Jessica Gormley, PhD, CCC-SLP

Phone: 402-559-6460
Email

Professional Summary

Jessica Gormley, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor, Assistant Scottish Rite Professor and a Speech-Language Pathologist in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute. Additionally, Dr. Gormley is the Research Coordinator and Program Leader for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation.

Dr. Gormley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Hearing Handicapped from the State University of New York at Geneseo, a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Pennsylvania State University.

Her research and clinical interests center upon improving interactions among individuals with complex communication needs, their families, and health care providers through the development and evaluation of AAC tools and trainings. She is also has extensive training and experience serving infants, children, and adults with complex medical needs in inpatient settings to meet their speech, language, communication, and swallowing needs.

Dr. Gormley serves as a subcontractor for the NIDILRR Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC) project “mTraining in AAC for Communication Partners.”  Dr. Gormley has co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the topics of supporting AAC in acute care, personalization of patient-provider communication, and child-parent-provider communication interactions.

Specialty Certifications

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certificate of clinical competence
• Nebraska state licensed speech-language pathologist

Education

• PhD, Pennsylvania State University
• MA, State University of New York at Geneseo
• BS, State University of New York at Geneseo

Teaching

• Undergraduate and graduate level pre-service training on the topics of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and pediatric dysphagia
• Graduate level clinical training
• Presenter at national and international conferences on the topic of AAC

Research Interests and Projects

• MTraining for acute care providers
• AACtive Learning Hub
• Teaching acute care providers to use visual supports and create communication opportunities in healthcare routines
• AAC
• Patient provider communication
• Developing and implementing communication partner trainings to optimize the communication experiences and health outcomes of individuals who use AAC in health care settings
• Pediatric dysphagia

Publications (within the last 5 years)

• Altschuler, T., Santiago, R., & Gormley, J. (2021). Ensuring communication access for all during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: Supporting patients, providers, and caregivers in hospitals. Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Manuscript accepted.  
• Gormley, J., & Koch Fager, S. (2021). Personalization of patient-provider communication across the lifespan. Topics in Language Disorders. Manuscript accepted. 
• Koch Fager, S., Gormley, J.E., & Sorenson, T. (2021). Access to AAC for individuals with acquired conditions: Challenges and solutions in early recovery. In Ogletree, W. (Ed.), Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Challenges and Solutions. Plural Publishing, Inc. 
• Santiago, R., Gormley, J., Altschuler, T., Howard, M., Pressman, H., & Blackstone, S. (2021). Promoting system change for communication access in acute care hospitals. Assistive Technology Outcomes and benefits, 15, 100-118. 
• Gormley, J., & Light, J. (2020). Child-parent-provider interactions of a child with complex communication in an inpatient rehabilitation facility: A pilot study. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30, 105-118. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-20-00031 
• Gormley, J., & Koch-Fager, S. (2020). Visual-cognitive processing demands of keyboard layouts for individuals with & without traumatic brain injury. Assistive Technology, Early Online. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2020.1826006 
• Hurtig, R., Alper, R., Altschuler, T., Gendreau, S., Gormley, J., Marshall, S., Santiago, R., & Scibilia, S. (2020). Improving outcomes for hospitalized patients pre- and post-Covid-19. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, Early Online. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_PERSP-20-00144 
• Gormley, J., & Williams, D. (2019). Providing supportive hospital environments to promote the language development of infants and children born premature: Insights from neuroscience. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. [Early Online] doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2019.01.007
• Gormley, J., & Light, J. (2019). Providing services to individuals with complex communication needs in the inpatient rehabilitation setting: The experiences and perspectives of speech-language pathologists. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1044/2018_AJSLP-18-0076.
• Holyfield, C., Light, J., Drager, K., McNaughton, D., & Gormley, J. (2018). Effect of AAC partner instruction on peers’ interpretation of the behaviors of presymbolic middle-schoolers with multiple disabilities. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 34, 301-310. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2018.1508306
• Babb, S., Gormley, J., McNaughton, D., & Light, J. (2018). Enhancing independent participation within vocational activities for an adolescent with ASD using AAC video visual scene displays. Journal of Special Education Technology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0162643418795842
• Gormley, J. (2017). Addressing the needs of children with complex communication needs and their partners in areas of extreme poverty: To Haiti and back. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 2, 23-36. doi:10.1044/persp2.SIG12.23

Professional Affiliations

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• American Speech Language-Hearing Association Special Interest Groups 12 (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) and 13 (Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders)
• Nebraska Speech-Language Hearing Association
• United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Awards

• ASHA Foundation Award 2021 New Investigators Research Grant: “Teaching Acute Care Providers to Use Visual Supports and Create Communication Opportunities in Healthcare Routines: Effects of a Just-in-Time AAC Training”
• Nominated for the Munroe-Meyer Institute Faculty Clinical Standout Award (2020)
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation New Century Scholars Doctoral Scholarship (2018)
• ISAAC Emerging Researcher Travel Award (2018)