Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, PhD, CCC-SLP
When Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, received Honors of the Association from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) this year, she became the only faculty member at the University of Utah to receive the designation.
That’s because, among the association’s thousands of members, only a handful receive this distinction each year. The honors of the association go to individuals whose contributions have been of such excellence that they have enhanced or altered the course of the profession.
“I was so surprised, it’s really lovely,” Barkmeier-Kraemer said. “I got a message from ASHA’s president saying, ‘please call me, I need to talk to you today.’ When she gave me the news, I nearly fell off my chair.”
To be considered for ASHA honors, Barkmeier-Kraemer had to be nominated by a sponsor and two co-sponsors, all of whom are ASHA members and already received honors. This year she was one of 11 nationwide to receive the career-based award.
“I’m one of those kids that came out of the cornfields and soybean fields in Iowa. I didn’t know you could have a career like this,” she said.
Her career speaks for itself. Barkmeier-Kraemer is a tenured professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, adjunct faculty to the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and clinic director for the Voice Disorders Center at the University of Utah. She’s also the director of the Voice, Airway, Swallowing Translational (VAST) Research Lab, which is consistently funded by the NIH.
Beyond these roles, she mentors university undergraduate students, as well as graduate students in the master’s and doctoral programs in CSD, otolaryngology and other School of Medicine and CSTI resident and junior faculty research projects.
She joined the university in 2014 after departing UC Davis and spent 14 previous years on faculty for the Department of Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences at the University of Arizona.
“As an adjunct, CSD allows me the privilege of research mentoring, which I’m really passionate about,” Barkmeier-Kraemer said. “I really love that I get to do a lot of training of future scientists.”
Although Barkmeier-Kraemer is the only U faculty with ASHA honors, five other CSD faculty are Fellows of the Association, which is ASHA’s second-highest award:
- Department Chair Michael Blomgren, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
- Kathy Chapman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
- Julie Wambaugh, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
- Sean Redmond, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
- Nelson Roy, Ph.D.
“Dr. Barkmeier-Kraemer brings national and international acclaim to the University of Utah,” Blomgren said. “This award is a testament to her hard work, dedication, and commitment to improving the lives of those with communication and swallowing challenges.”
And Barkmeier-Kraemer has another tie to CSD—her husband, Robert Kraemer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a clinical professor and director of the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program in the department. Together, they’re using their expertise to lead the University in research and clinical training.
“Utah is the perfect match for me, between the medical center and the One U vision,” Barkmeier-Kraemer said. “Rob and I are really happy here; we’re thriving and loving our work.”