The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Cincinnati has selected Continued and Simucase leader Stacy Williams, PhD, CHSE, as its 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the field of communication sciences and disorders.
Williams earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati and was chosen for this award based on her successful career and expertise in simulations, virtual technology, research, and internet technologies.
She was recognized by her alma mater at a ceremony and dinner on April 10.
“We are proud to proclaim that Stacy Williams is a three-time graduate of the University of Cincinnati program in Communication Sciences and Disorders,” said Nancy Creaghead, PhD. Creaghead, professor emerita and former chair of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Cincinnati, served as Williams’ doctoral dissertation chair.
“We are not at all surprised by her amazing accomplishments and contributions in developing and supporting the availability of simulation to support student learning and professional continuing education in speech-language pathology. Stacy was already developing creative virtual learning resources during her master’s program. Our current students now benefit from the wide use of Simucase across our courses. We also respect and applaud her creative contributions to our profession through the ASHFoundation and other efforts.”
Williams is the CEO of LaCalle Group, which is the parent company of Continued and Simucase.
As a speech-language pathologist, researcher, and business leader, Williams has devoted her career to innovative educational practices. An expert in simulation-based education, she conducts ongoing research that focuses on integrating cutting-edge technology into personalized learning applications.
Her doctoral research became part of the foundation of the Continued family site SpeechPathology.com.
Williams went on to develop the world’s first simulation center for communication disorders as a junior faculty member and researcher at Case Western Reserve University. Today, this initial research and product development is Simucase, which provides clinical simulations within a personalized learning platform for thousands of students and professionals annually.
Williams is an adjunct associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and has served the communication sciences and disorders profession in local, state, and national leadership roles. She was elected a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in 2020 and has served on the board of the ASHFoundation since 2017.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by my alma mater,” Williams said.
“The University of Cincinnati gave me so much and prepared me to in turn give back to my profession. I can’t thank the university enough for this prestigious award.”