Afua Agyapong is an assistant professor of speech-language pathology at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Ghana, and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of North Dakota.

Dr. Agyapong is a certified speech-language pathologist with clinical experience working in diverse settings including a skilled nursing facility, an ENT clinic, and a public school.  Her areas of teaching and clinical expertise are voice disorders, adult neurogenic communication disorders, school-age language disorders and multicultural issues in speech-language pathology.

Dr. Agyapong has taught undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students. Her research focuses on transgender voice and cultural diversity. She has published papers in peer-reviewed journals, and has presented locally and nationally.

Dr. Agyapong has been invited to give presentations on acoustic analysis of voice and to review voice disorders content with speech pathology graduate students preparing to take their praxis examination

Areas of Expertise and/or Research:

Voice disorders, adult neurogenic communication disorders, age-related decline in language abilities, multicultural issues and linguistic diversity

Education:

Ph.D., Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of North Dakota

Frances Burns is an assistant professor of speech-language pathology and Chair of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina.  Dr. Burns received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Therapeutic Recreation.  She completed her master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an emphasis in Early Intervention.  She earned her doctorate in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with an emphasis in child language acquisition, child language disorders, and psycholinguists.  She went on to complete a Research Fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Burns is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist and has extensive experience practicing and teaching courses in communication sciences and disorders.  Child language acquisition and disorders, and Early Intervention are the primary focus for the courses she teaches.  She has authored manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, and she presents papers at conferences locally and nationally.

Dr. Burns has been invited to give workshops on distinguishing language difference from disorder, African American English, and Early Intervention both nationally and internationally for the last 13 years.

Areas of Expertise and/or Research:

Language acquisition and developmental language disorder, narrative development and pragmatics, multicultural issues and linguistic diversity, early intervention and routines-based intervention, autism spectrum disorder.

Education:

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vanderbilt University

Ph.D., Communication Disorders, University of Massachusetts Amherst

M.S., Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

B.A., Therapeutic Recreation, University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Ashleigh Collins is a clinical supervisor with the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. Ms. Collins received her bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Columbia College and completed her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Carolina.

Ms. Collins is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. Prior to joining the faculty at Francis Marion University, she worked as a school-based Speech-Language Pathologist for nineteen years. Her clinical experience has involved providing direct therapy for children from birth to high school through early intervention services and school-based services and engaging and educating parents, childcare providers, and teachers to ensure children’s growth and success.

Ms. Collins provides direct supervision to graduate students as they complete community speech/language/hearing screenings and serve clients in the Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing. Her research interests include clinical education and the supervisory process in speech-language pathology, speech sound disorders, language and literacy, service delivery considerations and options in school-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration.

Education:

• M.S.P., University of South Carolina
• B.A., Columbia College

Karen Gittings is a professor of nursing and Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina. Dr. Gittings received her diploma in nursing from The Washington Hospital School of Nursing, Washington, Pennsylvania and her BSN from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus. She earned her MSN with specialization in nursing education and her DNP at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was a 2015 to 2016 Amy V. Cockcroft Fellow, achieved certification in online instruction in 2011, became a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) in 2013 and earned certification as an Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNEcl) with the inaugural group of test-takers. Dr. Gittings has extensive experience in critical care nursing and has been a certified critical-care RN (CCRN) since 1991.

Her areas of teaching and clinical expertise are medical–surgical nursing, critical care, and cardiac nursing. She has taught students across the curriculum in the BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. Dr. Gittings has co-authored three books and eight book chapters. Dr. Gittings has also presented nationally on multiple nursing education-related topics.

She is past president of Francis Marion University’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, Chi Lambda Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, and the Pee Dee Area Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She is a recipient of multiple Outstanding Faculty Teaching Awards at Francis Marion University and the South Carolina Palmetto Gold Award (2005).

Ms. Marilyn McClam-Mack, Assistant Professor, is the Coordinator of Clinical Education for the Master for the Department of Speech-Language Pathology Program in the School of Health Sciences at Francis Marion University. She is a certified Speech Language Pathologist with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association who received her MA in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and her BA in Professional English from South Carolina State University.

Marilyn has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for the last 24 years. She comes to FMU with previous experience in long-term care, hospitals, home health, private practice, public schools as an in person and tele practice SLP. She has extensive experience in long-term care and has served as a Director of Rehabilitation. In these positions she has worked with clients across the lifespan remediating receptive and expressive language, cognitive linguistic impairments speech sounds disorders, fluency disorders and disorders swallowing.

As Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of Clinical Education, Marilyn facilitates the student’s clinical placement process; provides student mentoring, supervision of clinical experiences, and course instruction in Clinical Practice.

Whitney Moore is the administrative assistant for the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Francis Marion University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Francis Marion University.

Dr. Michele L. Norman, Associate Professor, is the Graduate Studies Coordinator for the Master of Speech-Language Pathology Program in the School of Health Sciences at Francis Marion University. She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association who received her PhD from The University of Memphis, MS from the University of the District of Columbia, and BA from Rutgers University–Douglass College. 

Dr. Norman has been a speech-language pathologist for over 30 years in a variety of settings. Clinically, she has served populations from birth to senescence providing services to children and adults with neurologically-based disorders that impact speech, language, communication, and swallowing. During her career, she was the Coordinator of the Intensive Review for Praxis Examination for Speech-Language Pathology for the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing for 18 years and a special education teacher in the public-school setting for nearly 10 years serving children with learning disabilities and severe communication deficits. Later, Dr. Norman became research faculty in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Medical University of South Carolina, where she was also the Director of the Communication and Aging Research Lab. Then, she was a tenured, Associate Professor at Longwood University and the Communication Sciences and Disorders Undergraduate Program Coordinator. 

She is a published author who has written articles on various topics and textbook chapters on the evaluation and treatment of persons with dementia and Reminiscence Therapy.

Areas of Expertise and/or Research:

Neurogenics, orofacial myology, and medical speech-language pathology and their relationships to communication and swallowing disorders across diverse cultures

Rebekah Wada is an assistant professor of speech-language pathology at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. Dr. Wada earned her bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education from Utah State University. She completed her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Utah State University. She received her doctorate in Disability Disciplines with an emphasis in speech-language pathology and implementation science from Utah State University.

Dr. Wada is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with experience practicing in sub-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities. She teaches courses related to anatomy and physiology, phonetics, speech sound disorders, and autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. Wada has authored one book chapter and multiple manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and she presents at national conferences. Her research focuses on the comprehension and production of complex syntax by school-age children with language disorders. She also examines the effective implementation of evidence-based practices within the field of speech-language pathology.