An alumna of Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences has been recognized by the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, Mass.

Jessica (Dembowski) Garrity ’06, G’08, a speech-language pathologist at Beverly Hospital near Boston, received the “Award for Excellence in Clinical Supervision” at the spring convocation of the MGH Institute’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders on May 9. She has supervised MGH Institute students at Beverly since 2012.

The MGH Institute is a graduate school founded by the Massachusetts General Hospital, and ranked seventh among U.S. graduate schools in speech-language pathology, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

“Jessica Garrity provides our students with exceptional clinical experiences because of her expertise, professionalism, and willingness to push herself to enhance her clinical teaching skills," says Gregory L. Lof, professor and chair of the MGH Institute's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. "These qualities enable our student-clinicians to develop an independent style and technique. As a clinical educator and mentor, she is committed to enhancing the educational experience, and we consider her a valuable partner in our clinical education curriculum.”

A Beverly staff member since 2008, Garrity is a certified provider for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT), a technique for improving speech clarity and vocal loudness of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. She also studies other facets of Parkinson’s disease, as well as pediatric speech sound disorders and stroke rehabilitation.

“I love it here,” says Garrity of Beverly, which is a 221-bed community hospital, serving residents of North Shore and Cape Ann in Massachusetts. “I get to work with in-patients and out-patients, across all ages and diagnoses. I wouldn’t be the clinician I am without my Syracuse training.”

At Syracuse, Garrity excelled in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD), where she earned a B.S. in CSD and an M.S. in speech-language pathology, logging 400-500 clinical hours. One of her mentors was Ramani Voleti, a clinical instructor of speech-language pathology in CSD’s Gebbie Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.  

“We’re extremely proud of Jess, whose award is indicative of the teaching and learning mission of our department,” says Voleti, who is certified in LSVT and neurogenic communication disorders. “Everything we do here—in the clinic, the lab, the classroom—has a practical application in mind. Jess is a testament to the success our graduates can have early in their careers, if they work hard and persevere.”

Garrity’s award is the latest in a series of milestones. In 2012, she married her husband, Donald ’07, who earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Syracuse. Last year, they celebrated the birth of their first child, Gabriella.

Housed in A&S, CSD is dedicated to the comprehensive quality training of individuals in speech-language pathology and audiology, offering degrees in both areas since 1948. The department is located at Skytop Road on South Campus, where it houses more than 14,000-square feet of academic, research, and clinical space, including the Gebbie Clinic, which annually serves more than 3,900 clients and provides a 24/7 laboratory for graduate-student clinicians.