Audiology Connections - 2022 - 7

PASSING THE BATON
PASSING THE BATON
Hello, Friends and Colleagues
I'm delighted to have this opportunity
to connect with you once again. As
you may know, I retired as ASHA's
Chief Executive Officer on December
31, 2021. Working with so many
outstanding colleagues and dear
friends in the professions of audiology
and speech-language pathology
over the course of my career as a
communication sciences and disorders
(CSD) professional was an amazing
blessing and opportunity for which I
will be forever grateful. The work that
you all do each and every day to
enable others to achieve the human
right of effective communication is
remarkable and inspiring.
As I reflect on my 18 years as ASHA's
CEO, I am reminded of a quote by
John F. Kennedy:
" Change is the law of life.
And those who look only
to the past or present are
certain to miss the future. "
-John F. Kennedy
" Change is the law of life. And those
who look only to the past or present
are certain to miss the future. "
Change is indeed a constant-
sometimes, change happens to
us, and we must assess, adapt, be
resilient, take care of one another,
and persevere. We've all had more
than our share of opportunity to do
exactly that throughout the COVID-19
pandemic. A small, but I believe
meaningful, example is that, preCOVID,
less than 5% of ASHA's
audiology members and affiliates
routinely provided services via
telepractice/remotely. Since COVID-19,
that number has jumped to nearly
30%. We've all realized new ways of
carrying on, some of which we will
carry forward into our " next normal. "
Sometimes, we are the change
agents-seizing the opportunity to
design, foster, and shape the future.
You'll see that reflected throughout
this issue of Audiology Connections
in the tireless efforts of audiology
colleagues-ASHA members and
staff in a multitude of areas, such as
practice resources, reimbursement
policy, research funding, mentoring,
and Special Interest Groups, just to
name a few. Although none of us has
a crystal ball or a magic wand, as
William Shakespeare wrote over 400
years ago, " What is past is prologue. "
Back in 2004, when I became ASHA
CEO, there were approximately 34
audiology graduate programs that
had transitioned from the master's
degree and were accredited at the
clinical doctorate level. Today, there
are 74 audiology clinical doctorate
programs (including five consortia)
and five candidate programs. Since
2004, more than 20 new audiology
billing codes have been created. In
2004, none of the following things
existed: ASHA Learning Pass, ASHA
Now customizable e-newsletter, ASHA
Voices podcast, Audiology Assistants
Certification Program, Diversity
Index, Identify the Signs campaign,
Interstate Compact initiative, Strategic
Pathway to Excellence, Value of the
CCCs campaign . . . and no ASHA
Committee/Board/Council had ever
conducted its meeting via Zoom (which
didn't even exist in 2004)!
Time marches on-and forward-as
do we. As Charles Darwin said,
" It is not the strongest of the species
that survive, nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to
change. "
As I pass the ASHA CEO baton to
my amazing colleague Vicki DealWilliams,
I look forward to seeing
the future that you will create for the
profession of audiology and those you
serve.
With great appreciation, respect,
and gratitude,
Arlene A. Pietranton, PhD,
CAE, ASHA Chief Executive
Officer 2004-2021
Continued on page 8
asha.org/aud 2022 AUDIOLOGY CONNECTIONS
7
http://www.asha.org/aud
Audiology Connections - 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Audiology Connections - 2022
