Doctoral students at the University of Montana are advancing research in the field of speech, language, and hearing sciences through a growing Ph.D. program. The program, which began in 2016, has seen increased enrollment and support for its students.
Da’Myah Buckner, who grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, is among those pursuing a doctorate at UM. After earning undergraduate and master’s degrees in linguistics, she decided to join UM’s program after connecting with a faculty member from the speech pathology department. Buckner is currently researching bilingual children with language disorders.
“Being so far from home, it feels really good that everybody has been so nice and welcoming,” Buckner said.
The doctoral program started with only one or two students but now has three enrolled and expects more next year as four additional applicants have applied to begin in the fall. Program leaders anticipate continued growth.
Laurie Slovarp, associate professor and director of the Ph.D. program in the School of Speech, Language, Hearing and Occupational Sciences, emphasized the importance of research for clinicians and patients. “The main thing is to be able to move the field forward,” Slovarp said. “If you are a clinician, you are relying on research. We have these researchers who make our field better and that leads to advances in clinical care.”
Slovarp noted that students benefit from mentorship opportunities and teaching experience at the graduate level—opportunities that may not be as available at other institutions. “Just being in a smaller program really lends itself to a lot of personalized mentorship,” Slovarp said. “Everyone works well together and all of our Ph.D. students are brought into the fold when it comes to research.”
Other current doctoral candidates include Kassidi Heinle and Sarah Conkle. Heinle is from Miles City and previously worked as an elementary school teacher before returning to UM for her master’s degree in speech language pathology. She now works as a speech language pathologist while researching chronic cough suppression treatment under Slovarp’s guidance.
“For me, it just made sense,” Heinle said. “I knew who my mentor would be. I already knew we work well together.” She added: “I was a teacher before and I want to keep teaching. I get to teach now at a different level, and I get to continue to be a clinician and be a part of this research.”
Sarah Conkle returned to UM after working abroad as an English instructor near Tokyo following her first master’s degree in linguistics earned at UM during the 1990s. After completing her master’s degree in speech language pathology, she worked as a clinician before starting her Ph.D., focusing on aphasia—a language disorder often caused by stroke—with mentor Dr. Catherine Off.
“I wanted to go back to complete this Ph.D. program and do research so I could add to that body of knowledge and that field,” Conkle said.
Conkle explained her personal connection with aphasia after her father experienced it following a stroke: “That made it even more personal and made my commitment even stronger.”
She encouraged prospective doctoral students interested in speech language pathology research to consider UM: “It’s a special group of people here,” she said. “I don’t think you could find a better place to get a Ph.D.”
