The UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) was home for two days last July 25-26, 2016 to Assoc. Prof. Anthony Koutsoftas, PhD CCC-SLP from the Seton Hall University (SHU) School of Health Sciences (SHS) in South Orange, New Jersey, USA. As stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement, a faculty exchange program is in place between UST–CRS and SHU-SHS.
Dr. Koutsoftas met with the faculty of the CRS’ Department of Speech Language Pathology (SLP). The 4-hour meeting was focused on Dr. Koutsoftas’ vast research experience on childhood language and literacy development and how it may help the SLP department’s research capacity, output, and publication plan. It was a fitting venue to explore possible areas of collaboration between the SLP departments of both institutions.
Apart from research, it was also an opportunity to share and discuss best teaching-learning activities to carry out the program outcomes. There were a lot of similarities between the two institutions in so far as delivery of courses are done.
Day 1 for Dr. Koutsoftas also included a tour of the University Museum and the CRS facilities, including the SLP lab and the other clinical affiliation sites of the UST-SLP students and visited by the SHU-SLP student interns as part of the month-long student exchange program.
Day 2 was spent in Abucay, Bataan, where the CRS’ Community-based Rehabilitation Program is carried out. Accompanied by the SLP Department Chair Asst. Prof. Ma. Georgina D. Mojica, Dr. Koutsoftas had the opportunity to interact with the patients and the SLP student-interns affiliated in the Abucay Regional Health Unit.
