ASHA Joins Coalition for Trust in Health & Science

(Rockville, MD) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announced today that it has joined the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science, a non-partisan and non-profit undertaking for countering the escalation of mistrust and distrust in health care, public health, and science.

“ASHA has long advocated, practiced, and provided evidence-based decision-making, practice, and guidance,” ASHA 2023 President Robert M. Augustine, PhD, CCC-SLP, said. “We are pleased to be part of the Coalition. It shares our values and is dedicated to a very important cause. Having trust in health and scientific information is critical if the public is going to be properly guided and receive care that is safe, appropriate, needed, and deserved.”

“The Coalition for Trust in Health & Science is excited to welcome ASHA, and the expertise of its members to our increasingly important initiative,” said Reed Tuckson MD, a cofounder of the Coalition. According to Tuckson, the Coalition honors the many efforts underway that have similar goals, and it appreciates having the opportunity to foster a “big tent” approach to addressing misinformation and disinformation on a large scale, which the Coalition believes is necessary. 

Launched a year ago, the Coalition’s goals include contributing to a measurable increase in public trust, and supporting the public to make evidence-based, personally appropriate health choices for themselves, their families, and the communities where they live.

Its convening committee includes representatives from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health; the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and Research!America. Members include more than eighty organizations that represent health care and health systems; public health and health policy; basic and applied science; pharmaceutical and device manufacturers; health care communicators; and philanthropy and foundations.

Through their memberships, each organization has access to the Coalition’s Compendium, a platform where they can fortify the Coalition’s impact through exchanges of ideas, developments, information, resources, and research findings, and the collaborative planning and implementation of activities.

“We look forward to working with fellow Coalition members to foster public prominence, acceptance, and accessibility to accurate, evidence-based health and scientific information,” Augustine said.

Learn more about the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 228,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.