Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus

News & Events

Check Out This Featured Article on Speech Therapy in Cambodia


The article, entitled “Speech Therapy in Cambodia: From the Ground Up!” describes the origins and work of our two organizations, noting: “Speech Therapy Cambodia (STC) … and OIC Cambodia arrived in Phnom Penh at the same time and with remarkable similar missions: to train Cambodians to support people with communication and swallowing difficulties and to create a comprehensive university program to educate Cambodian-born SLPs [Speech-Language Pathologists].”…As the CSHA article points out: “By training Cambodian dysphagia clinicians to a high level of competency and by demonstrating the importance of this life-saving work, we [at STC] can help patients now while working toward the ultimate goal of a degree program for Cambodian SLPs.” Congratulations to STC!

A Successful Annual Meeting at 2019 ASHA


Thank you so much for attending the API meeting at ASHA. Our organization strives to serve and advocate for quality speech, language and hearing service delivery for Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. We are here to hear you and support your work. Our next tasks are to reach out to our members to provide support, collaborate with colleagues and increase publicity and visibility. Our next annual meeting will be held in San Diego on 11/19/2020.

API Caucus Meeting at ASHA 2017

WOW! What a joy it was to see so many people at the API Caucus meeting at ASHA 2017 in Los Angeles, making connections and building community! We look forward to accomplishing even more in 2018! Happy holidays!

We Presented Our Study at ASHA 2017!

The members of the API Caucus along with their advisors presented their study at the ASHA Convention in Los Angeles, CA, titled “A Survey of Asian Pacific-Islanders in the Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences: Implications for Recruitment & Support.”  They shared their findings of their research thus far, which revealed astounding and useful information for recruitment and support in the field.

As mentioned during the presentation, the study is still open and we strongly encourage those who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander to participate.

**Thank you to the Asian Indian Caucus for collaborating with the API Caucus.  Find out more about the AIC at https://sites.google.com/site/asianindiancaucusasha/.

Dr. Lilly Li-Rong Cheng, our founder, speaking at the presentation.
Elizabeth Chafcouloff speaking briefly about Speech Therapy Cambodia
Dr. Betty Yu introducing the presentation.
Dr. Kenneth Tom providing history of the API caucus and APIs in the field of speech language pathology.
Dr. Lilly Li-Rong Cheng, the founder of the API Caucus.
Dr. Lilly Li-Rong Cheng answering questions from the audience.

API Online Dialogue Series (No. 2): Speech-Language Therapy in Cambodia

This Online Dialogue features Elizabeth Chafcouloff, Alice Smith, and Sidrich Chhour and their clinical, academic, and volunteer work in Cambodia. In this 3-part dialogue, they discuss:

  • Their work providing speech, language, and swallowing services in Cambodia;
  • Their involvement with Speech Therapy Cambodia, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide SLP education and certification; and
  • How you can get involved with these efforts!

Part 1: Alice Smith

Dr. Alice Smith is a speech-language pathologist who has taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, and the university of Iowa. She specializes in craniofacial disorders and is Chair of the Speech Council for Operation Smile International. Dr. Smith has provided speech therapy for children in Cambodia since 2002. She adopted two children in Cambodia in 2000 and 2001.

Dr. Smith provided a social and historical context for understanding Cambodia as a developing country and its need for speech, language and hearing services. She discussed the impacts of poverty on access to healthcare and education in Cambodia. She also shared her own experiences working with children and training professionals in Cambodia through Operation Smile Cambodia, All Ears Cambodia, her own E & E Speech-Language Therapy Clinic over the last 15+ years, and her partnership with Elizabeth (Betsy) Chafcouloff via Speech Therapy Cambodia since 2013.

Resources mentioned in Alice’s video:

Part 2: Sidrich Chhour

Mr. Sidrich Chhour is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders. He is currently employed as a therapist in Applied Behavioral Analysis. He volunteered with Elizabeth in Cambodia in July of last year. Sidrich is a second generation Cambodian-American and he shared his family’s story of immigration to the U.S. as refugees. A search for “Cambodia and SLP” while he was an undergraduate led to him finding Elizabeth and Speech Therapy Cambodia. He shared his impressions of Cambodia and what he learned from his visit as a volunteer.

Resources mentioned in Sidrich’s video:

Part 3: Elizabeth Chafcouloff

Ms. Elizabeth Chafcouloff is the director, president, CEO, and founder of Speech Therapy Cambodia. She has 14 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, treating speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive disorders. She specializes in work with the geriatric population. Ms. Chafcouloff travels to Cambodia for 5 months each year to develop speech therapy programs.

In this presentation, Ms. Chafcouloff recalled falling in love with Cambodia and how that led to the founding of Speech Therapy Cambodia. The mission and goals of Speech Therapy Cambodia include treatment for adults and children, training of medical professionals, and building local capacity for speech-language therapy in Cambodia. Ms. Chafcouloff described the nature of the work, what they’ve accomplished, how the program has grown, the challenges along the way, and the need for more volunteers. She discussed future directions, such as supporting the first university-level course in speech-language pathology in 2017, expanding to village communities, tracking patients’ long-term outcomes, and fostering Cambodian teachers of speech pathology.

Resources mentioned in Elizabeth’s video: