Make The Connection
Atlanta, GA · September 24–26, 2026
Up to 3.6 ASHA CEUs · Hybrid · 3 days live$2,800Registration open
Register & payCourse detailsSecure registration and payment through Ruzuku
The faculty
Learn from the clinicianswho built the field
FunctionFocus is taught by working clinicians, not lecturers. Every course pairs decades of hands-on practice with the interdisciplinary, function-first philosophy that has trained thousands of professionals across the globe.
Mary Billings
MS, CCC-SLP
Founder & Lead Instructor
Mary Billings, MS, CCC-SLP, founded FunctionFocus Academy in 2013 out of years of interdisciplinary research and mentoring. Her work in orofacial myofunctional disorders began in 2007, focused from the start on collaboration across therapeutic and medical disciplines.
In 2008 she chaired the IAOM's first Mentoring Committee, growing it from four members to fifteen. By 2012 she had launched the flagship Make The Connection course, reflecting her mission to deepen the clinical understanding of OMD. She has since trained thousands of professionals worldwide.
TeachesMake The ConnectionOMD: Advances in TherapyExtend The Connection
Patricia Fisher
MA, CCC-SLP
Co-Instructor
Patricia Fisher, MA, CCC-SLP, joined FunctionFocus as co-instructor, bringing the depth of a long career in private practice in Ohio. She is known for her command of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and the hands-on technique work at the heart of every FunctionFocus course.
Pat also teaches the academy's on-demand PNF course, extending her technique work to clinicians who can't yet make it to an in-person date.
TeachesMake The ConnectionOMD: Advances in TherapyExtend The ConnectionProprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
Dr. Charles Beck
DO
Guest Faculty
Dr. Charles Beck, DO, is an osteopathic physician and the newest member of the FunctionFocus teaching staff. He brings an airway, breathing, and whole-body perspective to the academy's interdisciplinary approach.
Dr. Beck brings a physician's lens to complex airway and structural questions within the academy's interdisciplinary work.
Ready when you are
Spend three days in the roomwith this faculty
Hands-on assessment, live demonstration, and supervised practice you can only get face to face. Find the course and city that fit your calendar.
Register for an active course
Choose an active cohort and continue to secure registration and payment through Ruzuku.
Extend The Connection
Kansas City, MO · November 5–7, 2026
Up to 2.0 ASHA CEUs · 3 days live$1,300Ask a question
Questions about eligibility or logistics? Ask the registrar.