Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Education:

Ph.D. 2016 Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
M.Ed. 2006 Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Georgia
B.S. 2004 Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Illinois 

Dissertation:
Relating physiologic swallowing impairment to oral intake and swallow-specific quality of life

Certification/Licensure:

ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence, Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
NC License, Speech-Language Pathology
Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S)
Certificate of Fellowship in Clinical Research Ethics (CCRE)
Modified Barium Swallowing Impairment Profile (MBSImP™®) Registered Clinician

Specialties:

Swallowing and swallowing disorders in adults
Physiologic measures of swallowing
Patient-reported outcome measures and quality of life
Voice and resonance disorders
Interprofessional education
Clinical research ethics

Teaching:

CSD 4766/5766 – Neuroanatomy and Physiology
CSD 5666 – Voice and Resonance Disorders
CSD 5856 – Dysphagia

Biography:

Dr. R. Jordan Hazelwood is an Associate Professor of speech-language pathology in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL, and her Master of Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. After completing her master’s degree, she worked as a speech-language pathologist at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, IL where she specialized in the assessment and rehabilitation of adults with swallowing disorders and traumatic brain injury. She earned her Ph.D. in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Her dissertation work focused on investigating the relationships between physiologic swallowing impairment, oral intake, and swallow-specific quality of life. During her doctoral studies, she worked clinically with acute inpatient adults and supported outpatient speech-language pathology needs as a Research Coordinator at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC. Dr. Hazelwood directs the Appalachian State Lab for Competency, Education, and Evaluation of Dysphagia (AppLCEED). She is a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and has completed fellowships in Clinical Research Ethics and Interprofessional Education.

In addition to her academic responsibilities, Dr. Hazelwood collaborates with the department’s clinical educators at Watauga Medical Center and the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness in Boone, NC to support evidence-based clinical practice in the treatment and assessment of swallowing and voice disorders and graduate student training. Dr. Hazelwood was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Beaver College of Health Sciences in 2022 and the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching School/College Award in 2024. Dr. Hazelwood has served in leadership positions for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Special Interest Group on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (SIG-13) and the Dysphagia Research Society and is a regular peer reviewer for dysphagia-related journals. She presents her research nationally and internationally, focusing on the training and education of clinicians and students in dysphagia management while considering the impact of standardization procedures, physiologic dysfunction, and quality of life on health outcomes. Follow Dr. Hazelwood on Instagram: @drhazelwoodslp

Selected Publications:

Hazelwood, R. J., Armeson, K. E., Hill, E. G., Bonilha, H. S., & Martin-Harris, B. (2023). Relating physiologic swallowing impairment, functional swallowing ability, and swallow-specific quality of life. Dysphagia, 38(4), 1106-1116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-022-10532-3

Hazelwood, R. J., Bouldin, E. D., Burford, I. R., & Steffen, E. A. (2022). Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Clinicians' Self-Perceived Competency in Dysphagia Management. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, 6(3), 4. https://doi.org/10.30707/TLCSD6.3.1664996985.113836

Hazelwood, R. J., & Pollack, L. M. (2021). Critical review of online resources frequently used by certified speech-language pathologists for dysphagia management. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 6(6), 1618-1626. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_PERSP-21-00106

Wilmskoetter, J., Bonilha, H., Hong, I., Hazelwood, R. J., Martin-Harris, B., & Velozo, C. (2019, March). Construct validity of the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). Disability and Rehabilitation, 41(5), 549-559. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1398787

Hazelwood, R. J., Armeson, K .E., Hill, E .G., Bonilha, H. S., & Martin-Harris, B. (2017, July). Identification of swallowing tasks from a modified barium swallow study that optimize the detection of physiological impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(7), 1855-1863. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0117

Krieger, R., Brady, S., Stewart, R. J., Terry, A., & Brady, J. J. (2010, May-June). Predictors of returning to oral feedings following feeding tube placement for patients following a stroke during inpatient rehabilitation. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 17(3), 197-203. https://doi.org/10.1310/tsr1703-197