The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is pleased to highlight:
Dr. Paul R. Rao, Ph.D. CCC SLPF, is Vice President of Clinical Services, Quality, and Compliance at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Washington, D.C. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Maryland and a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities rehab hospital surveyor and in 2000 became a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality and a Certified Healthcare Executive. Dr. Rao received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA., his masters in speech pathology from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and his Ph.D. in hearing and speech science from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
Dr. Rao has published numerous articles and chapters on such topics as customer service, policy and procedures, supervision, health literacy and management. In 1999 and again in 2005, Rao edited the winter issue of Topics In Stroke Rehabilitation. He is the primary editor of Managing Stroke: A Guide to Living Well after Stroke, published in 2000 by NRH Press and is the lead editor for the second edition of this text in 2009. He is a sought after speaker on a variety of clinical and administrative topics, having presented more than 100 lectures in more than 30 states, Canada and New Zealand. He was the commencement speaker at the University of Maryland’s Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences in 2002 and at the Boston University’s Sargent College in 2007. He serves on the editorial board of Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation and Advance for Directors. In 1989 and again in 2001, the American Speech - Language Hearing Foundation recognized Rao with its Clinical Achievement Award. In 1994, Dr. Rao was selected as NRH's Manager of the Quarter and received the Maryland Speech and Hearing Association's Honors and Service Award. Dr. Rao is a Fellow in both the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and the American College of Healthcare Executives. In 1997, NRH recognized Dr. Rao as the recipient of the 9th Annual John W. Goldschmidt Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation. In 2001, the D.C. Association for Healthcare Quality conferred on Dr. Rao the Janis Willis Annual Award for Educational Excellence and in 2003 awarded him the Beth Lang Award for Outstanding Leadership. In 2002, Gallaudet University presented Rao its Outstanding External Collaborator Award. In addition to being a member of ASHA, Rao is a member of the National Association for Healthcare Quality and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dr. Rao has been an invited member of “expert panels” convened by ASHA, Joint Commission, Government Accountability Office, Rand Corporation, National Stroke Association, American Heart Association, Institute of Medicine, CARF and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Rao has served on a number of national committees such as ASHA’s Chair of Honors and the Board of Division of Coordinators and currently chairs ASHA’s Board of Ethics. He is past president of the Maryland Speech and Hearing Association, the Maryland Board of Examiners, and the D.C. Association for Healthcare Quality. He co-chairs the D.C. Hospital Association’s Quality & Compliance Committee and was a member of the National Patient Safety Improvement Corps in 2004-2005. Dr. Rao is a board member of the National Aphasia Association and Stroke Comeback, Inc. Finally Dr. Rao has been elected to begin his term as president elect of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, a 140,000-member organization serving the discipline of audiology, speech language pathology and hearing and speech science, in 2010.
Like many of us, Maureen Cavaiola ’72 (sociology) says she never suspected where her education on the College Park campus might lead her. But a course, Crisis in American Institutions, was a real a defining point in her thought processes. “It was truly an eye opener to me. I realized that although we will always need institutions, they will never be able to solve all problems of society.” It was this lesson, coupled with Maureen’s belief that everyone should be able to age with dignity, that drove her to create Partners In Care, a nonprofit organization that uses a service-exchange concept to help seniors and disabled adults remain independent in their homes. Created in 1993, the organization’s programs are built around the concept of reciprocity—pick up groceries for a neighbor and in exchange have your yard work done. Now 2600 members strong, Partners In Care provides a network of support for seniors by engaging people in the community to help each other with the myriad tasks involved in everyday living. Maureen’s grass roots involvement in her community, entrepreneurship of ideas, and empowerment of others was recognized by the L’Oreal Corp. in 2007 when she was honored as a Woman of Worth. Learn more about Partners in Care and hear Maureen discuss her life’s work and passion.
Venable LLP recently announced that Craig A. Thompson ’92 (political science, African-American studies), a litigation partner in their Baltimore office, has been named to lead the firm-wide Diversity Committee. As head of the 20-member committee, Craig is charged with directing diversity efforts across the 600 attorney firm. In one of his first initiatives, he is organizing a firm-wide discussion on social justice to mark the centennial of the birth of Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimore native who made history as the nation's first African-American Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Craig is actively involved in diversity issues on the local, regional, and national levels. He has lectured nationally at school, churches, and educational organizations including the National School Board Association, addressing topics such as the achievement gap in schools. In addition to his legal practice, which centers on pharmaceutical defense work, Craig hosts an award-winning current affairs radio show on WEAA-FM in Baltimore and has authored a successful series of children's books titled The ABCs of Black History. He is a member of the Board of Visitors for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, a trustee on the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, and a member of the Great Expectations Campaign Council. In 2001 the Maryland Alumni Association honored him with the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.
