SOUTHERN MISS' OSHRIN NAMED FELLOW OF
AMERICAN SPEECH-LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION
By Angela Cutrer

HATTIESBURG -- Dr. Stephen E. Oshrin, professor and chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi, has been named a fellow of the American Speech-Language Association (ASHA). This year, fellowship was awarded to only 29 of the 110,000 membership.

Dr. Joan Exline, interim dean of the College of Health, says this honor is a result of Oshrin's distinguished dedication and commitment to the discipline of human communication sciences and disorders. "Dr. Oshrin has worked long and hard to further his profession, and I am pleased to see that he is being recognized for his efforts," she said.

Nominated by other fellows, prospective fellows are scrutinized by a nine-member Committee of Honors that evaluates the nominees in terms of their teaching, their research and publications, and their professional and administrative service.

This year's annual award presentation was held in November in Chicago, with Annie Glenn as the featured speaker. A surprise guest turned out to be Glenn's husband, former astronaut Sen. John Glenn, who spoke of the well-known difficulties his wife endured due to her severe stuttering problem.

"He came out and told the story of how the two met and the problems she had," Oshrin said. "It was spell-binding to hear them speak."

Originally from New York, Oshrin received his undergraduate degree in speech pathology from the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh and his master's and doctoral degrees in audiology from Ohio University. He also did doctoral work at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Prior to joining the faculty at The University of Southern Mississippi, Oshrin taught at Ohio University and Indiana State University. He joined the Southern Miss faculty in August 1981 as an associate professor and became chair of the department in 1988. He was promoted to the rank of professor in 1990.

Oshrin's areas of professional interest include electrophysiological tests of hearing and computer applications in communication disorders. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that include anatomy and physiology of hearing, clinical audiology, electrophysiological assessment and industrial hearing conservation. He holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in audiology.

His professional activities include serving as a site visitor for ASHA's Council on Academic Accreditation; as an elected board member of the Council on Academic Accreditation; as an IDEA due-process hearing officer for the state of Mississippi; as the audiology consultant for Ellisville State School; as a certification consultant and webmaster for the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion; and as a course director for the Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC).

He has been an ASHA legislative counselor, a member of the ASHA Clinical Certification Board, and a member of the Council of Advisors in Speech Pathology and Audiology for the state of Mississippi.

His wife, Dr. Joanne Konefal Oshrin, received her doctoral degree from Ohio University and is a speech-language pathologist with the Hattiesburg City School District. They have two children, Jocelyn and Stephanie.

Oshrin joins co-workers John Muma and Richard Saniga as fellows. "We're very fortunate to have three fellows on a faculty of 11 people," Oshrin said. "It's a good thing for recruitment and for the reputation of the program and Southern Miss."

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