Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology

María A. Centeno-Vázquez, PhD, CCC-SLP, is the program director and was previously associate professor and program chair at Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. She served as chair of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Universidad Ana G. Méndez in Puerto Rico. Dr. Centeno-Vázquez is a board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders (BCS-S) and is a member of the BCS-S board. She serves as editor on the executive board of the Hispanic Caucus of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and on ASHA’s National Board Exam Revision Committee for Puerto Rico.

She is a bilingual (Spanish and English) speech-language pathologist with a specialty in medical aspects of the field. Her focus is on medical assessments using instrumentation such as fiberoptic endoscopy and video stroboscopy of voice and swallowing. She developed and directed the Caribbean Neurocognitive Comprehensive Center to provide services to adult and geriatric populations, including assessment, treatment, research, as well as community service. She has provided clinical services in schools, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation facilities.

Dr. Centeno-Vázquez received her doctorate in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Cincinnati.

Darrell Dern, SLPD, MS, is director of clinical education and assistant professor in the Speech-Language Pathology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. Dr. Dern is a graduate of the Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. He received his master of science in speech-language pathology from Illinois State University and his bachelor of science in speech and hearing science from the University of Illinois. Dr. Dern also has an advanced certificate in educational leadership from the University of Illinois.

With over 40 years’ experience as a speech-language pathologist and educational leader, Dr. Dern has worked as a clinician, supervisor, and principal in medical and school-based practices. He is an expert in social learning differences in neurodiverse adolescents, special education programs and services, clinical supervision, and mentoring. He has served as a clinical fellowship mentor and clinical educator for numerous graduate students and clinical fellows. As a distinguished educational leader, he has also held several professional workshops and presentations.

Dr. Dern is active with the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ArSHA), serving on several committees. He is the association’s former treasurer, convention chair, and president. In addition, he recently completed a three-year term as vice president for speech-language pathology with ArSHA.

Dr. Salas-Provance, is professor and vice dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Salas-Provance received her doctorate in speech science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received her masters of health administration from the University of Missouri School of Medicine-Columbia. She holds both a bachelors and masters in Speech Pathology from New Mexico State University.

Prior to her appointment as vice dean, Dr. Salas-Provance served as associate dean of academic and student affairs for the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston. She served as assistant dean and chair in the College of Education, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico and department chair in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Montevallo (AL). She held faculty positions at Fontbonne College and St. Louis University, in St. Louis, MO.

She has made extensive professional contributions to the American, Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA), serving on the Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council, member of the Financial Planning Board, and the Multicultural Issues Board. She served as coordinator of ASHA’s Special Interest Group (SIG) 14, Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations and was a founding member and coordinator of SIG 17, Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is an ASHA Fellow and received ASHA’s highest awards for “Special Recognition in Multicultural Affairs” and “Outstanding Contributions in International Achievement.”

Dr.Salas-Provance has served as a clinical educator throughout her academic career, especially related to children with cleft lip and palate. She is a member of an international medical team with Rotaplast International and has traveled worldwide for over 15 years to provide clinical services to children with cleft palate. She implemented a program for graduate students in speech pathology to provide clinical services in Spanish to children with cleft palate in Lima, Peru. In addition to Lima, Peru she has provided clinical services in China, Bangladesh, Philippines, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Venezuela.

Dr. Salas-Provance is coauthor of the textbook Culturally Responsive Practices in Speech-Language and Hearing Science (Plural Publishing, 2019) which meets the needs for training students in healthcare professions regarding practice with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her research is focused on attitudes towards disability by diverse populations and addressing the use of language interpreters during healthcare and educational encounters.

Over the past ten years she has lectured extensively to international audiences, both in English and Spanish, including as invited speaker for the Congreso Internacional en Trastornos de la Comunicacion at Escuela de Fonoaudiologia (Speech Language Pathology / Audiology) de la Universidad de Talca, Chile and for the Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza, Lima, Peru, Endoscopic Evaluation of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction. She was invited keynote speaker for the First International Congress in Speech-Language Pathology and Orthodontics in the area of cleft lip and palate in Lima, Peru.

Dr. Salas-Provance was selected for the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Leadership Program and attended the National Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington DC (2017) for advancing female executives in higher education.

Dr. Ann Lee Burch is the dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Burch received her doctor of education from Columbia University, Teachers College in 2005. She received her masters of public health from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health in 2002 and her masters of physical therapy from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989. She was a postdoctoral fellow with the Research Group on Health Disparities at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her BA is in psychology from the University of Rochester.

Prior to her appointment as dean, Dr. Burch served as vice dean for ATSU-ASHS. She served as the chair of the Physical Therapy Department from 2008-January 2012. Prior to ATSU, Dr. Burch was the director of physical therapy at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has held administrative and/or faculty positions at the International Center for the Disabled in NY, NY, Mercy College in NY, and Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY.

Dr. Burch’s area of scholarly interest and application of that interest is in knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of health care providers and healthcare professional students towards underrepresented patient/client groups.

Dr. Burch is the author of a Guide to Physical Therapy (Vault Publishers) which was written to increase information access about physical therapy to both high school graduates and re-entry adults. She was a co-investigator on an NIH grant at the University of Puerto Rico exploring the feasibility of an exercise program for breast cancer survivors living in San Juan. Dr. Burch has lived in Symi, Greece, Taipei, Taiwan, Ahmdebad, India and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is committed to research, teaching and service that further the understanding of the impact of socioeconomic and cultural variables on health.

She was a member of the class of 2014 cohort of Women in Educational Leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2017 she was the co-PI on a Centers for Disease Control, Association for Prevention and Teaching grant exploring a population health case study format for teaching and communicating the impact of social determinants of health on health disparities. She was recently appointed a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.

Dr. Centeno-Vázquez is an associate professor and Director of Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program of A.T Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Centeno-Vazquez received her Ph.D. in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Cincinnati. She received her master's in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus. She holds a bachelor's in psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.

Before she was appointed chair, Dr. Centeno-Vázquez served as associate professor and chair for the graduate program of Speech-Language Pathology at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus. She served as associate professor and program director of the Speech-Language Pathology program in the School of Health Sciences at the Universidad Ana G. Mendez. Previously, she held faculty positions at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, and an adjunct appointment at Universidad Carlos Albizu in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

She has made professional contributions to the American, Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA), serving on the Hispanic Caucus and as a Board member of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. Dr. Centeno-Vázquez has served as member of the board of Organización Puertorriqueña de Profesionales del Habla-Lenguaje y Audiólogos of Puerto Rico, professional association.

Dr. Centeno-Vázquez has served as a clinical educator, researcher, and supervisor throughout her academic career, especially in swallowing, neurogenic, and voice disorders. She is the first Puerto Rican woman to be Board Certified in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders.

She developed and directed a center at Universidad Ana G. Méndez (Caribbean Neurocognitive Comprehensive Center-CNCC) to provide services free of costs to adults and geriatric population with speech, voice, language, and swallowing disorders, where graduate students provided clinical services.

She has lectured as invited speaker to diverse events including to the annual conventions of the Organización Puertorriqueña de Profesionales del Habla-Lenguaje y Audiólogos of Puerto Rico and to the annual conventions of the Colegio de Nutricionistas y Dietistas de Puerto Rico. Regularly presents at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Darrell Dern, SLPD, MS, is director of clinical education and assistant professor in the Speech-Language Pathology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. Dr. Dern is a graduate of the Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. He received his master of science in speech-language pathology from Illinois State University and his bachelor of science in speech and hearing science from the University of Illinois. Dr. Dern also has an advanced certificate in educational leadership from the University of Illinois.

With over 40 years’ experience as a speech-language pathologist and educational leader, Dr. Dern has worked as a clinician, supervisor, and principal in medical and school-based practices. He is an expert in social learning differences in neurodiverse adolescents, special education programs and services, clinical supervision, and mentoring. He has served as a clinical fellowship mentor and clinical educator for numerous graduate students and clinical fellows. As a distinguished educational leader, he has also held several professional workshops and presentations.

Dr. Dern is active with the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ArSHA), serving on several committees. He is the association’s former treasurer, convention chair, and president. In addition, he recently completed a three-year term as vice president for speech-language pathology with ArSHA.

Dr. Salas-Provance, is professor and vice dean of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Salas-Provance received her doctorate in speech science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received her masters of health administration from the University of Missouri School of Medicine-Columbia. She holds both a bachelors and masters in Speech Pathology from New Mexico State University.

Prior to her appointment as vice dean, Dr. Salas-Provance served as associate dean of academic and student affairs for the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston. She served as assistant dean and chair in the College of Education, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico and department chair in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Montevallo (AL). She held faculty positions at Fontbonne College and St. Louis University, in St. Louis, MO.

She has made extensive professional contributions to the American, Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA), serving on the Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council, member of the Financial Planning Board, and the Multicultural Issues Board. She served as coordinator of ASHA’s Special Interest Group (SIG) 14, Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations and was a founding member and coordinator of SIG 17, Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is an ASHA Fellow and received ASHA’s highest awards for “Special Recognition in Multicultural Affairs” and “Outstanding Contributions in International Achievement.”

Dr.Salas-Provance has served as a clinical educator throughout her academic career, especially related to children with cleft lip and palate. She is a member of an international medical team with Rotaplast International and has traveled worldwide for over 15 years to provide clinical services to children with cleft palate. She implemented a program for graduate students in speech pathology to provide clinical services in Spanish to children with cleft palate in Lima, Peru. In addition to Lima, Peru she has provided clinical services in China, Bangladesh, Philippines, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Venezuela.

Dr. Salas-Provance is coauthor of the textbook Culturally Responsive Practices in Speech-Language and Hearing Science (Plural Publishing, 2019) which meets the needs for training students in healthcare professions regarding practice with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her research is focused on attitudes towards disability by diverse populations and addressing the use of language interpreters during healthcare and educational encounters.

Over the past ten years she has lectured extensively to international audiences, both in English and Spanish, including as invited speaker for the Congreso Internacional en Trastornos de la Comunicacion at Escuela de Fonoaudiologia (Speech Language Pathology / Audiology) de la Universidad de Talca, Chile and for the Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza, Lima, Peru, Endoscopic Evaluation of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction. She was invited keynote speaker for the First International Congress in Speech-Language Pathology and Orthodontics in the area of cleft lip and palate in Lima, Peru.

Dr. Salas-Provance was selected for the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Leadership Program and attended the National Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington DC (2017) for advancing female executives in higher education.

Lourdes Martinez-Nieto, PhD, MA, joined A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences’ (ATSU-ASHS) Speech-Language Pathology program in July 2022 as an associate professor.

Dr. Martinez-Nieto earned her bachelor of arts degree in modern languages – English with a major in linguistics and a minor in translation and master of arts degree in applied linguistics with a major in language acquisition from Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México. She completed her doctoral degree in speech and hearing science from Arizona State University in 2018.

Prior to joining ATSU, she was an assistant professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Dr. Martinez-Nieto’s training is in the areas of communication disorders, child language development and disorders, bilingual language and second language acquisition, and linguistics. She specializes in bilingual language acquisition.

Dr. Martinez-Nieto’s primary research interest focuses on language development in monolingual and Spanish-English bilingual children with and without language disorders. She aims to find the linguistic characteristics that may help clinicians differentiate language disorders from language differences. She is interested in how vulnerable grammatical elements, such as grammatical gender in Spanish or verb morphology in English, develop in bilingual environments.

Beatriz Barragan, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). She is a bilingual (Spanish and English) researcher interested in the neurobiology of bilingualism, specifically the motor component of second language processing.

She is from Bogota, Colombia, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in experimental psychology. After moving to the U.S., she received her master’s in clinical research management and doctorate in speech and hearing science at Arizona State University (ASU). Prior to her appointment at ATSU-ASHS, she worked as research faculty at ASU and assistant professor at California State University, Los Angeles.

Dr. Barragan’s current work is focused on second language processing through three lines of research: the role of the motor system on second language comprehension, foreign accent and dysarthric speech perception bias, and cognitive implications of bilingualism in young and older adults. As an instructor, Dr. Barragan works toward developing knowledgeable consumers of scientific research, who can transfer these skills to evidence-based professional practices. Her interdisciplinary research and interaction with the Latinx community bring together social, psychological, and biological perspectives on the language process, which contributes to future speech-language pathology clinicians’ understanding of the complexity of human communication.

Dr. Ivonne M. Maldonado De la Rosa is an assistant professor in the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program of A.T Still University Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Maldonado De la Rosa received her Ph.D. in Second Language Research from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Ponce campus. She received her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Universidad Ana G. Mendez, Gurabo campus. She holds a bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus.

Prior to joining ATSU, she was working as a bilingual Speech Language Pathologist and pediatric feeding specialist. She has experience working in skilled nursing facilities, private practices, outpatient clinics and through telehealth.

Dr. Maldonado De la Rosa serves on the board of the Hispanic Caucus of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Dr. Maldonado De la Rosa’s training is in the areas of bilingualism specifically about the phenomenon of code-switching. Her primary research interest focuses on Speech Language Pathologists approach towards the phenomenon of code-switching when working with culturally linguistically diverse clients.

Dr. Maldonado De la Rosa has also become very familiar with the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem becoming a University Innovation Fellow from Stanford University. She has also received training in Bio-entrepreneurship from California State University I-corps.

Dr. Tiffany Hines an assistant professor in the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. Dr. Hines received her bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of Georgia. She received her master of education in speech-language pathology from the University of West Georgia. She then earned her doctorate in educational psychology from Capella University. She maintains her CCC and is licensed in South Carolina and Georgia.

Prior to joining ATSU, Dr. Hines was a school-based speech-language pathologist and owned a pediatric private practice in Greenville, South Carolina. She has experience working in public schools, early intervention, telehealth, and private practice.

Dr. Hines currently serves as the professional development manager of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Special Interest Group 16 (School-based Issues).

School-based assessment/therapy, early intervention, and SLP retention have been the primary focus of Dr. Hines’ research and experience. She specializes in response-to-intervention, articulation disorders, child language disorders, cultural-linguistic diversity, and literacy. In addition, she has created workshops and presented at conferences.

Malathy Venkatesh, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor in the Speech-Language Pathology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). Dr. Venkatesh earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in India, and she earned her doctorate in Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. In addition, she is an Association Montessori Internationale-certified practitioner for aging and dementia.

Dr. Venkatesh has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, teaching institutions, post-acute centers, and outpatient facilities. She has worked internationally and with cross-cultural teams through her work in India, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S. She has also volunteered in Indonesia and Switzerland.

Dr. Venkatesh is a member of the Professional Development Committee of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Special Interest Group 15 (Gerontology) and serves as its Professional Development Manager. She is the interim vice president for Public Relations of the South Asian Caucus of ASHA, and the 2027 Annual Convention Co-Chair-Elect of the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her areas of interest include neurogenic communication disorders, and implementation of evidence-based, person-centered approaches to improve quality of life.

Kristina Millhouse, MS, CCC-SLP, is an instructor in the Speech-Language Pathology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication sciences and disorders from Illinois State University.

Millhouse worked in a variety of adult-based neurological settings, including acute care hospitals, inpatient neuro rehab units, outpatient day rehab settings, and outpatient return to work, community, and school programs. She spent her primary clinical career at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) and Barrow Neurological Institute at the Center for Transitional Neurorehabilitation in Phoenix.

An advocate for people with aphasia, Millhouse was one of the primary developers of Barrow’s community aphasia group. Her clinical interests include adults with acquired brain injuries, including a cerebrovascular accident or traumatic brain injury. She has a strong passion for the clinical focus of functional goals of returning to work, community, and school. As an instructor, Millhouse hopes to bridge the importance of providing a strong academic foundation in speech-language pathology with implementation of evidence-based and functional clinical practices.

Charity Olson, MS, CCC-SLP, is an instructor in the Speech-Language Pathology program at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. She earned her bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing sciences from Arizona State University and her master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Northern Arizona University.

Olson has worked across a wide range of pediatric-focused settings, including early intervention, private clinics, outpatient rehabilitation, and public elementary schools. Prior to earning her master’s degree, she gained valuable experience as a speech-language pathology assistant. Olson currently maintains her American Speech-Language-Hearing Association certificate of clinical competence and continues to provide therapy services to young children.

Olson’s clinical focus centers on early, whole child intervention, emphasizing integration of articulation, language, literacy, narrative, and social-emotional development. She is particularly passionate about working with children and families from underserved and low socioeconomic backgrounds by advocating for access to high-quality, evidence-based care leading to meaningful progress.

As an instructor, Olson is dedicated to preparing the next generation of speech-language pathologists with a strong academic foundation and the tools to deliver compassionate, functional, and impactful therapy. Her current areas of interest include research on shifts in early childhood communication milestones and the broader developmental landscape in recent years.

robintritt@atsu.edu

Ms. Tritt is the Program Manager in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and joined A.T. Still University in 2021. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in May of 2007. In 2011, she obtained an additional degree and became a licensed dental hygienist. After practicing dental hygiene for 10 years, she transitioned into a new career field, applying her dental knowledge to assist the department. As Program Manager, she provides support to the Program Director and contributes to the overall success of the department by managing administrative tasks, overseeing program processes, and assisting both faculty and students.

rachelkeeling@atsu.edu

Ms. Keeling serves as the Clinical Education Administrative Assistant in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology. She joined A.T. Still University in 2024, bringing more than 12 years of experience in behavioral health administration and direct client care. In her role, she provides administrative support to the Director of Clinical Education and contributes to the coordination of the clinical components of the program. Ms. Keeling plays an integral part in establishing and maintaining partnerships with clinical placement sites, supporting students throughout their practicum experiences, and assisting in the coordination and oversight of clinical rotations.