Rate My Professor Jessica Sullivan

Dr. Jessica Sullivan serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders within Hampton University’s School of Science. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2010, a degree in Deaf Education from Lamar University in 2000, and a degree in Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University in 1996. Joining Hampton University in August 2019 as an Assistant Professor and Graduate Coordinator, she advanced to her current roles, overseeing the accredited Master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology and contributing to undergraduate preparation for graduate studies in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. An ASHA Fellow, Dr. Sullivan has played key leadership roles, including Co-Chair for the Audiology strand of the 2019 ASHA Convention, membership on the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) Honors and Awards Committee, and co-direction of the IMPACT program in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University. She also serves as Co-Principal Investigator on the Hampton University LEAD Initiative, aimed at developing diverse research-driven leaders in higher education.

Dr. Sullivan’s research focuses on hearing loss, speech and language processing, speech intelligibility, neuroscience, audiology, and hearing disorders, particularly auditory working memory and speech recognition in noise among children with hearing impairments. Her publications include "Working Memory and Speech Recognition Performance in Noise: Implications for Classroom Accommodations" (2015), "The Effect of Noise on the Relationship Between Auditory Working Memory and Comprehension in School-Age Children" (2015), "Children's Auditory Working Memory Performance in Degraded Listening Conditions" (2014), "Little Ears and Brains: Hearing Aids and Intervention" (2013), and "Auditory training of speech recognition with interrupted and continuous noise maskers by children with hearing impairment" (2013), amassing 197 citations. Her contributions have earned her the 2025 CAPCSD Excellence in Diversity Award, 2025 National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) Honors for IMPACT Audiology, and 2024 ASHA Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Higher Education. Under her leadership, the department maintains Council on Academic Accreditation status through 2026 and supports high Praxis exam pass rates and student scholarships.