Maria Claudia Franca | SIU

Communication Disorders and Sciences

Maria Claudia Franca is a Professor in the Communication Disorders and Sciences Program. She holds a M.S. in Communication Disorders and Sciences and a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation with concentration in Communication Disorders from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

In 2018, she was awarded the Diversity Excellence Award from the SIU System, the Mark and Susan Ashley Endowed Professorship, and the SIU Carbondale Provost Faculty Fellowship. Dr. Franca received the Rehabilitation Institute Teacher of the Year Award in 2016 and 2011, the College of Education and Human Services Scholar Excellence Award in 2017 and the Faculty Excellence Award in 2012, the University Women's Professional Advancement and Women's Studies Award in 2009, and the Janet and David Stover Award in 2006, at SIU Carbondale. Dr. Franca was the recipient of the Diversity Champion Award (2009) and the Minority Student Leadership Program Award (2006) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She has presented research results at state and national professional conferences including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention (ASHA), the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention (ISHA) and the Voice Foundation Annual Symposium. Dr. Franca has published journal articles and book chapters focusing on voice and multicultural issues. Her research agenda includes investigations about multicultural aspects of communication, effects of hydration and caffeine on voice, comparisons between objective and perceptual assessment of voice, and vocal demands among professional voice users such as singers and teachers. Dr. Franca holds leadership appointments at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Specializations: Voice Science and Multicultural Issues Related to Communication Disorders and Sciences.