About

Dr. Ding joined the Elmhurst College faculty during the fall of 2012. Prior to coming to Elmhurst College, she worked as an associate professor at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and as a speech-language pathologist in hospital, rehabilitation center, outpatient clinic, and long term care facilities. She currently is the graduate program director and teaches graduate courses in dysphagia and motor speech disorders. She also leads an international travel course to China that explores the intercultural differences in rehabilitation medicine. Her current research interests include exploring the anatomical and physiological mechanisms of swallowing disorder, neurological basis of communication and swallowing disorders, and evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders due to various medical diagnoses. She has published 8 book chapters and 19 research articles in nationally and internationally renowned journals. She has presented extensively in conferences nationally and internationally and was a key note speaker in an international maxillofacial reconstruction surgery and rehabilitation conference in 2015. She was appointed adjunct professor in two top ranked rehabilitation programs in China and is currently an adjunct professor in a top ranked medical school in Shanghai China.