BSOS to Celebrate ASHA Honors Awardee Nan Bernstein Ratner with Special Event

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences congratulates Professor Nan Bernstein Ratner, who was recently awarded Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). This award recognizes members of ASHA for their distinguished contribution to the field of speech, language and hearing sciences and disorders, and is the highest honor that the association bestows. Professor Ratner also was recently named president elect of the International Fluency Association.

Professor Ratner is a faculty member in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences (HESP), and recently stepped down as the department’s chair after more than two decades of service in that role. She will be presented with the award at the national ASHA convention in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 21.

BSOS will honor Professor Ratner with a special reception from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in the Barrell Spring II Room (9801) of the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, in conjunction with the convention. To learn more and to RSVP, click here or e-mail UMDASHAOpenHouse2014@umd.edu.

“The most gratifying aspect of this award is that nominations for it come from your colleagues and students, rather than a committee. Thus, receiving the Honors is, in a sense, a gift from those I treasure most—our Maryland family and alumni, my fellow researchers and teaching faculty, and others who I have had the privilege of working with over the years,” Professor Ratner said. “To date myself, it’s rather a Sally Field moment. For those too young to appreciate the reference, it’s a Wikipedia moment.”

Professor Ratner’s colleagues said she is exceptionally deserving of the award.

“Although the award is for her contributions to the field in general, we at Maryland have seen that same level of contribution to the department through her work as chair for the past 22 years; this award is thus an especially meaningful and timely recognition of her efforts to improve our science both locally and internationally. This is a deeply-earned honor,” said Professor Rochelle Newman, chair of the department.

Professor Ratner was nominated for this award by former ASHA President Dr. Paul Rao, Ph.D. (HESP) ’85, who recently retired after 28 years of service as vice president at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, who serves on the BSOS Board of Visitors. In the nomination materials, Dr. Rao outlined how Professor Ratner’s advocacy and dedication has protected and transformed the department over the years.

“The University had marked HESP for closure. Nan almost single-handedly took on the University, the community and the state legislature to make the case that closure would mean a drastic shortage of communication professionals in the state as well as lack of access to critical hearing and speech services in the community,” Dr. Rao said.  “She has been a scholar of the first order and a tireless champion of her profession and its students. She has my most enthusiastic endorsement."

Alumna Inbal Eshel, one of Professor Ratner’s mentees, said in the nomination materials: "As a former student and research assistant, both at the Masters and Doctoral level, I have long appreciated Nan's supportive, practical approach to problem-solving. Creative brainstorming was something she engaged in constantly, as an administrator, teacher, advisor and researcher. The depth of her knowledge made her a comfortable and witty Professor, with her eye always on real-world, clinically relevant learning. Passionate, generous, tireless, and supportive, Nan epitomizes what it means to be a Speech Language Pathology leader at the University level and on an individual level: soft when needed, tough when required, strategic and yet true to herself."

Read more about Professor Ratner research, scholarship, teaching and numerous contributions to the field and to HESP, as well as Professor Newman’s appointment as chair and thoughts on the future of the department.

Published on Mon, Jul 28, 2014 - 12:38PM