School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

SHRS
Directory

Ellen Cohn PhD, CCC-SLP

Cohn_Ellen_ecohn

    Title

    Associate Dean for Instructional Development

    Office Location

    5046 Forbes Tower

    Office phone

    412-383-6609

Academic and Professional Appointments

  • Associate Dean for Instructional Development, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) 
  • Interim Director, Undergraduate Program in Rehabilitation Science Program
  • Associate Professor, Department of Communication Science and Disorders  
  • Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine (Secondary Appointment) 
  • Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Secondary Appointment)  
  • Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, (Secondary Appointment
  • Member Faculty, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
  • University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh (Affiliated Faculty)   

Professional Certification and Licensure

  •  CCC-SLP, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  
  •  Pennsylvania Department of State Professional Licensure, Speech-language pathology  

Biographical Profile

Ellen R. Cohn PhD, CCC- SLP is Associate Dean for Instructional Development, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Interim Director, Undergraduate Program in Rehabilitation Science  and Associate Professor, Department of Communication Science and Disorders. She was past Director of the University of Pittsburgh Speech and Hearing Clinic. Previously, she was a speech-language pathologist and Research Associate at University of Pittsburgh’s Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Center.
Cohn currently teaches in the areas of cleft palate and craniofacial disorders, orthodontics, and rhetoric and communication. She served as a PBL facilitator at the School of Medicine (Basic Science of Care) and as SHRS coordinator for Introduction to Translational Research in the Health Sciences. Cohn authored and coordinates the University Honors College-SHRS Bachelor of Philosophy program for undergraduate student researchers. Cohn has co-authored two programs at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law: a Certificate Program in Disability Law, and the first MSL with a Concentration in Disability Law.
She has authored multiple distance education manuals and co-authored books on: videofluoroscopy for persons with cleft palate; diversity in higher education; and communication as culture. She recently authored a  casebook in communication disorders (Shelly Chabon, PhD) and a book on telerehabilitation (with Sajeesh Kumar, PhD) in process.
Cohn is a member of numerous professional organizations, including American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, (Founding Coordinator, SIG#18: on Telepractice; Board of Division Coordinators), American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, and American Telemedicine Association (Chair of the SIG on Telerehabilitation). She has contributed to Educause Quarterly: the IT Practitioners Journal; Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Journal of Speech-Language and Hearing Disorders; and Radiology, and is the founding Editor of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation.
Prior communications consultant activities include: Allied Signal, Equitable Gas, and the U.S. Bureau of Mine Safety.
Cohn is a co-investigator for a Department of Education - National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telerehabilitation. She serves on the Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics - Research Team, University of Pittsburgh.

Education

  •  University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA PhD  
  •  Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN MS  
  •  Douglass College of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ BA   

Awards and Honors

  •  Diversity Champion, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2009  
  •  Honors of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2006  
  •  Students’ Choice Teaching Award, College of General Studies, Student Government Board, 2008, 2006  
  •  University of Pittsburgh, Provost’s Office, Diversity Seminar Fellow, 2005  
  •  US House of Representatives Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, 2004  
  •  State of New Jersey Executive Department Proclamation, 2004  
  •  State of New Jersey, The Senate and General Assembly, Joint Legislative Resolution, 2004  
  •  City of Long Branch, NJ Proclamation and presented with “Key to the City,” 2004  
  •  Long Branch High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee, 2004  
  •  Faculty Partner Award, Career Services, Division of Student Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, 2002  
  •  National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, National Chapter of the Year (2000) and Chapter Advisor Honors, (1999)  
  •  Co-author, Top paper in Nonverbal Communication presented at 87th Annual Convention of the Eastern Communication 
  •  Association, New York, New York, 1996  
  •  College of General Studies "Apple for the Teacher" Recognition, 1985   

Academic Interests

  •  Telerehabilitation  
  •  Cleft palate and craniofacial disorders  
  •  Professional issues in communication science and disorders  
  •  Diversity/disability inclusiveness in education  
  •  Instructional innovation  
  •  Inter- professional education and collaboration  
  •  Virtual public service   

Recent Publications

  •  Chabon, S. & Cohn, E. (Eds). The communication disorders casebook: learning by example, Boston MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, (2011).  
  •  Gareis, J. and Cohn, E. Communication as Culture: An Introduction to the Communication Process. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. 2008.  
  •  Branche, J., Mullennix, J. and Cohn, E. (Eds.), Diversity Across the Curriculum, Bolton, MA, Anker Publishing Company, 2007.   

Key Publications

Courses Recently Taught

  •  Cleft Palate  
  •  Professional Issues (Communication Science and Disorders)  
  •  Special Topics: Healthcare Communication  
  •  Non-verbal Communication  
  •  Communication Process  
  •  Organizational Communication  
  •  Public Speaking   

Externally Funded Projects

  • Co-Investigator, Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research for a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telerehabilitation, D. Brienza and M. McCue PIs. 2010-2015; 2004-2009.
  • 2011-2012 Commonwealth Fund for Disadvantaged Students: Recruiting Minority Students to the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: A Multi-departmental Approach, $25,000 with J. Burgess
  • 2010-2011 Commonwealth Fund for Disadvantaged Students: Recruiting Minority Students to the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: A Multi-departmental Approach, $25,000 with J. Burgess.
  • 2009-2010 Commonwealth Fund for Disadvantaged Students: A Pilot Program to Recruit Graduate Students in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions, with J. Burgess.
  • 2008-2009 Commonwealth Fund for Disadvantaged Students: A Pilot Program to Recruit Graduate Students in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions, with J. Burgess.  

Service

  •   University, Health Sciences and SHRS committees.  
  •    University of Pittsburgh Faculty Senate Representative to the Health Sciences Committee of the University of Pittsburgh  
       Board of Trustees. (4 terms, concluded 2011) 
  •   Founding Editor, International Journal of Telerehabilitation, ISSN 1945-2002, Library of Congress (LC) & ISSN Centre for the
      United States, Vol. 1 - April 2009. http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/  
  •   Advisor, SHRS Deans Student Advisory Board  
  •   Advisor, SHRS Student Diversity Council