Yolanda D Keller-Bell
Biography
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.
Education
| Ph.D. | Ohio State University | 2000 |
| M.A. | Ohio State University | 1993 |
| B.A. | Hampton University | 1991 |
Courses
Publications
- Cao, X. and Keller-Bell, Y. (2025). Assessing Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Clinicians' Services With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Clients. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 1-12.
- Davis, A. M., Telfer, N. A., Artis, J., Abubakare, O., Keller-Bell, Y. D., Caruthers, C., Jones, D. R., & Pierce, N. P. (2024). Resilience and strengths in the Black autism community in the United States: A scoping review. Autism Research, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3243
- Webb, K., Graves, L., Keller-Bell, Y., & Hall, K. (July 2023). A Case Study of Integrating Interprofessional Education in a Community Health Strategy: Collaboration Among Allied Health Programs. Journal of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty.
- Keller-Bell, Y. (In Press). Disproportionate Representation in Special Education and the Intersectionality of Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status. In R.H. (Editor), Critical Perspectives on Social Justice in Speech-Language Pathology. IGI Global.
- Keller-Bell, Y.D. (2020). Intervention Services for a Child with Multiple Disabilities. In D.M. Scott (Editor), Cases on Communication Disorders in Culturally Diverse Populations. IGI Global.
- Keller-Bell, Y. & Short, M. (2019). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Schools: A Tutorial. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50,1,1-15. doi.org/10.1044/2018_LSHSS-17-0037
- Short, M. & Keller-Bell, Y. (2018). Essential Skills for 21st Century Workforce. In Handbook of Research on Promoting Higher-Order Skills and Global Competencies in Life and Work. IGI Global.
- Keller-Bell, Y. (2017). Disparities in Access and Service Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 2(14), 68-81. doi:10.1044/persp2.SIG14.68
Grants
- SLP Preparation in Evidence-Based Approaches for Children with Disabilities (Project SPEAC; 2025-2030)
- A Collaborative Approach to Training Special Educators and Speech-Language Pathologists (2019–2024)
- An Interdisciplinary Project to Prepare Culturally Competent SLPs to Provide Services to Children with Disabilities (2015–2021)