Kyung Hae Hwang, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, is the founder of a specialized clinic with a focus on bilingual and neurodiverse populations as well as an avid researcher on neurogenic speech disorders.
Tell us about your clinical experience.
I have more than 15 years of experience specializing in evaluating and treating speech, language, and communication disorders for all ages in diverse settings, including medical facilities, department of education, and private practices. Realizing the needs in the community, I founded the iTalk Speech & Language Center, a specialized clinic in Fort Lee, New Jersey, with a focus on serving bilingual and neurodiverse communities. In addition to seeing patients in a clinical capacity, I also supervise a lot of graduate clinical students on their way to becoming SLPs, and I really enjoy that mentorship aspect.
What are your research interests?
Drawing from my educational, linguistic, and clinical background, my research interests lie in motor speech disorders, multilingualism, and speech and language of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. I explore treatment methods and the utilization of telepractice to enhance the accessibility of research and clinical services.
What are you looking forward to as part of the CSD team?
I really liked that Steinhardt has a focus on both the research and clinical side of the profession. As a practicing SLP with a lot of clinical experience, I have a passion for both areas and am committed to bridging the gap between the two.
Also, because I have a great group of practitioners and students at iTalk, I value the importance of a team dynamic. I felt that same level of teamwork at Steinhardt, which is part of what drove me to want to be a part of it.
How else do you hope to impact the field of CSD?
I originally came to the U.S. as an international student here, and I’m one of the first bilingual Korean/English SLPs. My hope is to be a role model to people coming into the field from different backgrounds and communities to show that they can do it, too.
