In this episode of First Bite, host Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, is honored to welcome Rachel S. Tyrone, PhD, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Torrey Robinson, MS, CCC-SLP, doctoral student in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Y’all, this conversation exists because of a fantastic dress and a spontaneous chat outside the bathroom at the Mississippi Annual Speech-Language-Hearing Convention. That chance moment sparked a soul-filling discussion about population health, public health, and social determinants of health, and how all three directly shape our work as pediatric SLPs. As 2025 comes to a close and many of us are reflecting on our professional place in the world, this episode offers hope, perspective, and practical ways to think and act upstream. You will walk away inspired to become an “Upstreamist,” ready to lead gently and passionately for our field, our colleagues, and the children and families we serve in 2026.
Y’all, this conversation exists because of a fantastic dress and a spontaneous chat outside the bathroom at the Mississippi Annual Speech-Language-Hearing Convention. That chance moment sparked a soul-filling discussion about population health, public health, and social determinants of health, and how all three directly shape our work as pediatric SLPs. As 2025 comes to a close and many of us are reflecting on our professional place in the world, this episode offers hope, perspective, and practical ways to think and act upstream. You will walk away inspired to become an “Upstreamist,” ready to lead gently and passionately for our field, our colleagues, and the children and families we serve in 2026.
