The Max Original medical drama has been recognized for its authentic portrayal of communication access, social determinants of health, and the real-world complexities facing clinicians in emergency care settings.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) will present its Annie Glenn Award to The Pitt, the critically acclaimed Max Original medical drama, at ASHA’s annual convention in Indianapolis, Ind., this November. The award will be formally presented on Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, at an evening awards program at the Indianapolis Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Pitt, produced by John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television, is set in the emergency department of a Pittsburgh hospital. The series has drawn attention from the healthcare community for its realistic depiction of clinical decision-making, the role of communication in patient outcomes, and the ways in which policy decisions can directly affect care at the bedside.
Named after the late Annie Glenn—a tireless champion for people with communication disorders—the award is presented annually to individuals, organizations, and entities that advance awareness of communication access. Past recipients include actors James Earl Jones and Julie Andrews, former US President Joe Biden, former US Representative Gabby Giffords and US Senator Mark Kelly, and the TV sitcom Speechless—a series centered on a boy who communicated using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods and tools.
ASHA cited The Pitt for its consistent portrayal of how communication access—and the lack of it—shapes patient experiences during medical emergencies. The series has also illustrated how social determinants of health, including language access, can create barriers to care, and has depicted the complexity of the clinical decision-making that audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) navigate daily.
“It approaches the complexities of modern healthcare in rare factual and thoughtful ways, whether spotlighting the importance of communication, the valuable roles that health professionals play, or the impact of policy decisions made far from the frontline of care,” says ASHA president Linda I. Rosa-Lugo, EdD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, in a release.
R. Scott Gemmill, series creator, showrunner and executive producer of The Pitt, also weighed in on the recognition. “The Pitt is committed to the portrayal of real-life challenges around communication and access in the Emergency Room with the aim to raise awareness and offer solutions. We are grateful for ASHA’s example of advocacy and progress, and their work that continues to raise the bar for The Pitt and the world around us,” says Gemmill, in a release.
Valerie Chu, a co-producer and writer for The Pitt, will accept the award on behalf of the series at the November ceremony.
ASHA represents 247,000 members, certificate holders, and affiliates, including audiologists, SLPs, speech-language-hearing scientists, audiology and speech-language pathology assistants, and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders and providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids; SLPs identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.
