Sacred Heart University receives $60K grant from Parkinson Voice Project

Sacred Heart University was awarded a $60,000 grant by the Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) to help develop a SPEAK OUT! Therapy and Research Centers serving the Fairfield County region.

PVP is Richardson, Texas-based nonprofit is committed to helping people with Parkinson”™s regain and retain their speech and swallowing abilities. Staff and students at SHU”™s on-campus speech clinic already have been trained in the SPEAK OUT! Method and the funding will enable the Fairfield-based school to expand its clinic, which offers free services to individuals with Parkinson”™s disease.

The grant also will accelerate promising Parkinson”™s treatment studies by funding additional graduate research assistants.

“We aim to increase our presence within the community as a service-driven, graduate training program. Amazing work is done when graduate student clinicians can provide needed service to their clients while gaining valuable clinical practice and knowledge in their field of study,” said Cristina Pino, clinical assistant professor of communication disorders.

Photo of a SPEAK OUT! Speech pathology session by Tracy Deer-Mirek / Sacred Heart University