2018 ASHA CONVENTION PROGRAM BOOK • 9 WELCOME FROM THE CONVENTION CO-CHAIRS Welcome From the Convention Co-Chairs REVOLUTIONARY LEARNING, EVOLUTIONARY PRACTICE! Welcome to the 2018 ASHA Convention and welcome to Boston! Every year, the Convention Program Committee and ASHA staff strive to improve your ASHA Convention experience by incorporating your feedback into planning our annual event. Our goal for the 2018 Convention was to provide all levels of learners opportunities to gain knowledge and skills that will promote practicing at the top of their license. We are confident that we have accomplished that goal and have even added a few extra features to enhance your experience. This year, we had a record-breaking number of submissions to the Call for Papers—almost 3,900 proposals, which led to a record-breaking number of sessions—a total of 1,124 hours of professional education programming. This was accomplished only with the assistance of our 38 amazing Topic Chairs and their committees who initially fostered the excitement to submit proposals to the Call for Papers, planned an outstanding slate of sessions featuring invited presenters, and then reviewed all of the proposals with an eye toward those featuring foundational, revolutionary, and evolutionary ideas. In addition to the traditional courses of one-hour and two-hour Oral Seminars, Technical Sessions (both Clinical and Research), Poster Sessions, and Short Courses, we have introduced several new types of sessions to enrich your practice. • Master Classes are invited sessions developed by the Convention Program Committee for advanced learners. These 3-hour ticketed (but free) courses are designed to allow in-depth study of the topic. • Hands-on/Demo Labs offer attendees the opportunity to get their hands on new technology or materials, or to try out new techniques that may enhance service delivery. Hands-on/Demo Labs are designed so that you can come and go during the 2-hour time slot—much like Poster Sessions. • ePosters have been specially selected for this new format by the Convention Program Committee and highlight revolutionary or evolutionary projects or practices in our professions. ePosters will be presented on a screen using presentation software, versus a static printed poster, allowing the author(s) to include embedded multimedia elements to highlight the topic. In keeping with the very exciting Convention theme, “Revolutionary Learning. Evolutionary Practice,” we added the new topic area, “Innovations, Hot Topics and Debates.” This topic was included specifically to allow focused and insightful discussion of emerging research, controversies, and hot topics. With over 1,124 hours of professional education programming available, the session choices might seem overwhelming. If you need some help narrowing down the options, plan to stop by the Concierge Learning Center where staff experts are ready to provide assistance in planning your educational journey. Not everything at the ASHA Convention is about learning, though—there are plenty of opportunities to network or socialize too. Here are a few highlights: • Thursday, November 15: The Opening General Session featuring Roy Spence, Co-Founder of The Purpose Institute, will motivate you to make a positive difference in the lives of those you serve. • Thursday, November 15: Mingle with old friends and meet new colleagues in the Exhibit Hall with light refreshments and a cash bar at the Welcome Reception. • Friday, November 16: Join friends and colleagues as we honor members who have revolutionized and evolved our professions at the Awards Ceremony. Daymond John will be presented with the beloved Annie Glenn Award as well. • Saturday, November 17: Top off 3 days of revolutionary learning and evolutionary practice with a fun-filled Closing Party at the New England Aquarium. Thank you for joining us in Boston. We hope your learning experience here will be revolutionary and that you return to work with inspiring new ideas to evolve your practice to be the best professional you can be! Melissa Jakubowitz, M.A., CCC-SLP Co-Chair for Speech-Language Pathology Sharon A. Sandridge, PhD, CCC-A Co-Chair for Audiology