I am a speech-language pathologist and researcher whose work is driven by a commitment to bridging clinical practice and research to advance responsive, equitable assessment and intervention across diverse developmental and sociocultural contexts. I began my clinical career as an SLP in 2012, with professional experience spanning school-based practice, early intervention, private practice serving individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, and inpatient psychiatric care for children and young adults with developmental disabilities and co-occurring psychiatric disorders requiring crisis stabilization—one of only a few such programs nationally. These clinical experiences have shaped my research agenda by highlighting persistent gaps between assessment science, service delivery models, and the lived realities of children and families.

While completing my MA, I was selected for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship and later completed formal training in the administration of the ADOS and ADOS-2, as well as basic-level PECS training. I earned my PhD in 2022 with support from a U.S. Department of Education Personnel Training Grant focused on culturally and linguistically diverse students and students living in poverty, as well as an NIH diversity supplement.

My doctoral research integrates clinical priorities with rigorous methodology, including work supporting educational access for children experiencing homelessness, examining health literacy barriers among mothers who are survivors of domestic trafficking, and conducting community-based participatory research with multilingual Jamaican preschoolers who speak Jamaican Creole (Patois). My dissertation specifically emphasized assessment psychometrics, validation science, and telehealth assessment administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas my postdoctoral training was funded through an NIH R01 clinical trial (PI: Washington) using fMRI to examine neurobiological mechanisms and treatment response in preschool children with developmental language disorder.

Currently, I direct the Responsive Outcomes and Assessments in Research for Speech-Language Pathology (ROAR SLP) Lab and serve as an editor for Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (LSHSS). Although my efforts span different contexts, all of my work is grounded in the application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework to ensure that research outcomes meaningfully inform clinical decision-making and participation-focused care.