“Breathe and let be.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Mindfulness Research Lab of FIU’s Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders is a unique, collaborative resource for faculty and students to investigate and practice mindfulness.
The objectives of the faculty-run Lab are to:
- Provide graduate health science student researchers with opportunities to participate in the development and implementation of mindfulness programming to apply in practice and integrate into client therapy protocols
- Establish mindfulness programming for health science students and adults who stutter
- Provide health science students with access to and instruction for meditation and mindfulness exercises that can be applied in personal, academic and professional settings
Since its inception, the Mindfulness Research Lab has offered continuous programming that has resulted in a line of research publications and presentations.
Programming
Upcoming Programming
- Pranayama Workshop (Fall 2021)
Current Programming
Past Programming
- Mindful in Miami Lakes: A Self-Care Virtual Workshop for Parents (April 2021)
Sponsored by the Special Needs Advisory Board & the Town of Miami Lakes - Yin Yoga Hangout (Spring 2021)
- Mindful Communicator Program (Fall 2020)
- ME Time: MEditation with Dr. MEad and Dr. MEdina (Summer 2020)
- ME Time: MEditation with Dr. MEad and Dr. MEdina (Spring 2020)
Meet Our Lab Team
Directors
Angela Medina, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Medina, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has expertise in the areas of stuttering, counseling, group therapy, and wellness-based approaches. She has used this expertise to serve the community by establishing the Miami Chapter of the National Stuttering Association in 2015. This group serves as a social support network for people who stutter in South Florida. Among the 200+ stuttering support group chapters nationwide, Dr. Medina’s Miami chapter won the National Stuttering Association’s 2020 Chapter of the Year Award. She has spear-headed a counseling initiative in the department by instilling in students the importance of taking a holistic approach in treating communication disorders which includes counseling clients and their families relative to their disorders.
Jeani Mead, EdD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Mead, a full-time faculty member in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has been practicing mindfulness, meditation, and yoga for over 35 years. She is a registered and certified yoga teacher with additional certificates in restorative yoga, Yin yoga, chair yoga, and a specialization in Ayurveda. She has also completed a mindfulness-based stress reduction course. Over the years she has taught mindfulness, meditation, and yoga in a variety of capacities. Early in her practice, Dr. Mead’s yoga sessions were broadcast on local television in Louisiana. More recently, she has been implementing mindfulness and yoga with children in the school system grades K-8 as well as graduate students in the speech-language pathology program at FIU.
Graduate Research Students
Speech-Language Pathology
Alessandra Manzur
Andrew Bourizk
Angelica Galban
Miriam Garcia-Ferrada
Susan Serpa
Occupational Therapy
Jason Chavarro
Katheryn Ledesma
Leslie Lattner
Liana Sarmiento
Yaneli Gomero
Our Research
Since its inception in Spring 2020, the Mindfulness Research Lab in FIU’s Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders has offered continuous programming resulting in a line of research activity, publications and presentations by faculty and students.
Research in Progress
- Implementing a Remote Mindfulness Program for Adults Who Stutter
- Graduate SLP students’ expected and gained benefits from participating in a mindfulness program
- Interdisciplinary mindfulness program for the health sciences
- Clinical application of techniques learned in a mindfulness course: A three-year follow up study on MS-SLP graduates
- Cultural considerations for mindfulness practice in the Hispanic/Latino community
Publications
Medina, A. M. & Mead, J. (2021). MS-SLP student mental health: Establishing a virtual safety net during COVID-19. Journal of Indian Speech Language and Hearing Association, 35(1), 22-25.
Medina, A. M., & Mead, J. S. (2020). Graduate Speech-Language Pathology Students’ Perceptions of Practicing Mindfulness. Journal of Indian Speech Language & Hearing Association, 34(2), 235–240.
Medina, A. M., & Mead, J. S. (2020). An Exploration of Mindfulness in Speech-Language Pathology. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 1525740120942141.
Mead, J. S., & Medina, A. M. (in press). Implementing a Mindfulness Program for Graduate SLP Students at a Hispanic-serving Institution. Teaching and Learning in CSD.
Presentations
Medina, A.M., Mead, J., Acuna, K., Perez, G., Prieto, J., & Valencia, I. (2021, November). Piloting a Remote Mindfulness Program: Adherence and Outcomes of Adults Who Stutter. Proposal accepted for presentation at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington, DC.
Mead, J., Medina, A.M., Ahmed, F., Basanez, M., Medellin, D., & Prokopowicz, P. (2021, November). Mindfulness as a Mental Health Resource for MS-SLP Students during Unprecedented Times. Proposal accepted for presentation at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington, DC.
Medina, A.M. & Mead, J. (2021, June). SLPs Become Quiet: Meditation and Mindfulness in SLP. Proposal accepted at the Annual Convention of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, Orlando, FL.
Mead, J., & Medina, A.M. (2020, November). SLP Students Discover Peace and Calm: A Mindful Detour During COVID-19. Proposal accepted at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, San Diego, CA, (Convention canceled).
Mead, J. (2019, November). Teaching Graduate Students to Implement Mindfulness Strategies to Cope with the Rigor of Internship. Paper presented at ASHA Annual Convention in Orlando, FL.
Mead, J. (2019, June). Meditation: A Means to Improving Overall Health and Well-being. Presented at the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Convention, At Sea.
Mead, J. (2018, July). Meditation: Calm Your Mind and Enhance Your Career. Presented at the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Convention, Naples, FL.
Contact Us
To learn more about the Mindfulness Research Lab, our programming, and research opportunities, contact: mindfulnessresearchfiu@gmail.com