AVI recently selected Krista Heavner, a speech-language pathologist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the prestigious Doreen Pollack Scholarship. AVI established the scholarship, with an award of $1,000, in honor of Auditory-Verbal pioneer Doreen Pollack Kreh, to recognize and financially assist outstanding professionals pursuing specialized training in Auditory-Verbal Therapy.
Heavner holds a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is currently working with the University of Michigan Cochlear Implant Program. Her husband, a physician, is currently completing his residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.
In a recent interview, Heavner stated that since her first exposure to the Auditory-Verbal approach, where she witnessed the opportunities it affords children with hearing impairment to become integrated into mainstream education and society, she has aspired to obtain certification. It was while in graduate school at UNC in a practicum under Cert.AVT Kathryn Wilson that Heavner initially learned of the Auditory-Verbal approach and decided to pursue certification. Upon graduation from UNC, Heavner sought to obtain a professional position in which she could continue to gain experience in the Auditory-Verbal approach. Accordingly, she accepted a position with the Auditory Learning Center in Raleigh where she increased her knowledge of the A-V approach.
Heavner said she is seeking further Auditory-Verbal training not only so that she can pursue certification, but also so that she can continue to share information with the families with whom she currently works. She has elected to use the scholarship to attend a professional week at the Auditory-Verbal Center of Atlanta. She will report on her professional training experience in a future edition of The Auricle. 