Distinguished Service Award Winner
Ian Roth

“I have to acknowledge that if I have accomplished anything as an SLP, it has been on the shoulders of others whose perspectives, talents, and experiences elevated my own. The field of speech-language pathology has long benefited from the many players that intersect with our clinicians. They make us look good, and we do the same for them.

Students learn very early that collaborating is a big part of this profession. Our clients’ family members play a larger role in our work than many of us initially expected; other professionals’ roles inform a lot of what we do; and we literally could not function without admin staff. Turns out collaboration is one of the best things about speech pathology. To choose this profession is to choose to share the credit and divide up the stress.

In my career, I have benefited from the synergy of collaborating with people from all walks of life. I’ve been mentored by some incredible people – some of them SLPs; many of them not. Listening to families’ stories has probably shaped what I do the most. Some of my favourite collaborations have occurred with students on placement with me. It is such a good feeling to witness a student’s emerging clinical skills get overlayed on top of their enthusiasm.

Being offered this award feels like I am being acknowledged for hanging out with the right people. Somehow it seems stealing wisdom from my own mentors and repurposing it for my students has convinced some of you that I am worthy of this award. Though I admit to stealing tricks from my mentors and colleagues, I offset that by stealing enthusiasm from my students.

Twenty-one years after I graduated, I’m doing what I hoped I’d be doing: I’m a clinician. I assess kids. I coach parents, and I provide some education to students and professionals. And I do all of this in the context of different teams. I adore the people I’ve worked with, and I’ve been energised by seeing the benefits of speech therapy and proper teamwork on my clients’ communication development.

Partnering with others has really been everything for me. If I can give any advice to today’s students, it’s to lean into those collaborations. Talk about what you do and people will find it fascinating, spawning some great conversations. Occasionally, those conversations will spark ideas in yourself and in others. And once in a while, a “crazy” idea will come to fruition and change the direction of your career. It’s happened to me a few times – my first SLP job came from a conversation with Rupal Patel before she was this Department’s first PhD graduate. That first job at Surrey Place Centre set the path for my career working with children with autism. 

My 15-year position at University Health Network came from a discussion with a previous clinical educator. I became an instructor at the Hanen Centre after conversations with Elaine Weitzman and Fern Sussman, which unearthed for me how much I love being an educator. I became a Social ABCs instructor after reaching out to Jessica Brian, my current supervisor. And I started developing the ASD PlayDate app after talking for years to anyone who would listen, eventually working with an engineering prof here at UofT!

SLPs know how to make communication work for others. It’s important to remember how much communicating with others benefits us personally and the work that we do. Thanks very much."