Interview with Nancy Minghetti, Executive Director of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation
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Linda Schreiber:Today, I'm interviewing Nancy Minghetti, the executive director of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, also known as ASHFoundation. Good morning Nancy.Nancy Minghetti:Good morning Linda.Linda Schreiber:Let's start by telling the readers what the ASHFoundation is and what
Linda Schreiber:Today, I'm interviewing Nancy Minghetti, the executive director of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, also known as ASHFoundation. Good morning Nancy.
Nancy Minghetti:Good morning Linda.
Linda Schreiber:Let's start by telling the readers what the ASHFoundation is and what the Foundation does.
Nancy Minghetti:Our vision is to ensure that all individuals, children and adults alike, reach their full communication potential. Our mission is based on advancing knowledge and improving practice in serving children and adults with speech, language, or hearing disorders; and we do that in a number of ways. We support education and research with a variety of program initiatives underlying that missionand we facilitate new and innovative directions in the field of communication sciences and disorders through special projects.
Linda Schreiber:And the support you provide is primarily financial?
Nancy Minghetti:Our support is both financial and programmatic, but funding is essential and comes from a variety of sources. We rely on individuals, corporations, and organizations to express their commitment to our Foundation through their charitable donations, and these donations are critical to what we are able to do. Approximately 75 percent of our annual charitable donations come from individuals, but two of our existing funded programs are a direct outgrowth of a now-completed capital campaigna special initiative that was launched back in 1999 to support doctoral education and innovative research. The most important thing for people to know is that we're accelerating advances on behalf of people who have communication disorders by supporting our professionals in the field of communications sciences and disorders. But we cannot do it without the collective support of our donors.
Linda Schreiber:You mentioned that one of the Foundation efforts is to support the research efforts of professionals.
Nancy Minghetti:Yes, our research grant programs include clinical research grants geared towards experienced or new investigatorsincluding students at the masters and doctoral levels who are being mentored in research projects. In our recent history, we've had a greater emphasis on doctoral scholarships, to prepare individuals to become teacher-investigators and to respond to the shortages that exist in the field. The Foundation also offers special scholarships supported by specific endowment funds, which focus on students who have disabilities, as well as those who are minority or international students.
Our clinical funding is a result of the Foundation's recognition programs that identify clinical contributions to the field. Those are ones you're familiar with: the DiCarlo, the Kleffner, and the Van Hattum awards all support clinical achievement and have specific criteria for nominations. While the Foundation recognizes the importance of supporting clinical projects, the major focus of our funding is directed to research grants and master's and doctoral scholarships due to the identified need.
Linda Schreiber:Let's explore the research grants. I understand you have new opportunities this year.
Nancy Minghetti:That's something exciting that I want to talk about. This year we have a brand new initiative, and I think your readers would be most interested in it because it is a special funding program that is meant to further the goal of building capacity within the discipline for investigators to develop and evaluate evidence-based practices, which as you know is a timely and critical topic. We find that no matter where clinicians are practicing right now they're being called upon to answer the question "Do our treatment practices make a difference?" So this grant is a wonderful opportunity to help increase research of this type.
Linda Schreiber:These grants are funded at a level that researchers would find helpful?
Nancy Minghetti:The grants are going to be funded in ranges from $50,000 to $75,000 per grant. And they're intended to advance knowledge about the efficacy of treatment and assessment practices in audiology and speech-language pathology. What we're looking for are studies that have the potential to improve the everyday functioning of individuals with or at risk for communication and related impairments.
One of the key components of this new funding competition has to do with the type of support offered, because you can really be at any stage along the continuum of your research career to be eligible. The mechanisms in our competition have parallels to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding mechanisms.
Linda Schreiber:Are you supporting individual researchers or are you supporting universities in their research efforts?
Nancy Minghetti:The funding is disbursed to the individual investigator, often in the name of the institution. There are three funding options within the grant competition for support: (1) mentored treatment research projects, (2) independent treatment research projects, and (3) collaborative treatment research projects; these types are detailed in the official guidelines available on our Web site. Our hope is that these studies will help researchers secure data that will enhance their competitiveness for federal funding. This type of clinical research can be costly, and the Foundation wants to support new research ideas and directions, and pilot studies that are likely to progress to randomized clinical trials.
Linda Schreiber:You mentioned that the grants parallel the NIH funding mechanism. How so?
Nancy Minghetti:A couple of the mechanisms are similar to the NIH F32 and NIH RO3 awards and/or may serve as pilot studies for future NIH awards. Prior to developing our new grant guidelines, we conferred with our colleagues at NIDCD about what it takes to conduct these clinical treatment research studies and what role the Foundation could play with the level of its available funding. And we talked about how the Foundation could stimulate activity by our field professionalsour researchers who in turn could take the next step after they've received Foundation fundingto compete for federal funding.
Linda Schreiber:Why wouldn't the researcher go directly to NIH for funding?
Nancy Minghetti:We have found that new investigators are especially in a "Catch-22" situation. If they wish to apply to a federal funding mechanism, they need pilot data before they can get funded; and yet they need to get funded to obtain the data. So they often come to the Foundation for their initial phase of funding so they can later leverage other funding opportunities.
Linda Schreiber:So in reviewing the grant description, it appears that this is a grant that invites investigators, who may be at different stages of their careers, to apply for financial support of their efforts. And those efforts can range from innovative small-scale treatment studies of practices that are undergoing development or refinement to preliminary studies of well-developed treatments. Correct?
Nancy Minghetti:Yes, exactly! We feel strongly that our funding help to promote advances and to make new discoveries. This speaks to the Foundation as an organization that is a force for the future.
In the instance of this new clinical research grant competition, we received a generous donation of $600,000 from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, on the occasion of our 60th anniversary two years ago.
Nancy Minghetti:Of course, this large association gift doesn't mean that we aren't in need of more funding from other sources but, rather, I think it demonstrates that success breeds success. The fact that we've had very loyal donors at all levels means that other entities recognize the important work of the Foundation, and this actually leverages other opportunities for fundraising from other entities.
Linda Schreiber:That's a very generous gift. The financial support you will provide these new investigators is so needed and this is an great opportunity for researchers who need that beginning piece of research for federal funding. What is the deadline for applying for the grant and where/how do readers get more information about the guidelines and application process?
Nancy Minghetti:June 2nd is the deadline for this particular competition and interested readers should check the ASHFoundation website for more information and downloadable guidelines and application form: www.ashfoundation.org/grants
Linda Schreiber:How many grants will you be funding?
Nancy Minghetti:This year, we intend to fund four grants for the Clinical Research competition, and we are going to offer this program for three years. It's a sizeable contribution to the funding pool for our field's researchers. This competition, in conjunction with other Foundation grant and scholarship programs, means we are on track to release our biggest distribution of annual grant and scholarship money in our entire 60-year history.
Linda Schreiber:How large is that distribution?
Nancy Minghetti:We're going to release over a half million dollars to students, researchers, and practitioners in the 2008 calendar cycle.
Linda Schreiber:That's unbelievable!
Nancy, my final question is related to obligations of the grant. What are the specific obligations the recipients must fulfill once receiving the research grant?
Nancy Minghetti:Well, really, it's the same written reporting requirement as for all of our grants. What we do want to see happen is that the recipients disseminate their findings by presenting them at professional conferences, such as the ASHA Convention, and prepare manuscripts for a research journal of their choice. We require that they kindly give credit to the Foundation for funding their work. We're most interested that the new information gets out to their peers and that it serve as a launching pad for other studies and discussion among their colleagues. The credit enables the Foundation to acknowledge to donors that their generosity is meaningful.
Linda Schreiber:Nancy, the work you and the Foundation do is crucial to our field and we thank you for what you do. In a future interview, I would like to spend time visiting about the other Foundation initiatives our readers should be aware of. For now, SpeechPathology.com will get the message out about this newest opportunity: the Clinical Research Grant, which has an application deadline of June 2, 2008.
Thanks so much for taking the time to be interviewed Nancy.
Nancy Minghetti:Good morning Linda.
Linda Schreiber:Let's start by telling the readers what the ASHFoundation is and what the Foundation does.
Nancy Minghetti:Our vision is to ensure that all individuals, children and adults alike, reach their full communication potential. Our mission is based on advancing knowledge and improving practice in serving children and adults with speech, language, or hearing disorders; and we do that in a number of ways. We support education and research with a variety of program initiatives underlying that missionand we facilitate new and innovative directions in the field of communication sciences and disorders through special projects.
Linda Schreiber:And the support you provide is primarily financial?
Nancy Minghetti:Our support is both financial and programmatic, but funding is essential and comes from a variety of sources. We rely on individuals, corporations, and organizations to express their commitment to our Foundation through their charitable donations, and these donations are critical to what we are able to do. Approximately 75 percent of our annual charitable donations come from individuals, but two of our existing funded programs are a direct outgrowth of a now-completed capital campaigna special initiative that was launched back in 1999 to support doctoral education and innovative research. The most important thing for people to know is that we're accelerating advances on behalf of people who have communication disorders by supporting our professionals in the field of communications sciences and disorders. But we cannot do it without the collective support of our donors.
Linda Schreiber:You mentioned that one of the Foundation efforts is to support the research efforts of professionals.
Nancy Minghetti:Yes, our research grant programs include clinical research grants geared towards experienced or new investigatorsincluding students at the masters and doctoral levels who are being mentored in research projects. In our recent history, we've had a greater emphasis on doctoral scholarships, to prepare individuals to become teacher-investigators and to respond to the shortages that exist in the field. The Foundation also offers special scholarships supported by specific endowment funds, which focus on students who have disabilities, as well as those who are minority or international students.
Our clinical funding is a result of the Foundation's recognition programs that identify clinical contributions to the field. Those are ones you're familiar with: the DiCarlo, the Kleffner, and the Van Hattum awards all support clinical achievement and have specific criteria for nominations. While the Foundation recognizes the importance of supporting clinical projects, the major focus of our funding is directed to research grants and master's and doctoral scholarships due to the identified need.
Linda Schreiber:Let's explore the research grants. I understand you have new opportunities this year.
Nancy Minghetti:That's something exciting that I want to talk about. This year we have a brand new initiative, and I think your readers would be most interested in it because it is a special funding program that is meant to further the goal of building capacity within the discipline for investigators to develop and evaluate evidence-based practices, which as you know is a timely and critical topic. We find that no matter where clinicians are practicing right now they're being called upon to answer the question "Do our treatment practices make a difference?" So this grant is a wonderful opportunity to help increase research of this type.
Linda Schreiber:These grants are funded at a level that researchers would find helpful?
Nancy Minghetti:The grants are going to be funded in ranges from $50,000 to $75,000 per grant. And they're intended to advance knowledge about the efficacy of treatment and assessment practices in audiology and speech-language pathology. What we're looking for are studies that have the potential to improve the everyday functioning of individuals with or at risk for communication and related impairments.
One of the key components of this new funding competition has to do with the type of support offered, because you can really be at any stage along the continuum of your research career to be eligible. The mechanisms in our competition have parallels to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding mechanisms.
Linda Schreiber:Are you supporting individual researchers or are you supporting universities in their research efforts?
Nancy Minghetti:The funding is disbursed to the individual investigator, often in the name of the institution. There are three funding options within the grant competition for support: (1) mentored treatment research projects, (2) independent treatment research projects, and (3) collaborative treatment research projects; these types are detailed in the official guidelines available on our Web site. Our hope is that these studies will help researchers secure data that will enhance their competitiveness for federal funding. This type of clinical research can be costly, and the Foundation wants to support new research ideas and directions, and pilot studies that are likely to progress to randomized clinical trials.
Linda Schreiber:You mentioned that the grants parallel the NIH funding mechanism. How so?
Nancy Minghetti:A couple of the mechanisms are similar to the NIH F32 and NIH RO3 awards and/or may serve as pilot studies for future NIH awards. Prior to developing our new grant guidelines, we conferred with our colleagues at NIDCD about what it takes to conduct these clinical treatment research studies and what role the Foundation could play with the level of its available funding. And we talked about how the Foundation could stimulate activity by our field professionalsour researchers who in turn could take the next step after they've received Foundation fundingto compete for federal funding.
Linda Schreiber:Why wouldn't the researcher go directly to NIH for funding?
Nancy Minghetti:We have found that new investigators are especially in a "Catch-22" situation. If they wish to apply to a federal funding mechanism, they need pilot data before they can get funded; and yet they need to get funded to obtain the data. So they often come to the Foundation for their initial phase of funding so they can later leverage other funding opportunities.
Linda Schreiber:So in reviewing the grant description, it appears that this is a grant that invites investigators, who may be at different stages of their careers, to apply for financial support of their efforts. And those efforts can range from innovative small-scale treatment studies of practices that are undergoing development or refinement to preliminary studies of well-developed treatments. Correct?
Nancy Minghetti:Yes, exactly! We feel strongly that our funding help to promote advances and to make new discoveries. This speaks to the Foundation as an organization that is a force for the future.
In the instance of this new clinical research grant competition, we received a generous donation of $600,000 from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, on the occasion of our 60th anniversary two years ago.
Nancy Minghetti:Of course, this large association gift doesn't mean that we aren't in need of more funding from other sources but, rather, I think it demonstrates that success breeds success. The fact that we've had very loyal donors at all levels means that other entities recognize the important work of the Foundation, and this actually leverages other opportunities for fundraising from other entities.
Linda Schreiber:That's a very generous gift. The financial support you will provide these new investigators is so needed and this is an great opportunity for researchers who need that beginning piece of research for federal funding. What is the deadline for applying for the grant and where/how do readers get more information about the guidelines and application process?
Nancy Minghetti:June 2nd is the deadline for this particular competition and interested readers should check the ASHFoundation website for more information and downloadable guidelines and application form: www.ashfoundation.org/grants
Linda Schreiber:How many grants will you be funding?
Nancy Minghetti:This year, we intend to fund four grants for the Clinical Research competition, and we are going to offer this program for three years. It's a sizeable contribution to the funding pool for our field's researchers. This competition, in conjunction with other Foundation grant and scholarship programs, means we are on track to release our biggest distribution of annual grant and scholarship money in our entire 60-year history.
Linda Schreiber:How large is that distribution?
Nancy Minghetti:We're going to release over a half million dollars to students, researchers, and practitioners in the 2008 calendar cycle.
Linda Schreiber:That's unbelievable!
Nancy, my final question is related to obligations of the grant. What are the specific obligations the recipients must fulfill once receiving the research grant?
Nancy Minghetti:Well, really, it's the same written reporting requirement as for all of our grants. What we do want to see happen is that the recipients disseminate their findings by presenting them at professional conferences, such as the ASHA Convention, and prepare manuscripts for a research journal of their choice. We require that they kindly give credit to the Foundation for funding their work. We're most interested that the new information gets out to their peers and that it serve as a launching pad for other studies and discussion among their colleagues. The credit enables the Foundation to acknowledge to donors that their generosity is meaningful.
Linda Schreiber:Nancy, the work you and the Foundation do is crucial to our field and we thank you for what you do. In a future interview, I would like to spend time visiting about the other Foundation initiatives our readers should be aware of. For now, SpeechPathology.com will get the message out about this newest opportunity: the Clinical Research Grant, which has an application deadline of June 2, 2008.
Thanks so much for taking the time to be interviewed Nancy.