Fundación Universitaria María Cano, Popayán campus, continues to strengthen the education of professionals capable of addressing today’s public health challenges. In line with this commitment, the Speech-Language Pathology Program organized the Professional Development Circle entitled “Safe Feeding as a Determinant of Health: Speech-Language Pathology, Management, and Transformation,” an academic event that brought together students from all practical training settings to reflect on the discipline’s impact on community well-being and quality of life.

Led by the Community Processes Practice area, the event provided an opportunity to explore the transformative role of Speech-Language Pathology in health promotion and disease prevention, highlighting safe feeding and swallowing as essential factors for both individual and collective well-being.

Beyond individual clinical intervention, the discussion emphasized safe feeding as a key determinant of health that directly influences quality of life, social participation, and human development. From this perspective, Speech-Language Pathology is recognized as a discipline capable of contributing to health management and the development of healthier and more inclusive communities.

The academic session featured invited specialists Adriana Marcela Casas Palomino and Marisol Jurado, who shared experiences, tools, and insights aimed at broadening students’ understanding of current public health challenges and the profession’s role in addressing them. The event was also coordinated by faculty members Diana Isabel Zambrano and Yuli Karina Cultid, advisors for the Community Processes Practice component of the program.

Throughout the event, students from different practice levels and training settings actively participated in discussions and learning activities, strengthening competencies related to health management, contextual analysis of community needs, and the design of strategies focused on generating positive social impact.

Initiatives such as this contribute to an educational experience that extends beyond the classroom and connects future professionals with the social and health realities of their communities, promoting a comprehensive understanding of health and the role of health sciences in community transformation.

Through activities like this, Fundación Universitaria María Cano reaffirms its commitment to educating critical, socially responsible, and community-oriented professionals who are prepared to lead health promotion, prevention, and social transformation processes through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.

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