Northeastern University’s MA SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Center served as a community partner at the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Boston Run/Walk on October 26, 2025, at Carson Beach, helping raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s disease research while connecting community members with specialized speech therapy services.
The Boston event raised approximately over $418,000 with 100% of proceeds going directly to the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s research programs to speed better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Since its inception in 2017, the Run/Walk Series has expanded nationwide, raising over $8.6 million and uniting more than 28,500 participants across six U.S. cities.
Faculty supervisors and graduate students from Bouvé College’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders staffed an information table at the event, distributing educational brochures and engaging with a steady stream of visitors. Some attendees signed up to enroll in the SPEAK OUT! program, while others learned about the therapy for the first time. Former participants also stopped by to demonstrate their “best voices”—a term used in the program for speaking with intent.
SPEAK OUT!® is a specialized therapy program designed for people with Parkinson’s disease to improve voice, speech, and overall communication skills. Offered at the Northeastern Speech-Language and Hearing Center, the program transforms speech from an automatic function to an intentional task through eight sessions spanning four weeks. Participants report improvements in their speaking ability, being heard, and quality of life, then transition to weekly therapy groups that maintain skills and build camaraderie.
For more information about the SPEAK OUT! program, contact Liz Martin, MS, CCC-SLP, Associate Clinical Professor, at [email protected] or 617-373-6891.
