How One Research Award Helped Launch a Career in Stuttering Research
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
When Ryan Millager, PhD, CCC-SLP, received the National Stuttering Association’s (NSA) Graduate Student Research Award (GSRA) in 2022, he was just over two years into his PhD program at Vanderbilt University. His research focused on young children who stutter and their interactions with their parents, and he originally had modest expectations for the project.
“I originally planned for the GSRA to cover a small pilot study,” Dr. Millager said. “But that pilot study was a huge success and turned into my dissertation project.”
That turning point shaped everything that followed. The GSRA funding supported both his data collection and travel to present his findings at conferences. Those opportunities opened doors beyond the research itself. In 2024, Dr. Millager used award funds to travel to Seattle for a conference experience that would shift his career trajectory.
“The conversations I had with other researchers there inspired me to start my job search early,” Dr. Millager said, “which led directly to me getting a dream job this year!”
Since completing the project, Dr. Millager has defended his dissertation and accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at Rush University. He has presented his GSRA-related research at conferences in Austin, Seattle, Nashville, and Oxford, UK, with additional presentations planned in Washington, DC, and Chicago. Journal publications are also in progress.
At Rush, Dr. Millager will continue building on the research the GSRA helped launch. His role will include expanding studies that increase support for children who stutter and their parents, teaching master’s students training to become speech-language pathologists, and developing clinical services to support people who stutter in the Chicago area.
His work remains grounded in community impact. His research aims to strengthen support systems for children who stutter and their families, and his clinical teaching emphasizes the importance of listening to and centering the lived experiences of people who stutter.
Dr. Millager’s journey shows how one investment in graduate research can grow into something far larger than a single study. It can shape a dissertation, launch a career, build services, strengthen the field, and, most importantly, expand meaningful support for people who stutter and their families.
“Thank you to the NSA for directly funding my research,” Dr. Millager said. “I am particularly proud to have my dissertation funded by the NSA, an organization that first taught me about stuttering allyship.”
This is such an inspiring story about how targeted support can launch a meaningful career. It's wonderful to see how the NSA research award helped Dr. Millager turn a small pilot into his dissertation and ultimately into a faculty position. For professionals managing grants and clinical work, having reliable administrative support is key. If you're handling payroll or HR tasks, it might be useful to know the adp customer service contacts for assistance. Good support lets you focus on what really matters—advancing research and helping people.
I'm also in the early stages of my career in research, and I can relate to how pivotal such awards can be. It truly opened doors for me too!
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The emphasis on community impact in stuttering research makes this more than just an academic success story—it’s clearly tied to real-world change. It feels similar to navigating uncertainty in Among Us, where understanding people and context shapes better decisions over time.