Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, PhD, CCC-SLP, will be the new chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), effective November 1.
She’ll assume duties from Janet Shaw, PhD, FACSM, who has served as interim chair since August. Prior chair Michael Blomgren, PhD, CCC-SLP, stepped down this summer after 16 years of taking the department to new heights.
A talented researcher, clinician, teacher, and leader, Barkmeier-Kraemer is a tenured professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Director of the Voice, Airway, Swallowing Translational (VAST) Research Lab, Clinic Director for the Voice Disorders Center, and adjunct CSD faculty at the University of Utah. She is an internationally known translational clinician-scientist whose work has advanced the clinical assessment and treatment of those with neurogenic voice disorders and dysphagia. She is the only faculty member at the University to hold Honors of the Association from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in recognition of her significant impact on the profession.
Barkmeier-Kraemer has administrative and leadership roles through ASHA, the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, Dysphagia Research Society, and Dysphonia International. She has contributed many publications and book chapters, and is the co-author of Dysphagia Assessment and Treatment Planning Workbook; A team approach.
She’s also a committed mentor, mentoring and supervising University undergraduate students, as well as graduate students, in the master's and doctoral program in CSD, Otolaryngology and other School of Medicine departments. In addition, she serves on the faculty for the CTSI as an instructor in the MSCI program, where she teaches and contributes toward research training of residents, fellows and junior faculty in the health sciences.
“Under Michael Blomgren’s leadership of the department, the programs enjoyed remarkable and steady expansion of research, teaching and community engagement accomplishments—leaving rather big shoes to fill,” Barkmeier-Kraemer said. “He recognized talent and recruited and retained an exceptional faculty and staff to support training one of the largest College of Health graduate student programs. I am excited to receive the baton from Dr. Blomgren and hope to carry on his legacy of growing our program and increasing our national visibility. We plan to be a major contributor in advancing innovative technology for improving assessment and treatment of speech, language, and hearing impairments.”
Barkmeier-Kraemer joined the University in 2014 after a stint at UC Davis and 14 years at the University of Arizona. She completed her undergraduate, master’s and doctoral work at the University of Iowa and postdoctoral work at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
“After completing a nationwide search for our next chair, we are so pleased that Dr. Barkmeier-Kraemer agreed to serve in this role,” said Kelly Tappenden, PhD, Dean of the College of Health. “It’s hard to imagine someone with better credentials to lead and we are certain she’ll make a stellar department even better. We want to thank Dr. Blomgren for his long tenure as chair and applaud him for his work in making the department shine on a national level.”
In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, both the audiology program (#22) and the speech-language pathology program (#32) were listed among the best in the country. Both the audiology and speech-language-hearing clinics operate at capacity, providing vital services to Utahns and beyond.