Rate My Professor Lei Sun

Lei Sun, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, serves as Interim Department Chair and Full Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at California State University, Long Beach, where she joined the faculty in 2011. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a school-based speech-language pathologist primarily in preschools and elementary schools. A first-generation immigrant born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, Dr. Sun holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Communication Disorders and Sciences from the University of Oregon, an M.A. in Communication from Shih Hsin University in Taiwan, and a B.A. in Political Science from National Taipei University. She is bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English.

Dr. Sun's research specializations encompass developmental language disorder, the relationship between language and cognition, and speech sound disorders. She has made significant contributions through numerous peer-reviewed publications, including the co-authored book Semantic Processing and Word Finding Difficulty Across the Lifespan: A Practical Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists (Plural Publishing, 2022, with P.-F. Hung); "Language Disorders Are Learning Disabilities: Challenges on the Divergent and Diverse Paths to Language Learning Disability" (Topics in Language Disorders, 2014, with G. Wallach); chapters on speech sound remediation in Speech-Language Pathology Assistants: A Resource Manual (Plural Publishing, 2014, 2019, 2023 editions); and articles such as "Perceived Factors That Facilitate or Prevent the Use of Speech-Generating Devices in Bilingual Individuals with Aphasia" (American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2023) and "Gaps in Framing and Naming: Commentary to 'A Viewpoint on Accent Services'" (2022). In leadership roles, she served as Graduate Advisor (2020–2024), Undergraduate Mentor (2016–2019), and NSSLHA chapter faculty advisor (2011–2016), chaired theses and searches, and contributed to course restructuring. She has participated in college committees including the Graduate Council, Educational Policy Council, and Faculty Council, and advocated for AAPI communities as co-president of the API SLP Caucus (2019–2021) and member of the CSHA Diversity and Inclusion Committee (2019–2022). Dr. Sun received the 2024 President's Outstanding Faculty Award.