Kaitlyn Hughes | features editor

As a speech-language pathology professor at Duquesne University, David S. Ford consistently finds ways to weave his passion, such as his love for professional wrestling, into his work.

“To find my own niche in that very crowded market, it keeps it fresh, it keeps it interesting,” Ford said. “I always knew I wanted to work with a population that probably no one else in the voice world is thinking about.”

Ford has been a professor at the university since July 2022. He teaches various classes focused around the voice, while also conducting research.

His current project is assisting his students who are attending the American Speech-Language Hearing Association Conference this week in Seattle, Washington. They will be presenting the research based on their investigation of the voice needs of professional wrestling.

Ford has always centered his work around voice use and helping those who have voice issues. After working with professional voice users, such as actors, singers and members of the clergy, he realized there had been a lot of research completed on performers, but not on wrestlers.

“Well, if you think about it, professional wrestlers, these are performers, except they also have this added element of athletics,” Ford said.

With the wrestlers utilizing their voices to yell at each other and grunt in pain, the students sent out surveys to ask about how it affects them. They found that wrestlers have little to no time to rest their voices, with constantly traveling from city to city.

A “perfect intersection” of passion and profession has followed Ford throughout his lifetime.

After graduating from the speech-language pathology program at Duquesne in 2011, Ford’s job at an otolaryngology practice (an ear, nose and throat doctor’s office) consumed his days. At night, another love of his came to life — musical theater.

In 2013, Ford started the Sewickley Area Theatre Company, which was a non-profit organization that ran for five years.

During its five-year course, the theater put on numerous musical productions, including “The Wizard of Oz,” “Hairspray” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” As the president, Ford directed all the shows and starred in a few. During this time, Ford met his wife when she auditioned for one of their productions.

“It was a big part of my life,” he said.
 Simultaneously, he was building his clinical caseload, and at the doctor’s office where he was working, he created a new speech-language pathologist position.
 Although it was difficult for him, Ford said he did a lot of growing during this time.

The company eventually closed down when Ford went on to pursue his Ph.D. in communication sciences and disorders at Michigan State University.

Ford never put himself in a box, which is how he first got involved with musical theater in high school and speech-language pathology in college.

“I was the kid that wanted to be friends with everybody. To me, there were two groups of people in high school. There were the athletic jocks, and then there were the artsy people,” Ford said. “I didn’t want to fit into one of those crowds. I wanted to unite those crowds.”

Although Ford played on his high school football team, he took to the stage after the theater department needed male actors for the production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” Musicals have become a prominent part of his life ever since.

First starting out his college career at Washington & Jefferson College, he eventually transferred to Duquesne.

Although in his heart Ford wanted to be a theater major, he eventually discovered speech-language pathology.

“I found out that you can help people, specifically, you can help people with voice problems,” Ford said. “I was a singer and an actor, and I could use that background to help with people’s voices.”

He was sold.

Since then, he has been immersed in the field, eventually becoming a professor.

Going along with tying his interests into work, he also incorporates real-life scenarios into his lessons.

Third-year speech-language pathology major Megan Penrod said this aspect makes it easier for the students to learn.

“He really communicates with us like we’re on the same level with him, which is really nice when it comes to learning because it doesn’t make us feel like we’re amateurs in the field,” Penrod said.

She said Ford’s knowledge shines through because he is always able to answer the class’s questions — even if they don’t make sense.

Ford said that although stupid questions exist, he encourages them.

He said these questions can cause other students to feel safe to make their own inquiries.

“That’s part of my teaching philosophy — creating an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions,” Ford said.

This gives them the experience to grow and evolve as a learner, he said.

Beyond that, he thinks that one of the most important things he can do as a professor is instill human connection within his students.

That’s been the underlying motivation all throughout his life.

Fourth-year speech language pathology major Grace Kovalcik said that Ford makes an effort to build relationships with all his students.

On Monday, his current students presented a project he created known as the Creative Representation of Anatomy and Physiology. Ford invited the entire department to be spectators.

Kovalcik said the inclusion of everyone was great.

“It’s really important for our department to be so close because we’re [in] an accelerated program. It’s a lot sometimes, so him trying to connect the department means a lot,” Kovalcik said.

Ford said that the day-to-day interactions of his teaching career are what keep him motivated.

He does not necessarily have “grand goals” to change the world.

“If I can affect one student, I’m happy,” Ford said.