Kathryn Genoa-Obradovich, M.S., CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and current Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders is a 2025 recipient of Michigan State University’s Excellence-In-Teaching Citations.
Career Beginnings
She discovered her interest in speech-language pathology during high school, initially considering a career in dentistry. Upon flipping through a book of majors with her mother, they stumbled upon the field. Her mother quipped that since Genoa-Obradovich “liked to talk . . . it might actually be perfect.”
Later, she observed a speech-language pathologist conducting a videofluoroscopic swallow study, which is administered to patients with difficulty swallowing. This experience sparked her interest in swallowing disorders and the vast diversity of opportunities available within speech-language pathology.
“You go into the fluoroscopy suite, and you give the patient different things to eat and drink, and you're watching it live to see if anything is going where it shouldn't be going,” said Genoa-Obradovich. “So, this ‘movie x-ray' essentially lets us see exactly what's happening when someone's swallowing. I saw that, and I was like, yes, this is what I need to do for the rest of my life.”
She also cited its interdisciplinary nature as a major factor in its appeal, describing it as a “melting pot pulling all of the things that you might want to do into one perfect career.” For this reason, the discipline attracts individuals with varied interests such as social work, education, and medicine.
Reflecting upon the nature of speech-language pathology, Genoa-Obradovich said, “We tend to see patients at their worst. We're not a preventative field, right? We're a rehabilitative field. So, for someone to come see us, usually something's already wrong.”
She highlighted the importance of empathy, compassion, and accountability towards patients. “I think it's this interactive level of respect that we have for people and being able to have a conversation where you are meeting them where they are,” she said.
Current Endeavors
Genoa-Obradovich is currently in the dissertation stage of her doctoral program, serving as a clinical education assistant within the department. As MSU does not have an on-campus clinic, master’s students are placed in community settings for their degree’s clinical education requirement. Her responsibilities involve assisting the coordinator with logistics, figuring out where each student will be placed, and navigating relationships with the different facilities.
Her current research deals primarily with patients who have head and neck cancer. Non-surgical treatment for this condition entails about seven weeks of chemoradiation therapy, which can result in decreased swallowing ability. Genoa-Obradovich is currently studying the potential benefits of virtual reality (VR) as a tool to increase adherence to dysphagia therapy, which can ultimately improve long-term swallowing outcomes.
At the moment, she is focused on user experience and patients’ level of tolerance for VR. Cyber sickness, akin to motion sickness, can prompt symptoms such as vertigo, nausea, and headache, which patients undergoing oncologic treatment may already face. However, once it is established that this method will not exacerbate the existing adverse effects of chemotherapy, she hopes to conduct further research about the use of VR to mitigate pain during dysphagia treatment.
Approach to Education
Regarding her teaching philosophy, Genoa-Obradovich outlined four major components which she strives to incorporate.
Relatability – At times, there can be a “cold barrier” between students and instructors, where those teaching feel distant and inaccessible. She hopes to subvert this implicit boundary by presenting oneself as a fellow person, rather than merely an “individual spewing information.” She feels that in a field that is so focused on the topic of communication and interpersonal interaction, it is particularly important to "humanize not only our students, but the instructors.”
Practicality – Genoa-Obradovich places a strong emphasis on embodying a “teacher-practitioner mindset.” While explaining theory is important, the clinical component of instruction is equally essential. She creates interactive assignments which draw upon lived experiences or are community-based in some way. Students should be able to “critically analyze some of the content that's out there and take [their] theory and educational background and be able to apply it to more real-world scenarios.”
Adaptability – Instructors should be ready to “adapt what we're doing in the classroom, whether that's because a student isn't understanding something that I'm teaching in real time or there's a flaw in the course structure.” Genoa-Obradovich continually seeks feedback from students about which methods are preferred and what can be altered, taking both midpoint and end-of-semester surveys. She also utilizes a blend of teaching methods, combining traditional experiences—such as slide presentations—with more immersive activities like the 360 room at the library.
Curiosity – “I want to instill the idea of independent learning and foster that desire for it because in our field, you need to be a continuous learner.” Genoa-Obradovich aims to cultivate curiosity in students and communicate that “learning does come with making mistakes . . . and to then use those [mistakes] to drive your independent learning, to foster that excitement or that passion to continuously improve.” One should be able to be comfortable with not only lacking the answer to a given question, but also being able to admit when this is the case.
“I think that it's really important for our instructors to be inspired, whether it's by their patients, their research, or their teaching. For me, I'm genuinely inspired by my students. . . I know that they're going out to be clinicians and that they're going to impact so many people, and I just want them to be the best versions of themselves and the best clinicians they can be,” Genoa-Obradovich said.
“My department is so encouraging and so supportive . . . to know that the college feels that you are worthy of this award and that they value who you are and what you're doing in the classroom feels really good. It's very validating. It makes you feel like you're doing the right thing, and you should keep doing it,” Genoa-Obradovich said. “[Receiving this award] is a really big honor. . . it makes me really excited for the future and what might transpire.”
By Natasha De Souza