USM Professor Named Chair of Speech-Language-Hearing Medicaid Committee

Dr. Kimberly Ward, assistant professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi, has been elected chair of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Medicaid Committee.

In this role, Ward will oversee a committee whose mission is to assist the Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) Board and the GRPP cluster in determining current economic issues and developing goals as related to audiology and speech-language pathology services specifically covered and reimbursed by Medicaid. The committee is comprised of speech and hearing sciences professionals from across the nation to serve the 186,000 members on issues related to Medicaid.

“I am honored to have been elected to serve as the chair of the ASHA Medicaid Committee. ASHA is making tremendous strides in helping its members advocate for themselves, their pediatric clients, and their adults clients,” said Ward. “I feel assured the Medicaid Committee will provide constant support for Medicaid related issues to our members, as well as advocate on a federal and state level for most appropriate reimbursement rates, best practices in Medicaid billing, as well as practice management during a time of change on healthcare across the nation.”

A native of Elba, Ala., Ward has been employed at Southern Miss since September, 2012. She teaches a number of graduate and undergraduate courses ranging from Pediatric Audiology to Cochlear Implants to Auditory Processing Disorders. She also serves as the Doctor of Audiology program's Audiology Clinical Education Coordinator.

This is Ward's third year to serve on the ASHA Medicaid Committee, but her first as chair for the 2017-18 year. She has participated in the ASHA Student Empowered Professional (S.T.E.P.) program as a mentor as well as a participant in the ASHA Mentoring Academic Careers Program.