Loyola University Maryland

Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences

Faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff
Theresa Alexander
Theresa Alexander, M.S., CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Clinical Specialist in Aphasia. Areas of specialization include work with adults who have neurogenic swallowing and communication disorders including aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria, cognitive-communication disorders, dysphagia, tracheostomy/ventilator, in acute medical and rehabilitation settings.  

Full-time clinical supervisor for the adult neuro rotation at the Loyola Clinical Centers at Belvedere Square.  

Andrea Atticks
Andrea Atticks, M.A., CCC-SLP Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Adult neurology, specifically aphasia, traumatic brain injury, dysphagia and technology/apps for the adult neurology population.v

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Alicia K. Barger, M.S., CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Assessment and Treatment of children birth to elementary school age. Myofunctional Treatment.

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Jennifer Beard, CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor
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LaToiya Billy Program Assistant
Lena Caesar
Lena Caesar, Ed.D., Ph.D. Professor Emerita

Areas of Specialization: Dr. Caesar’s research interests focus on language and literacy assessment in bilingual and bi-dialectical populations.  Specifically, the over-arching focus of her research has been to advance clinical practice by addressing the challenges faced by SLPs as they attempt to provide appropriate services to individuals who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD).  The adequate preparation of SLP personnel for serving CLD children and their families is also an area that she investigates.

Sara Collins
Sara Collins, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Assistant Professor

Areas of Specialization: Augmentative and Alternative Communication, literacy assessment and interventions, alternative assessment, early intervention, school-based language, individualized care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, implementation science  

Jordan Differding
Jordan Differding, M.S., CCC-SLP Assistant Teaching Professor

Areas of Specialization: Areas of clinical interests include dysphagia, speech, language and voice diagnostic and rehabilitation, with a specialty in head and neck cancer.  Clinical experiences include adult inpatient, acute rehabilitation and outpatient settings at the Milton J. Dance Jr., Head and Neck Center at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC and Mayo Clinic-Rochester. 

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Tepanta Fossett, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Assistant Professor

Areas of Specialization: Adult Neurogenic Communication Disorders, Aphasia, Motor Speech Disorders

Sally Gallena
Sally Gallena, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Associate Professor Emerita

Areas of Specialization: Disorders of Voice (including Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion; Chronic Cough), Respiration, Resonance

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Kathleen Holden, CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor
Keller
Jill Keller, M.S., CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Sound Speech Disorders (SSD) for school age children and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for teens and young adults with complex language requirements.

Knotts
Elizabeth Knotts, M.S., CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Areas of clinical interest include evaluation and treatment of neurogenic communication disorders, voice disorders and dysphagia.  Clinical experience includes inpatient and outpatient at The Greater Baltimore Medical Center and Inova Fairfax Medical Center, as well as community-based settings including adult private practice and assisted living facilities.   

Libby Kumin
Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Professor Emerita

Areas of Specialization: Working with families; individuals with Down syndrome infancy to adulthood; language disorders in infants, toddlers, and children; speech and language development; articulation and phonology; speech intelligibility; childhood apraxia of speech

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Alexis Nikitopoulos, M.S., CCC-SLP Assistant Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Providing comprehensive interdisciplinary (IAC) speech- language evaluations and recommendations for children ages 6-18; assessment and treatment of children from birth to 21 years of age with various speech-language disorders including: receptive-expressive language delay, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), global language delay, pragmatic language delay, cortical visual impairment, and conditions associated with cerebral palsy; pediatric traumatic brain injury treatment and community re-entry; pediatric feeding disorders 

donna pitts
Donna Pitts, Au.D., CCC-A Graduate Program Director, Associate Professor

Areas of specialization: Auditory Processing Disorders in Children; Aural Rehabilitation in Children and Adults; Identification of hearing deficits in children with a special interest in children with multiple disabilities, including blindness,and autism spectrum disorders

 

Janet Preis
Janet Preis, Ed.D., CCC-SLP Department Chair, Associate Professor

Areas of Specialization: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Language Development, Ignatian Pedagogy, White Privilege

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Ann Rentschler Director of Program Operations
Roos
Brianne Higgins Roos, Ed.D., CCC-SLP Undergraduate Program Director, Assistant Professor

Areas of Specialization: Areas of clinical interest/specialization include adult acute care, dysphagia and neurology. Clinical experience in acute care, acute rehabilitation, subacute rehabilitation, and outpatient rehabilitation at the University of Maryland Medical Center, R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Good Samaritan Nursing Center, Union Memorial Hospital, and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). Areas of pedagogical interest include educating the whole student, fostering community and belonging in face-to-face and online courses, and Ignatian integration.

Kathleen Siren
Kathleen Siren, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Associate Professor

Areas of Specialization: Dr. Siren’s areas of clinical and research interest include the acoustic analysis of speech and voice and the use of technology to remediate articulation and phonological disorders. Her scholarship also focuses on best practices in speech science education, with a particular focus on inclusive classroom strategies to facilitate learning of complex topics.

Tom Thompson
Tom Thompson, M.S., CCC-SLP Clinical Faculty, Brain Injury Assessment Program Coordinator

Areas of Specialization: Neurological rehabilitation of cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders 

Kathleen Ward
Kathleen Ann Kelliher Ward, Au.D., CCC-A Clinical Professor

Areas of Specialization: Areas of interest include Auditory Processing Evaluation and Treatment, Interprofessional Team Evaluation and Intervention, Amplification and Aural Rehabilitation, American Sign Language, Identification of School Age Children with Hearing Deficits

Claudia Ortega
Students

Claudia

Claudia discovered her passion for speech-language pathology when she learned English; she hopes to help those with communication disorders in the future

Speech-Language Pathology