Rate My Professor Mary Kennedy

Dr. Mary Kennedy serves as Professor Emerita of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Chapman University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from California State University, Fullerton, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. A certified speech-language pathologist (CCC-SLP), Kennedy joined Chapman University in 2014 as Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, following her tenure as Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota from 1998 to 2014. Her professional affiliations include longstanding membership in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association since 1980, the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota since 1998, and associate membership in the Center for Cognitive Sciences at the University of Minnesota since 1999.

Kennedy's research focuses on executive functions and metacognition after brain injury, examining their intersections with memory and language, alongside evidence-based practices through systematic reviews and recommendations for cognitive rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury. She has co-authored influential publications, including the INCOG 2.0 Guidelines for Cognitive Rehabilitation Following Traumatic Brain Injury series in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (2023), covering executive functions, cognitive-communication and social cognition disorders, memory, and future directions. Notable earlier works encompass 'Intervention for executive functions after traumatic brain injury: A systematic review, meta-analysis and clinical recommendations' (2008, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation), 'Evidence-based practice among speech-language pathologists' (2005, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology), and 'Practice guidelines for direct attention training' (2003, Journal of Medical Speech Language Pathology). In leadership roles, she served as President-Elect of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (2006-2008), Associate Editor of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research since 2006, and Chair of the ANCDS Practice Guidelines Writing Committee on Cognitive-Communication After Traumatic Brain Injury since 2001. Kennedy received the Service Learning Faculty Fellowship Award (2004-2005).