Dr. Jordan Hazelwood is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
How long have you been at App State? I joined the App State family in Spring 2017.
What is your role in the department? My role consists of integrating three areas: teaching, research, and service. I am an Assistant Professor of Speech Language Pathology. I teach Neuroanatomy and Physiology at the undergraduate level every semester, Voice and Resonance Disorders at the graduate level in the Fall semester, Dysphagia at the graduate level in the Spring semester. My research focuses on the training and education of speech-language pathologists and students for dysphagia management. My overarching goal is to mentor students to become great clinicians, which in return betters the treatment of their patients. I was recently awarded the ASHFoundation Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration grant. This external grant supports partnerships between academic or organizational researchers and clinical practitioners to conduct collaborative studies designed to enhance evidence for improving communication sciences and disorders services. In the near future, we plan to submit a grant focused to support smaller, teacher-focused universities to the National Institute of Health. At the department level, I chair the Program Evaluation Committee, which is responsible for gathering all resources for annual accreditation visits. At the university level, I have worked to scholarship students' scholarships and review internal grants. I recently completed a 3 year term as the Professional Development Manager for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Special Interest Group on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (SIG 13). In this role, I helped plan professional development opportunities for SIG affiliates, including ASHA convention speakers and a journal club.
What do you find to be the most rewarding, and most challenging, aspects of your job? The most rewarding part of my job is seeing students discover new aspects of our field. Often when students decide to become speech-language pathologists, they are not aware of the full scope of our practice. When taking Neuroanatomy and Physiology, it’s the first time students learn about various disorders within our field, such as swallowing and voice disorders. I love it when students discover these areas within the field and realize their passion. It is also rewarding when students who have finished clinical internships or fellowships say, "Thank you, it all makes sense now." Being a part of that “'click” that occurs in their minds is truly amazing. The most challenging aspect of my job is balance. Trying to be a good mom, a good wife, a good professor, a good colleague while balancing work and life is definitely the most challenging thing, but I try my best to model appropriate work-life balance for students.
What prompted you to go into this field? Initially, I wanted to be an OBGYN because I have always had a love for all things medical and was fascinated by the human body. But, I quickly realized this was not a good match for me when I was taking chemistry, as it wasn’t my strongest subject. I remember looking through the bulletin for classes to take and found Introduction to Communication Science and Disorders and immediately signed up. The professor of that class made such an impact on me that I registered for another one of his classes. The next thing I knew, I was on the path for receiving my bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. My senior year, I took Voice and Swallowing Disorders and fell in love with speech-language pathology.
What are your speciality areas within the field? Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia).
What is one thing you’d like to tell your younger self, in high school or college? To be careful with your money, create a budget, and save. I also wish I had not been as intimidated by successfulI people and had sought out a professional mentor earlier. Also, do not get a dog in graduate school!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? I enjoy hanging out with my husband and son. We love to go four-wheeling, fishing, and love to play golf. I also love to cook and go out to eat to get ideas for recipes, so I can come home and try to fix the same meal.
Jordan Hazelwood
Jordan Hazelwood