HESP Seminar Series | HESP l Hearing and Speech Sciences Department l University of Maryland

The HESP Department sponsors a series of talks on current research in the areas of hearing, speech, and language by visiting researchers or members of the HESP faculty, staff, and students. All students, faculty, staff, and affiliates are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you would like to join the email distribution list for all upcoming HESP Seminar Series talks, email Dr. Matthew Goupell at goupell [at] umd.edu or Dr. Jose Ortiz at jortiz5 [at] umd.edu.

Events are listed below, or access the HESP Seminar Series calendar.

Fall 2025

Date/Time/Location	Speaker/Topic
Date: September 29th Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm Location: Lefrak 2166	Specific Aims Defense Speaker: Dr. Matthew Goupell
Date: October 27th Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm Location: Lefrak 2166	Specific Aims Defense Speaker: Dr. Stacey Kane
Date: November 7th Time: 12:30-1:30pm Location: Lefrak 2166	Effects of Hearing Loss and Competing Speech on Children's Real-Time Spoken Word Recognition Speaker: Kelsey Klein Abstract: To comprehend speech, children must efficiently process spoken words and access word meaning in real time. Listening to speech under degraded auditory conditions can impede children’s ability to effectively recognize words and their meanings. In this talk, I will discuss a series of eye-tracking studies utilizing the Visual World Paradigm that examine the effects of congenital hearing loss and competing speech on real-time lexical access, lexical competition, and semantic activation in school-age children. Findings suggest that both children who use hearing aids and children with cochlear implants show delayed processing of words and their meanings, even when listening in a quiet environment. Furthermore, even low-intensity competing speech impacts word recognition efficiency among children with normal hearing. Potential contributions of language and cognitive factors to individual differences in real-time processing will also be discussed.
Date: November 10th Time: 12:00-12:50pm Location: Lefrak 2166	Tracking Real-time Discourse Comprehension in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury Speaker: Kelly Marshall (UMD HESP) Abstract: Many individuals who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience long-term disability related to higher-level language deficits (e.g., having conversations, social interactions, communicating in adverse conditions like noise). In this talk, I will describe how we can use eye tracking measures to understand some of the cognitive mechanisms underlying these persistent difficulties and will discuss the need for real-time measures of higher-level language processing. I will present results from projects using visual-world eye tracking to examine difficulties understanding moment-to-moment changes in conversation topics in civilian and military patients with TBI. Considerations and challenges for conducting this research program and impacts on clinical applications and signal analysis methods will be discussed.
Date: November 24th Time: 12:00pm-12:50 pm Location: Lefrak 2166	Access to Children's Hearing Aids under Medicaid: Barriers and Geographic Disparities Speaker: Dr. Caitlin Sapp, Supervisor of Pediatric Audiology, University of North Carolina Medical Center Abstract: This presentation will present research examining the gap between Medicaid coverage and real-world access patterns for pediatric hearing healthcare. Using de-identified billing data from hearing aid manufacturers, we will analyze geographic disparities in audiologist care networks within Medicaid. We are also collecting survey data to identify key barriers that prevent audiologists from participating in Medicaid. Our preliminary findings demonstrate insufficient provider networks in many regions, which creates obstacles for families. This research will provide actionable insights for policymakers, clinicians, and advocates working to improve equitable access to early hearing intervention for all children, regardless of insurance status.