USAHS Assistant Professor Dr. Ellie Cooper Selected for National ASHA Pathways Program, Elevating Local SLP Education

Coral Gables residents will see a direct benefit from a national research opportunity awarded to Dr. Ellie Cooper, an assistant professor in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) Dallas. Dr. Cooper was selected for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) competitive Pathways Program, a year-long initiative designed to cultivate early-career clinical researchers in communication sciences and disorders (CSD).

Dr. Cooper's participation in this program means that USAHS MS-SLP students in Coral Gables will gain insights from a faculty member actively engaged in cutting-edge research. Her work focuses on preparing providers to effectively serve children who are Deaf or hard of hearing, directly impacting the quality of education for future speech-language pathologists and, by extension, the services available to local families.

The ASHA Pathways Program pairs emerging faculty with nationally recognized mentors. This mentorship helps participants build impactful research agendas and develop a five-year research career plan. The program also assists in acclimating participants to a research career, building a publication record, and learning about funding opportunities. A primary goal of ASHA Pathways is to help participants develop a funded clinical research program, ultimately advancing the evidence base of the CSD discipline.

Dr. Cooper, who holds a PhD and is certified as a CCC-SLP and LSLS Cert. AVT, expressed her excitement about the selection. She called it "a big honor" and noted that research has always been a passion. The program began in early June 2026 with an intensive research development conference at ASHA’s National Office near Washington, D.C. Participants were paired with experienced mentors before the conference, where they outlined one-year and five-year plans for their teaching and service.

Dr. Cooper will continue her work with mentors and develop her research agenda throughout the year-long program, with outcomes expected to be integrated into the USAHS MS-SLP curriculum in the coming academic terms.