Speaking
Dawn Winkelmann
MS, CCC-SLP, OMT · Pediatric speech-language pathology
Dawn Winkelmann is a pediatric speech-language pathologist with more than 30 years of clinical experience across hospital, acute rehabilitation, hospice, and private-practice settings. Her practice is whole-child and integrative, addressing the connected feeding, speech, sensory, developmental, and family-context concerns that rarely sort neatly into separate categories. She is a clinical advisor to category-leading pediatric brands, and her speaking work has reached graduate clinicians, professional associations, parent audiences, and industry partners across the United States, with international engagements available virtually or by arrangement. She is known for translating clinical reasoning into language that audiences — clinical, academic, or general — can actually use the next day.
Past speaking and advisory engagements
Dawn's work spans clinical professional associations, university programs, industry and brand partners, and consumer-facing audiences. Engagements are grouped below by audience type so the breadth — and the relevant fit — is visible at a glance.
National Professional Associations
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ASHA — American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Feeding and swallowing professional development for clinical SLP audiences.
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National Nurse Practitioner Symposium
Pediatric feeding and developmental content for clinical professional audiences.
Academic Institutions
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Brigham Young University
Motivational address to department heads and faculty.
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University SLP program guest lectures
Graduate clinical training on pediatric feeding and swallowing.
Industry & Cross-Sector
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National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Pediatric nutrition and feeding development for industry audiences.
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Bjorem Speech Publications
Clinical professional development.
Consumer Education
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Prego Expo
Parent-facing pediatric feeding and development education.
Brand Education and Advisory
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COSMEDIX
SERVE Framework for purpose-driven sales delivered to brand and retail teams.
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ezpz
Clinical product advisory and feeding education.
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Toothpillow
Clinical advisory on airway, swallowing, and oral development.
What attendees take with them
Engagements are designed to leave audiences with frameworks they can apply, not just material they can recall.
Decision frameworks for distinguishing typical development from clinically significant patterns — when to wait, when to refer, and what specific signs change the call. Useful for clinicians evaluating their own caseloads and for non-clinical audiences making sense of pediatrician guidance.
Clinical reasoning that translates across audience types — the same underlying logic, calibrated for graduate clinicians, established practitioners, or parent audiences, without losing rigor at any level.
Specific, actionable content rather than general principles — attendees leave with concrete approaches to defined clinical situations, not broad takeaways that require further interpretation to apply.
Evidence-based claims attendees can stand behind professionally — content is grounded in current clinical literature and assessment protocols, reducing the risk of clinical claims that don't hold up under scrutiny.
Speaking topics
Each topic is delivered in formats appropriate to the audience — keynote, breakout, workshop, or panel — with content calibrated to register without losing clinical rigor.
Developmental Feeding and Swallowing Milestones: Birth to 3 Years
A structured walk-through of feeding and swallowing milestones from birth through age three, with the clinical reasoning behind each stage and where typical patterns end and clinical concerns begin. Includes the open-cup vs. sippy cup evidence base and what to recommend instead.
Airway, Swallowing, Feeding, and Speech: The Missing Links in Dentistry
The clinical case for treating airway, feeding, and speech as one connected system — and what general dentists, pediatric dentists, orthodontists, and myofunctional therapists need to know about how feeding and swallowing patterns shape oral and facial development.
The SERVE Framework: Purpose-Driven Sales for Pediatric Brands
A framework for retail and brand teams on building trust through education rather than transaction. Drawn from Dawn's experience as a clinician and product inventor working with category-leading pediatric brands. Originally developed for and delivered to COSMEDIX. Useful for sales teams, brand leadership, and product development groups.
Pivoting with Purpose: From Therapist to Entrepreneur to Inventor
A keynote on professional reinvention — recognizing the moment of pivot, breaking inherited patterns, and translating clinical expertise into product, business, and impact. Drawn from Dawn's path from in-home feeding therapy to invention and brand advisory.
Engagement formats and availability
Dawn delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, and panel appearances — in person and virtually — for clinical, academic, industry, and consumer audiences. Engagements typically range from 45 minutes to half-day workshops, with content adapted to audience and format. She speaks across the United States, with international engagements available virtually or by arrangement. Standard lead time is eight to twelve weeks for breakout sessions and workshops; major keynotes typically require four to six months. Shorter timelines can sometimes be accommodated depending on calendar fit. To inquire about availability for a specific date, format, or audience, use the form below.
Past speaking engagements have included American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), National Nurse Practitioner Symposium, Brigham Young University, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Prego Expo, Bjorem Speech Publications, COSMEDIX, ezpz, and Toothpillow.