Callier Postdoctoral Program Off to a Solid Start

As part of a relatively new program, postdoctoral fellows at the Callier Center for Communication Disorders are using the nationally recognized center’s resources to pursue research projects and prepare for life as assistant professors.

The Callier Postdoctoral Fellowship is a two-year program that gives young researchers an opportunity to develop their own independent research – in collaboration with one or more Callier Center faculty members – in a field related to communication sciences and disorders. The center first offered the fellowship in 2008.

“We created the fellowship to give young researchers an opportunity to pursue their own research, but also to enhance their ability to acquire federal funding for their work,” said Dr. Thomas Campbell, executive director. “In addition, the fellows work closely with their faculty mentors to publish papers and present at national conferences.”

Dr. Diane Ogiela and Dr. Jennell Vick were selected as the first Callier fellows.

“The Callier fellowship has the distinct advantage of allowing me to pursue my own research interests rather than serving as an assistant on someone else’s work,” said Vick. “Also, the Callier Center has a vast, diverse participant population from which I can draw for my research.”

Since arriving at the center, Vick has created the Speech And Communication Exploration (SPACE) lab which focuses on tongue and lip movements of children with cerebral palsy and compares them with those of typical children and adults. Vick is the principal investigator for the study and has received funding for the project.

Ogiela’s research, which has also received grant funding, focuses on how children process certain aspects of grammar at a neurological level. The goal of her current project is to gain a better understanding of the nature of the language processing difficulties experienced by children with language impairment.

“The Callier fellowship has given me the opportunity to explore and develop a new area of research and to apply it to child language,” said Ogiela. “Plus, I have had the opportunity to learn and develop skills that are critical to a research career, including grant writing, grant management and laboratory organization.”

Although the fellows develop their own research, they work closely with their faculty mentors and use the resources of one or more of the 13 laboratories housed at the center.

“My faculty mentors have been very generous with their time and support,” said Ogiela. “They have offered me many resources both in their labs and by sharing their expertise and experiences with me.”

Drs. Christine Dollaghan and Mandy Maguire are the faculty mentors for Ogiela. Drs. Thomas Campbell and William Katz are the faculty mentors for Vick.

As part of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the Callier Center provides outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research into basic and applied aspects of communication sciences and disorders, psychological sciences, and cognition and neuroscience.

The Callier Center is currently accepting applications for the 2010-2012 fellowship. Applicants should submit their curriculum vitae, up to three scholarly publications, and a minimum of three letters of reference. Completed applications must be submitted electronically by Feb. 1, 2010.