Sharon M Difino, Ph D, CCC-SLP,
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department:
HP-SLP LANG & HEARING SCI
Business Phone:
(352) 392-0375
Business Email:
difino@phhp.ufl.edu
About Sharon M Difino, Ph D, CCC-SLP
Sharon M. DiFino is a clinical assistant professor in the department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida, where she teaches a range of undergraduate courses and is the University of Florida chapter advisor for the National Student Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. She is also a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) and has experience with pediatric and adult populations. Prior to obtaining her Certificate of Clinical Competence in SLP, she was an associate professor of Germanic Studies for over 20 years at the University of Florida. In addition, she has taught at Wellesley College, and Universiteit Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Accomplishments
Nominated for Career Influencer Award
2024
·
University of Florida
Nominated for UF Career Influencer Award
2019
·
University of Florida
Scholar-in-Residence Fellowship at the Hadassah Brandeis Institute on Dr. Aletta Jacobs' Work in 19th Century Europe.
2007
·
Brandeis University
Dr. Madelyn M. Lockhart Faculty Fellowship in Women's Studies on Jewish Women Writers in Germany and The Netherlands from the 18th century to WWII
2006-2007
·
University of Florida
TIP (Teaching Improvement Program) Award
1993-1996
·
University of Florida
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Advising Award.
1991-1992
·
University of Florida
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Teaching Award
1990-1991
·
University of Florida
Governor’s Recognition Award for Germanic studies
1984
·
University of Massachusetts
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Scholarship
1982-1983
·
Universität Freiburg, Germany
University of Massachusetts Scholarship for study abroad
1980-1981
·
Universität Freiburg, Germany
Teaching Profile
Courses Taught
2018-2025
SPA4250 Introduction to Speech Disorders
2018-2025
SPA3011 Speech Acoustics
2020-2021,2023-2025
SPA4904 Individual Study
2018-2024
SPA4004 Language Development
2018-2023
SPA4302 Audiometry and Hearing Disorders
2019
SPA3101 Speech Anatomy and Physiology
2019,2024-2025
HSC4913 Supervised Research Experience
2018
SPA3032 Fundamentals of Hearing
2008,2010-2013,2013
GET2100 German Literary Heritage
2006,2008-2012,2012-2013
GEW4750 Women in German Literature
2010-2012
GET3004 Modern German Culture and Civilization
2011-2012
GET3930 Variable Topics in German Studies
2009,2011-2012
GEW4905 Individual Work
2012
GEW6735 Modern German Literature
2011
GER2200 Intermediate German 1
2010-2011
JST3930 Special Topics in Jewish Studies
2006-2008,2011
GER6940 Supervised Teaching
2011
GEW4930 Seminar in Germanic Languages and Literatures
2011
GEW6971 Research for Master’s Thesis
2010
JST4936 Colloquium in Jewish Studies
2007,2009-2010
GER6061 Beginning German for Graduate Students II
2008-2009
GEW6900 Seminar in Germanic Languages and Literatures
2006,2008-2009
GER6060 Beginning German for Graduate Students I
2008
GEW6905 Individual Work
2008
GET2001 Modern German Cul/Civ
2006
WST4930 Special Topics
2021-2024
SPA4931 Honors in Communication Sciences and Disorders
2022-2023
HSC4970 Public Health and Health Professions Senior Honors Thesis
2024
SPA3003 Articulatory, Acoustic, and Auditory Phonetics
2024
HSC4905 Individual Study
2025
PHC4101 Public Health Concepts
Board Certifications
-
Certificate of Clinical CompetencyAmerican Speech, Language and Hearing Association
-
Lee-Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT)- CertificationLSTV
-
State License in Speech-Language PathologyFlorida Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Research Profile
Dr. DiFino’s research areas include:
1. Language and cultural barriers impacting patient healthcare outcomes
2. Speech perception in bilingual heritage speakers
3. Oral and written language acquisition
4. Learning disabilities with a special interest in the college population
5. Second language acquisition
Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)
0009-0008-3261-8880
Publications
Academic Articles
2008
European Union’s moratorium impact on food biotechnology: A discussion-based scenario
Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education.
37:27-31
2008
The role of the SLP in assisting college students with dyslexia in fulfilling language requirements: A case study.
Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disabilities.
35:54-64
2004
Language learning disabilities: The ultimate foreign language challenge.
Foreign Language Annals.
37:390-400
Presentations
2022-11-19
Speech Perception in Spanish Heritage Speakers: The Influence of Language Proficiency and Immersion in Spanish.
National
/
Refereed.
Paper.
New Orleans, LA
2022-02-21
More than a Safe Space: An Exploration of the Needs of the Underrepresented College Students in the fields of Audiology
International
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Gainesville, Florida
2021-11-15
Articulation Beyond Language: Clinical Collaborations Between Occupational and Speech Therapy
State
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Orlando, Florida
2021-11-15
Verbal Language Errors Persist into Adulthood and Impact Social Functioning.
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Orlando, Florida
2020-03-06
Overview of Disabilities and Hearing Impairments: Historical Representations in Health Sciences and Literature since the Milan Conference of 1880.
Regional
/
Refereed.
Paper.
St. Petersburg, FL
2019-02-22
Understanding Reading Disorders and Their Impact on Academic Performance: Recognizing the Signs, Performing Diagnosis, and Implementing Treatment Options.
State
/
Other.
Seminar.
Gainesville, FL
2014-02-01
Phonological Deficits in College Students with Dyslexia.
National
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Orlando, FL
2013-11-15
Linguistic Schizophrenia: Pluricentricity of the German Language with Focus on Austria
National
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Orlando, FL
2013-11-15
Teaching German to Students with Special Needs: College Students with Dyslexia
National
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Orlando, FL
2012-11-19
Du sagst Tomate, ich sage Paradeiser: Pluricentricity of the German Language and Instruction in the L2 Classroom
National
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Philadelphia, PA
2010-11-13
Memory Mechanisms and their Application in the L2 Classroom
National
/
Refereed.
Workshop.
Boston, MA
2009-10-12
Dutch and German Perspectives on Women’s Health in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Regional
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Atlanta, GA
2008-11-20
Teaching with Technology: Effective Integration of Online Tools and TA Training In the High Tech Age
National
/
Refereed.
Paper.
Orlando, FL
2023-04-04
Disparities in Access to Care among Spanish Speaking Adults
State
/
Other.
Poster.
University of Florida
2023-07-14
Disparities in Access to Care among Spanish Speaking Adults
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Orlando, FL
2023-04-04
The Health Transformation Program Impact on the Decline in Infant Mortality in Turkey
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Gainesville, FL
2023-04-04
How Background Impacts Language Use for Heritage Speakers of Spanish
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Gainesville, FL
2022-11-18
The Effects of Immersed Time and Language Proficiency on Speech Perception in Spanish Heritage Speakers
National
/
Refereed.
Poster.
New Orleans, LA
2023-11-08
Language Barriers: Accessing Primary Healthcare by Balkan Immigrant Populations in the United States.
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2023-11-08
Understanding Code Switching in Heritage Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2023-11-08
The Influence of Warning Label Language on Vaping/Smoking
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2023-11-08
Breaking language barriers: examining the shortage of healthcare access and interpreters in Hispanic agricultural communities
State
/
Other.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2023-11-17
Spanish Heritage Speakers: Variability in the Use and Speech Perception of Spanish and English
National
/
Refereed.
Lecture.
Boston, MA
2023-11-17
English Speech Perception and Sentence Repair in Spanish Heritage Speakers and Monolingual English Speakers.
National
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Boston, MA
2024-02-17
Dysfluency is Less Likely to Occur in Bilingual Children
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Jacksonville, Florida
2024-02-17
Breaking language barriers: examining the shortage of healthcare access and interpreters in Hispanic agricultural communities
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Jacksonville, Florida
2024-04-01
Bilingual Spanish Healthcare Providers vs. Interpreters: Do Bilingual Healthcare Providers Offer Better Quality Of Care?
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-01
Oxygenating Voices: Hyperbaric Therapy for Speech-Language Recovery
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-01
Exploring the impacts of language and cultural barriers on the underdiagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among Bosnian Immigrants in the United States
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville
2024-04-01
Underrepresentation of Minorities in the Field of Communication Science Disorders: A Call to Action
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-01
Can Bilingual Intervention Bridge the Language Gap for Children with PLI?
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-01
The Health Transformation Program’s Impact on The Decline in Infant Mortality in Turkey.
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-01
The Health Transformation Program’s Impact on The Decline in Infant Mortality in Turkey.
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-01
Breaking language divides: evaluating bilingual speech therapy interventions for children with speech disorders
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-10
The Consequences of Excessive Noise on our Health and Wellbeing
International
/
Invited.
Lecture.
Guadalajara, Mexico
2024-04-15
Beyond Childhood Aphasia: Bilingual Outcomes
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-15
Oxygenating Voices: Hyperbaric Therapy for Speech-Language Recovery.
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-15
Exploring the impacts of language and cultural barriers on the underdiagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among Bosnian Immigrants in the United States.
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-04-15
Can Bilingual Intervention Bridge the Language Gap for Children with PLI?
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Gainesville, Florida
2024-06-21
How background impacts language use for heritage speakers of Spanish
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Daytona, Florida
2024-06-21
Beyond Childhood Aphasia: Bilingual Outcomes
State
/
Refereed.
Poster.
Daytona, Florida
2024-04-17
Unpacking the potential: leveraging AI to create learning communities
State
/
Refereed.
Lecture.
Gainesville, Florida
Education
M.A. in Communication Sciences Disorders
2013
·
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Literatures with emphasis on Eighteenth Century German Literature
1988
·
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures
1982
·
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
B.A., Magna cum Laude in German and Theological Studies
1980
·
Emmanuel College, Boston, MA
Contact Details
Phones:
- Business:
- (352) 392-0375
Emails:
- Business:
- difino@phhp.ufl.edu
Addresses:
- Business Mailing:
-
PO Box 115530
GAINESVILLE FL 32611 - Business Street:
-
319 Grinter Hall
1523 Union RD
GAINESVILLE FL 32611