Stuttering Center Staff

J. Scott Yaruss, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow

Phone: (412) 383-6538 - Email: jsyaruss@pitt.edu
Co-Director, Stuttering Center of Western Pennsylvania
Associate Professor and Director of MA/MS SLP Programs,
   Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh
Associate Director, Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology,
   Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Board-Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders

Dr. Yaruss's research is aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of people who stutter through assessment of current clinical practices and documentation of treatment outcomes. He also studies the linguistic, motoric, and temperamental factors that influence the development of stuttering in young children. He teaches classes on stuttering and on counseling individuals with communication disorders and their families.

Dr. Yaruss is a former board member and chair of Professional Relations for the National Stuttering Association and a former Associate Coordinator for ASHA's Special Interest Division 4 for Fluency Disorders.

Dr. Yaruss conducts workshops nationwide to train clinicians and to help them feel more confident working with people who stutter. For more information about Dr. Yaruss's seminars and workshops, visit his website at www.Yaruss.com.

Craig E. Coleman, MA, CCC-SLP

Phone: (412) 666-3825 - Email: craig.coleman@chp.edu
Co-Director and Stuttering Program Coordinator,
   Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Board-Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders

Craig Coleman received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of Pittsburgh. He has served as President of the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) and on the Legislative Council of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Craig is a member of the National Insurance Advocacy Initiative and Chair of the National Stuttering Association's Insurance Advocacy Committee. He is a member of the National Stuttering Association and ASHA's Special Interest Division for Fluency Disorders. Craig provides clinical service to preschool, school-age, and adolescent children who stutter at Children's Hospital's Monroeville (East) satellite and is involved in the Stuttering Center's clinical research activities.

Kristin Pelczarski, MA, CCC-SLP

Phone: (412) 692-3442 - Email: kristin.pelczarski@chp.edu
Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
South Satellite (Bethel Park)

Kristin Pelczarski is a doctoral student in Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University and her master's from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research examines the effects of phonological encoding abilities on the development of stuttering. She is a member of the National Stuttering Association and ASHA's Special Interest Division for Fluency Disorders. Kristin provides clinical service to preschool, school-age, and adolescent children who stutter at Children's Hospital's Bethel Park (South) satellite.

David W. Hammer, MA, CCC-SLP

Phone: (724) 933-3600 - Email: david.hammer@chp.edu
Program Coordinator, Apraxia Center of Western Pennsylvania,
Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Site Coordinator, North Satellite/Pine Center (Wexford, PA)

Dave Hammer has been working with children and adolescents who stutter, and their families, for more than 30 years. Dave attended the Stuttering Foundation’s intensive 2-week stuttering specialist workshop in 1990. He originated the stuttering parent-training program at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, which utilizes real-time wireless microphone feedback to parents while they interact with their children. This unique approach in teaching parental fluency enhancing strategies was presented at the ASHA National Conference in 1999 and published in the ASHA journal Language, Speech, Hearing Services in Schools (Yaruss, Coleman, & Hammer, 2006).