Meet our Clinical Faculty
Kathleen Youse, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BC-ANCD, is the Founding Director of the Institute for Speech-Language Pathology at Widener University. She has been a certified Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP) for more than 25 years and is Board Certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (BC-ANCDS). Her area of expertise is adult neurogenic communication disorders, specifically traumatic brain injury, and she has extensive clinical, research, and teaching experience in this area. More recently, interprofessional education and interprofessional practice have become areas of study and research for Kathleen. She has extensive clinical experience working with individuals who have neurologic communication disorders and has had the privilege of working clinically at several well-respected medical facilities including MossRehab Hospital, in Philadelphia, PA; Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, MD; and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT.
Kathleen started her academic career as a faculty member at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences where she primarily focused on teaching and clinical research. Wanting to move into a more clinically based academic role, she moved to a position as Director of the Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders, at Teachers College, Columbia University. At Teachers College, she also had the opportunity to serve as the Director of the Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Following this experience, Kathleen served as the Department Chair and Program Director of Speech-Language Pathology at Salus University where she had the opportunity to lead the SLP program from Candidacy Accreditation to Full Accreditation. Kathleen joined Widener University in 2019 as the Founding Director of the Institute for Speech-Language Pathology and in this role, she coordinates all aspects of the graduate program.
Lauren Hayden, M.S. CCC-SLP, is the Director of Clinical Education for Widener University’s Institute for Speech-Language Pathology. She is a bilingual (Spanish-English) speech-language pathologist with extensive experience working with individuals across the lifespan, in a variety of settings, including schools, private practice, outpatient rehabilitation, and home care. Her primary areas of interest include working with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Lauren began her career working in a public school within the New York City Department of Education, working with a multilingual and multicultural population of children and their families, and fostering culturally responsive, interprofessional care within the school setting. Following this experience, Lauren worked in private practice, focusing on care for adults with acquired neurogenic communication disorders. She also served as a Clinical Instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she supervised graduate students providing evaluation and treatment across the lifespan.
Lauren joined Widener University in August 2020 as the founding Director of Clinical Education. In this role, she oversees and coordinates all aspects of the graduate student clinical education experience, including operations of the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic and all clinical externship placements. Lauren also directly supervises graduate students in a variety of clinical experiences, and is passionate about nurturing the knowledge, skills, and passion of the next generation of practitioners. Lauren received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual major in Linguistics and in Hispanic Languages and Literature from Boston University, graduating summa cum laude, and a Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Teachers College, Columbia University.
After a decade in higher education, Lindsay joined the faculty at Widener University in January 2022 as a Clinical Associate Professor. She supervises graduate students providing comprehensive speech-language services in our Chester Community Clinic and a local preschool. Her teaching philosophy mirrors her approach to clinical practice and includes the central tenets of I) Person & Family-Centered Care; II) Evidence-Based Practice & III) Advocacy & Passion for Change. Lindsay believes it is a privilege to teach the next generation of practitioners, so she takes great pride in the responsibility of sharing knowledge and promoting enthusiasm for evidence-based practice in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).
Joanne Wisely, MA, CCC-SLP, ACE FNAP: Joanne has served in all post-acute settings, engaging in clinical service improvements, financial stewardship, statutory compliance and legislation development. A frequent national presenter, she also serves as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer.
Awarded Distinguished Fellowship in Public Policy by the National Academies of Practice, she currently serves that organization as Vice President of Public Policy. Drawing on experience as a member of several CMS Technical Expert Panels (TEPs), the MedPAC Medicare Part B Payment TEP and as the Long-Term Care industry representative to the Congressional Bipartisan/Bicameral Work Group responsible for development of the IMPACT Act, Joanne is known as a clinical expert and professional advocate. She is currently a Clinical Medical Expert with the CMS PACIO Committee and ASHA SPLASCH Work Group to develop post-acute electronic health record guidance.
Joanne is a Life Member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and the Pennsylvania Speech-Language Hearing Association. She also serves as the Pennsylvania State Advocate for Medicare Policy, serves on the ASHA Member Advisory Group for Value Based Care and is a member of the Board of Directors for Main Line Senior Services Wayne Senior Center, an NCOA NISC accredited program.
Jolynn Thomas M.S. CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, has 30 years of experience working with adolescents and adults with acquired neurogenic speech-language, swallowing, and cognitive communication disorders in the acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation setting. Her primary areas of interest include aphasia, apraxia, and cognitive communication disorders and utilizing evidence-based practice and the Life Participation Approach to facilitate optimal patient outcomes. Her skills extend beyond patient care to include supervision of graduate students, lead designer/investigator of IRB outcome-based research studies, and adjunct instructor in areas of aphasia, cognitive communication disorders, and neuroanatomy. Jolynn holds specialty certification as a certified brain injury specialist (CBIS), completed Apraxia Kids Intensive Training Program, and is Board Certified through the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences (BC-ANCDS). Jolynn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Disorders from Temple University and a Master of Science degree in Speech and Language Pathology from The College of Saint Rose.
Jolynn joined Widener University in 2022 and supervises graduate students providing comprehensive speech-language services in our Chester Community Clinic. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member. My favorite part of Widener University is sharing my enthusiasm and experience in the field of speech language pathology. She enjoys interacting with the students and supporting their education and clinical skills to become speech-language pathologists.
Emily Sweet, MS, CCC-SLP: Emily Sweet is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Associate professor. She completed her undergraduate degree at Rutgers University and earned her Masters degree at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has practiced across the life span: in hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, and university clinics. She is especially interested in multilingual language development and disorder, and in articulation and phonology. She supervises students in the Chester Community Clinic and is part of the teaching team for Community and Population Health. As a new faculty member as of Fall 2024, she is loving learning about Widener and the program. The message of belonging at Widener and the strong commitment of the faculty to helping students achieve their goals makes her excited to be here. She also loves the interprofessional opportunities in the SLP program!
Karen Nix, PhD, CCC-SLP: Karen Nix has joined us as an Assistant Professor! Dr. Nix has just completed her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Her primary area of research is child language, emphasizing learning and literacy. Karen has been a speech-language pathologist for more than 20 years, working with children and adolescents ages birth to 18. She has worked in early intervention, public schools, alternative schools, and on interdisciplinary diagnostic teams in both urban and rural settings. While completing her PhD, Karen served as a clinical supervisor and course instructor at UNCG.
Rebecca Jones, PhD, CCC-SLP, completed her doctoral studies in Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Infant and Toddler Language Lab at James Madison University (JMU). Her research focused on the skills required to develop effective therapist-caregiver partnerships. She is passionate about preparing future speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for these essential roles in clinical and community settings.
