Chapel Hill, NC — Robert W. Peters, PhD, founder of the speech and hearing sciences program at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (UNC), has died.

Dr Peters passed away on March 25 at UNC Hospitals. He had been in declining health for several years, according to a press announcement from the North Carolina Speech, Hearing & Language Association (NCSHLA).

Professor Peters joined the faculty of UNC in 1969 and founded the Institute of Speech and Hearing Sciences, which later became a division in the Department of Allied Health Sciences. He chaired the academic program in speech and hearing until 1981 and taught courses in psychoacoustics, fluency disorders, and research design.

His research focused on auditory and speech perception, sensation and perception, and stuttering. Previously, he was a professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he served as departmental chair of Speech and Hearing Sciences and as research administrator.

The UNC Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences annually presents the Robert W. Peters Award to recognize a student who has demonstrated excellence in research.

SOURCE: The North Carolina Speech, Hearing & Language Association