Department of Communication Science and Disorders

Man in a black shirt looking at a laptop
Millions of Americans struggle to understand or express speech, and the experience can be incredibly isolating. A Pitt-supported suite of therapeutic games—now available for anyone to play—aims to help.
a person in a suit in front of a laptop
The Innovative Mentoring and Professional Advancement Through Cultural Training (IMPACT) program is a multi-university effort to diversify audiology and speech-language pathology graduate schools—and not just at Pitt.
A statue
A earbud in a woman's left ear
Native English speakers often have trouble with tonal languages like Chinese. A new study showed that vagus nerve stimulation allowed research participants to pick up some Mandarin tones more quickly.
Carey Balaban in a dark suit and yellow tie
Carey Balaban from the School of Medicine led a study into a curious 2016 case concerning U.S. diplomats in Havana, Cuba, and their families, who had mysterious symptoms including dizziness, ear pain and tinnitus. The researchers found marked differences between the patterns of response of those embassy staffers and victims of other mild, traumatic brain injuries.
A physician in a white coat applies a device to a young woman's throat
COVID-19 can affect more than the lungs: some patients also leave the hospital with muscle weakness, heart problems and trouble swallowing. Three researchers from Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences discuss how their field can help in recovery.
Sarah Elizabeth Steward and Jordan Fields
The Emma W. Locke Award winner is Sarah Steward and the Omicron Delta Kappa Senior of the Year Award winner is Jordan Fields.