarship, evidence-based practice, and the provision of the highest quality of service to the individuals with communicative needs,” said Joseph Sonnenberg, NYSSLHA President. “Szekeres’s exemplary work as a clinician and teacher has improved clinical services in the Rochester area and throughout the country through the work of Nazareth graduates.”
The New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NYSSLHA) has served as the trade association for the state’s speech-language pathologists and audiologists for more than 55 years. To learn more about NYSSLHA, visit www.nysslha.org.
For More Information
Julie Long, Nazareth Chief Public Relations Officer, (585) 389-2456 or jlong2@naz.edu
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
