The Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement recognizes an individual's significant accomplishments in the advancement of clinical service in audiology and/or speech-language pathology. The recipient of the DiCarlo Award is chosen from among individuals who have been nominated by their state association for the State Clinical Achievement Award. This award is supported by the Louis M. DiCarlo Fund.
2024
Awarded $2,500
- John Tetnowski
- Jeanette Sias Endowed Chair in Speech Pathology, Professor
- Oklahoma State University
- Stillwater, OK
John Tetnowski is recognized for advancing stuttering treatment and education through multiple initiatives. He established the Oklahoma State Chapter of the National Stuttering Association, a self-help group providing resources and support for individuals who stutter and their families. In collaboration with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the University of Tulsa, he helped initiate the Oklahoma Affiliates for the Knowledge of Stuttering (OAKS) to enhance training for speech-language pathologists and promote evidence-based care. Additionally, he led the creation of the Cowboy Stuttering Camp at Oklahoma State University, a program offering comprehensive treatment and parent education. Through these initiatives, his work has improved access to affordable, high-quality services across the state.
2023
Awarded $2,500
- Elissa Larkin
- Speech-Language Pathologist and Bioethicist
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
- Chicago, IL
Elissa Larkin is recognized for developing a communication partner training (CPT) program to educate and train health care professionals who treat patients with communication disorders. This interdisciplinary CPT is available through hospital orientations and professional development offerings for clinicians across inpatient, outpatient, and rehabilitation sites. Under Larkin’s leadership, almost 28,000 clinicians have learned to provide better communication support for staff, patients, and families. Through presentations, Larkin has shared strategies to implement this model program with health care settings in Illinois and nationwide.
2022
Awarded $2,500
- Shanna Stack
- Speech-Language Pathologist and Co-Owner
- Moving Mountains Therapy Center
- Missoula, MT
Shanna Stack is recognized for co-founding, with an occupational therapist, the Moving Mountains Foundation, to improve access to health care services and therapeutic interventions for children and their caregivers. This nonprofit organization raises funds for family-centered speech, occupational, and physical therapy; mental health services; wheelchair seating and positioning; assistive technology; and postural care services for children with disabilities in rural and tribal communities of western Montana, an area characterized by widespread gaps in health care access. The organization provides invaluable resources for onsite developmental skill screening, travel reimbursement for therapists serving rural regions, telepractice equipment for online interventions, and continuing education for service providers.
2021
Awarded $2,500
- Veena Kallambettu
- Medical Speech Pathologist
- Wexner Medical Center/James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University
- Columbus, Ohio
Veena Kallambettu is recognized for designing the Speech-Intelligibility Testing in Head and Neck Cancer (SIT-HNC) and Velopharyngeal Functional Assessment Program (V-FAP), two outcomes assessments for patients with oral cavity cancer. While working with head and neck cancer patients, she found no comprehensive methodology to measure speech outcomes or assess treatment efficacy during recovery. She responded by developing the research-based tools to determine which treatments and interventions are most effective for improving speech rehabilitation and enhancing quality of life post-surgery. This approach, which elevates multidisciplinary care, has been adopted as part of the Center’s Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol. Plans include scaling the successful programs to outpatient head and neck cancer clinics nationwide to support patients’ functional recovery.
2020
Awarded $2,500
- Susan Ostrowski
- Co-Creator; Director
- Reading2Connect®
- Niantic, Connecticut
Susan Ostrowski is recognized for creating Reading2Connect, an innovative organization to enable older adults to independently read again by providing adapted reading materials and supportive environments. Working in skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, she observed how little the residents interacted with people and materials. She developed the organization to help prevent adults with dementia from experiencing boredom, helplessness, and loneliness. Recognizing the need for resources to support cognitive-communication therapy, she created dementia-friendly books that are ability- and age-appropriate for adults. The organization also provides interactive trainings to teach staff, families, and volunteers the strategies to encourage adults to read.
View Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement recipients before 2020 [PDF].