Director of Speech Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Named Most Influential in the Country

Monday, January 01, 0001

Ann Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, senior clinical director of Speech Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, has been named as one of the top 25 Most Influential in the country.

This appears in today's issue of Therapy Times.

The Most Influential issue is a compilation of the best therapists in five different disciplines, including nutrition, occupational, physical, speech and respiratory. Publication editors gathered names for months that have had the most impact on the therapy industry over the past year. The editorial staff then looked over all nominees and discussed each individually -- placing them on the list based on performance in the past year as well as possible impact for the coming year.

"The Therapy Times Most Influential issue is significant because it recognizes the top 25 powerful people going above and beyond the call of their profession's duty, inspiring others and advancing their discipline," says Therapy Times publisher Heather Brennan Koitzsch, RD. "This year, we received an overwhelming number of responses, but Kummer stood out with her passion for individualized treatment protocols, sterling leadership skills, unparalleled dedication to educating others and unwavering commitment to shaping a better speech therapy profession for tomorrow. She certainly deserves the prestigious honor of being one of Therapy Times' 25 Most Influential."

"It is a great honor to be included in such a prestigious group of dedicated professionals," said Kummer, of Edgewood, KY, who was only one of four speech pathologists listed in the top 25.

The division of speech pathology at Cincinnati Children's is the largest and one of most respected pediatric speech pathology programs in the country. In the division, Kummer manages more than 100 speech pathologists, with total responsibility for staffing, fiscal management, professional services, and business development. She specializes in patients affected by cleft palate (a "hole" in the roof of the mouth caused by a failure of the palate to close during gestation), craniofacial anomalies (deformities of the bones of the skull and face), and velopharyngeal dysfunction (the improper closing of the velopharyngeal sphincter, or soft palate muscle) as a practicing speech pathologist.

Dr. Kummer does many lectures and seminars on a national and international level. She is the author of many professional articles and 11 book chapters in speech pathology and medical texts. She is the author of the text entitled Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies: The Effects on Speech and Resonance (Thomson Delmar Learning, 2001), the co-author of the SNAP test that is incorporated in the Nasometer equipment that provides a simplified procedure for computing nasality in children (KAYPentax, Lincoln Park, NJ), and one of the authors of the text entitled Business Practices: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists.

Dr. Kummer was one of the main developers of rehab software that won the 1995 International Beacon Award through IBM / Lotus. She has received honors of the Ohio Speech and Hearing Association (OSHA); distinguished alumnus award from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders of the University of Cincinnati; and was elected Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in 2002.

Cincinnati Children's is a 475-bed institution devoted to bringing the world the joy of healthier kids. Cincinnati Children's is dedicated to transforming the way health care is delivered by providing care that is timely, efficient, effective, family-centered, equitable and safe. Cincinnati Children's ranks second nationally among all pediatric centers in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is a teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The Cincinnati Children's vision is to be the leader in improving child health.