Yolanda D Keller-Bell

Dr. Yolanda Keller-Bell is a speech-language pathologist and associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, where she currently serves as the interim department chair. She was recently selected as a professional member of the Speech-Language Pathology Academy within the National Academies of Practice, recognizing her work in interprofessional collaboration.

Dr. Keller-Bell’s scholarly and teaching interests include pediatric communication disorders, interprofessional practice, and enhancing service delivery across the continuum of care. Her work centers on language and literacy development in children with developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and emotional and behavioral disorders. Her interest in supporting children with disabilities and promoting person-centered care began during her early clinical experiences. These experiences led her to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she received multidisciplinary training in research related to intellectual and developmental disabilities.

As the project director for her third federally funded personnel-training grant, Dr. Keller-Bell works to prepare graduate students in speech-language pathology to apply evidence-based practices with school-age children who have developmental disabilities. Through her teaching, research, and service, she contributes to the preparation of future speech-language pathologists and the mission of NCCU.