Erinn Finke and Katherine C. Hustad Selected as Incoming Editors-in-Chief of Expanded AJSLP

Next year marks the 30-year anniversary of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (AJSLP). And, like any other 30-year-old, the journal has changed a lot over the years. AJSLP will continue to focus on peer-reviewed research and scholarly articles on all aspects of clinical practice in speech-language pathology. However, although AJSLP has been a quarterly publication for most of its existence, its recent growth has shown that it’s time for a change.

Two More Issues of AJSLP Per Year!

AJSLP has grown steadily for 4 years in a row (more than doubling between 2016 and 2020!), making it clear that four issues simply wasn’t enough! Starting in 2021, AJSLP will become a bimonthly publication. Like the other ASHA journals, AJSLP will continue to publish articles ahead of the issue in “Newly Published” as they’re ready.

In addition to a more frequent publication schedule, we’re also adding a second editor-in-chief and expanding the team of editors and editorial board members so we can continue to be as responsive to authors as possible. We’re pleased to announce the selection of Erinn Finke, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Katherine C. Hustad, PhD, CCC-SLP, as the new editors-in-chief for AJSLP. Drs. Finke and Hustad will begin their terms as editors-in-chief on January 1, 2021, replacing Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, PhD, who is finishing her term at the end of 2020.

Dr. Finke’s Background

Dr. Finke is an associate professor in the department of Audiology and Speech Pathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Her research focuses on the priorities and practices of autistic adolescents and young adults regarding friendship formation and maintenance. Dr. Finke is interested in understanding how everyday contexts, such as videogame play, can be used to support social interactions between autistic and non-autistic people. Dr. Finke has expertise in and social development—including social intervention, friendship formation, and friendship interventions. Dr. Finke teaches courses on the topics of child and adolescent language disorders, severe disabilities, and augmentative and alternative communication.

Dr. Finke earned a master of science degree in 2002 and a doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) in 2008—both in communication sciences and disorders—from the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Finke serves as director of the Autism Social Development Lab at UTHSC, where the lab’s current projects investigate (a) friendship preferences and practices of autistic and non-autistic people and (b) how autistic and non-autistic adolescents and young adults communicate while playing video games and while using other forms of technology like text and video messaging. Dr. Finke has served as editor for AJSLP since 2017.

Dr. Hustad’s Background

Dr. Hustad is a professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is also an investigator at the Waisman Center. Her research focuses on characterizing and enhancing longitudinal speech, language, and communication development and outcomes in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Her work seeks to create and validate data-based longitudinal models of speech and language development in CP that can be used to predict outcomes and guide treatment decision-making. Speech intelligibility is a key focus of this work.  Dr. Hustad has a strong interest in bridging research with clinical practice.  Her work has been funded by the NIH (NIDCD) since 2003. 

Dr. Hustad received her Master of Science (1992) in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her PhD (1999) in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.  She is an ASHA Fellow and has been involved in a variety of leadership activities within ASHA, including serving as a member of the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee, a mentor for Lessons for Success, Grant Review and Reviewer Training, the Clinical Practice Research Institute, and Mentoring Academic Research Careers programs.  She has been actively involved with ASHA journals as an author, a reviewer, an associate editor, an ad hoc editor, and an editor throughout her 20+ year career. 

On a personal note, she has 3 children (2 teenagers and a tween), who keep her very humble. She enjoys long-distance running, listening to true crime podcasts, reading, and eating chocolate.

More on AJSLP

We’d like to thank outgoing Editor-in-Chief Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer for her service. The journal could not have grown without the hard work of Dr. Barkmeier-Kraemer, the previous editors-in-chief, and their editorial boards.

To learn more about AJSLP, including how to submit a manuscript or get involved, you can check out our “About AJSLP” page. You can read the entire AJSLP archive, including 165 articles published during this year alone, on ASHAWire.

Drs. Finke and Hustad welcome your input and suggestions on how AJSLP can best serve the communication sciences and disorders community. You can reach them at AJSLP@asha.org.