The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association will honor The Pitt at its November convention for the series’ portrayal of communication access, social determinants of health, and clinical complexity in emergency care.
ASHA will present the Annie Glenn Award to the Max Original series The Pitt at its annual convention on Nov. 20, 2026, in Indianapolis.
The award recognizes the show’s depiction of communication access, language barriers tied to social determinants of health, and real-world emergency care decision-making involving audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Past Annie Glenn Award recipients include public figures and media projects that advanced awareness of communication disorders, such as James Earl Jones, Julie Andrews, Joe Biden, Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly, and the TV sitcom Speechless.
Association (ASHA) is giving its 2026 Annie Glenn Award to The Pitt, a Max Original set in a Pittsburgh emergency department. ASHA presents the award annually to individuals or organizations that advance awareness of communication access. The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, during ASHA's convention in Indianapolis.
ASHA cited The Pitt for its consistent and realistic portrayal of how communication access—or the lack of it—affects patient experiences during medical emergencies. The association highlighted three specific areas the series has illustrated on screen:
R. Scott Gemmill, creator and showrunner of The Pitt, said the series is committed to portraying real-life communication challenges in the emergency room and aims to raise awareness and offer solutions. Valerie Chu, a co-producer and writer for the show, will accept the Annie Glenn Award on behalf of the production.
The award is named for Annie Glenn, who advocated for people with communication disorders. Past recipients span actors, elected officials, and media projects that advanced public understanding of communication access. Examples listed by ASHA include James Earl Jones, Julie Andrews, former President Joe Biden, former Representative Gabby Giffords, Senator Mark Kelly, and the sitcom Speechless, which centered on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
ASHA's membership and affiliation network includes 247,000 members, certificate holders, and affiliates: audiologists, speech-language pathologists, speech-language-hearing scientists, assistants, and students. The organization describes audiologists as specialists who prevent and assess hearing and balance disorders and provide audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. SLPs identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.
The formal award presentation will take place at an evening awards program hosted at the Indianapolis Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 20, 2026. Valerie Chu will accept the award for The Pitt.
ASHA's Annie Glenn Award recognizes media and public figures that improve awareness of communication access. The 2026 award to The Pitt is focused on the show's depiction of how communication barriers and social determinants intersect with clinical care in emergency medicine, and on how health professionals manage those challenges in practice.
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