COLUMBUS, OH, October 31, 2023 – Change & Impact, Inc. today announced NBA veteran, University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Champion, and stuttering advocate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the 2023 Sertoma Lecture special guest speaker to be held at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Kidd-Gilchrist’s lecture will focus on the value and importance of the trusted relationship between patient and clinician. Hosted by the Division of Clinical Therapies at Nationwide Children’s, the Sertoma Lecture will be held at Stecker Auditorium on Wednesday, November 1 from 8:00 – 9:00 am at 575 S. 18th Street, Columbus, OH 43205. Media interested in attending must RSVP to mediarelations@nationwidechildrens.org
“It’s an honor to be chosen as the special guest speaker for the Sertoma Lecture at Nationwide Children’s and to share my story with so many wonderful therapists working with children and families of Ohio,” said Change & Impact Founder & CEO, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. “I am so impressed with the quality of care at Nationwide Children’s and the support shown from the Sertoma Club of Columbus for the stuttering community and beyond. They’re doing great work here.”
In 2017, the Sertoma Lecture was established through a $100,000 endowment from the Downtown Sertoma Club of Columbus to support the education of speech-language pathologists and audiologists at NCH. This annual event is designed to promote best practices in speech pathology and audiology. Lecture attendees include audiologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and therapeutic recreation specialists from the Division of Clinical Therapies at Nationwide Children’s where services are provided to children of all ages, from newborn through adolescence.
Known for his basketball career, Kidd-Gilchrist has also stuttered his entire life. In 2020, while spending time in the NBA ‘bubble’ during the Covid-19 pandemic, he began reflecting on his own personal journey as a person who stutters. He considered how to turn his experience into meaningful ways to help others. In 2021, he founded Change & Impact, Inc., a stuttering initiative with a mission to improve access to healthcare and expand services and resources for those who stutter. Kidd-Gilchrist regularly speaks at universities, hospitals, stuttering camps, and support groups; advocates at the federal and state level to improve access to healthcare; and hosts career fairs for adults who stutter, continuing education programs for established SLP’s, and special events for children who stutter and their families, SLPs, and educators.
About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics, and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.
About Change & Impact, Inc.
Founded in 2021 by NBA veteran, University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Champion, and stuttering advocate, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Change & Impact, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to improve access to healthcare and expand services and resources for those who stutter. As a person who stutters, Kidd-Gilchrist started Change & Impact to advocate, educate, and raise awareness about stuttering. To learn more, visit www.changeandimpactinc.org
For inquiries about Change & Impact or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist interview requests please contact:
Kristen Peifer│703.626.0032 │kmpeifer@gmail.com
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