Aditi S. Kini
Who am I?
Hello there!
My name is Aditi Kini. I'm an aspiring medical speech-language pathologist, an All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) alumnus, and currently working toward obtaining my master's degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Before venturing into the field of communication sciences and disorders, I was a performer. I started my vocal training at the age of 6. At the age of 9, I made it to the finals of a nationwide singing contest, performed nearly five songs live on air, and performed on stage at least 5 times in front of over 10,000 people. At 14, I had done my first studio recording and had again reached the finals of a national singing contest. By the age of 16, I'd cleared three university-level exams in Hindustani classical vocal music. My entry into this profession was a stroke of luck, as I like to call it. And before I knew it, I had struck gold — I had found an amazing niche that was a serendipitous union of my interests in healthcare and my extensive background in the performing arts!
I have a zeal for all things medical SLP: dysphagia, vocal pathologies, traumatic brain injuries, head & neck cancers, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, and so forth. I want to help contribute SLP perspectives to clinical discussions in cardiopulmonary rehab, palliative care, surgical care, and other medical forums where SLPs play cameo roles. As members of the healthcare fraternity, we aren't where we need to be, and that needs to change. Rehabilitation is on the cusp of a renaissance, and we should be the ones to usher it in.
After earning the coveted ASHA 3C's, I intend to pursue a clinical doctorate and earn board certifications in swallowing disorders, brain injury, and lymphedema rehabilitation. The new dawn of this profession feels like a glimpse over the edge of the horizon to an explorer. There is enormous scope for stakes in entrepreneurship, telehealth, healthtech, and all the other inconceivably genius ideas yet to bring a better life to decillions, now and in the future.
I'm also hoping to delve deeper into research. I've accrued some experience with 8+ research projects in head and neck cancer rehabilitation, but I've got a long way to go before becoming a well-established clinician-scientist. And over the upcoming years of my career, I hope to do my part to further uncover the fascinating mysteries of the intricate head and neck machinery, particularly those related to the essential functions of speech, language, swallowing, and hearing.
Oh, and I'm also looking to start a Women in Voice chapter in the UAE! Care to join me?
My SLP journey so far...
It all began in my seniors' therapy rooms at AIISH. I still vividly remember the first case I observed as a first-year student — a case of delayed speech and language secondary to autism spectrum disorder. My AIISHian status granted me several experiential privileges, including the opportunity to gain a bird's-eye-view of the most intriguing cases of communication disorders in children, and train under the literal pioneers of the profession in the country.
In the year of the Coronavirus, I found myself in my first external placement at the HCG Cancer Centre in Bangalore, India. That experience opened up a new avenue for me: head and neck cancer rehabilitation. A sign of what lay ahead for me as a medical speech-language pathologist, it was my Eureka moment. From observing the most complicated procedures in head & neck surgery, working under the aces behind a revolutionary indigenous TEP prosthesis, transforming from a trach + dysphagia newbie to a jack-of-trach + dysphagia (mastery is a long road ahead), and finally breaking into the research sphere, I was spell-bound by what this specialty had to offer.
After graduation, I took up my very first formal role as a speech-language pathologist with Stamurai, where I discovered the two-way convenience and the undiscovered benefits of telerehabilitation. Finally, stuttering therapy didn't feel like strutting into an operating room, and not knowing how to use a scalpel! At the same time, I trained for six months at the Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children in Abu Dhabi. My perception of pediatric rehabilitation has never been the same since this experience!
It is still early in my exploration, learning, and imbibing process. Speech-language pathology extends beyond the 12 pairs of cranial nerves, 107 letters of the IPA, and the pediatric speech-language development milestones. Beginning with a newborn's cry and ending with the last words of the elderly, our services cover the full spectrum of a lifetime. My vision is to conceptualize a role outside the traditional framework of service provision and to synthesize this insight into a flicker of hope for better human lives.