Dr. Christopher Watts adjusts to TCU and his new position

Fort Worth, TX

9/17/2008

By: Hannah Mathews, Office of Communications

Dr. Christopher Watts, the new chair of Harris College’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (COSD), is adjusting well to TCU and a new school year.

“I’m really glad to be a part of TCU and COSD, as well as the Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic,” says Dr. Watts. “My only problem is that I can’t seem to find any radio stations in Fort Worth which play more music than talk.”

Dr. Watts joins TCU from James Madison University in Virginia, where he was a tenured associate professor in communication, sciences and disorders since 2004. He previously held an academic position at the University of South Alabama, where he also earned his B.S. and Ph.D., and at the University of Central Florida.

He has great plans for the future of COSD and the Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic at TCU.

“The clinic has a great foundation,” explains Watts. “But we are bursting at the seams in our current building.”

He hopes to expand the physical space of the department and clinic and so that they are able to offer expanded services to the community in the coming years, as well as further the scholarly endeavors of the faculty.

“The clinic already provides wonderful and unique services, such as serving bilingual clients, and we need to continue to nurture and grow our services in order to set our clinic apart,” Watts explains.

The clinic already has great potential with its state-of-the-art video stroboscope, which can help to diagnose and treat problems with vocal folds.

“There are a limited number of these machines in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and can help us and physicians to see any potential problems with a patient’s vocal folds,” explains Watts.

The clinic plays an important role in the education of speech-pathology students at TCU, and with expansions and changes made to the clinic, students can expect to receive an even better education to prepare them for graduate school and train them at the graduate level.

Watts’ enthusiasm in his new position points to a promising future for COSD and the Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic. Now, if only he could find a radio station that doesn’t talk too much.

Read more about Dr. Watts in a TCU Daily Skiff story.