Ashley O’Rourke Named Program Director for Communication Disorders Program

The School of Health and Natural Sciences is pleased to announce that Dr. Ashley O’Rourke has been named as the new program director for the Communication Disorders program effective September 1, 2021.

O'Rourke is an alumna of the Mercy College Communication Disorders program and she served as the director of clinical education and services for the College’s School of Health and Natural Sciences from 2018 to 2021. She will continue to teach graduate level courses focused on her areas of specialty: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), augmentative and alternative communication and pediatric feeding disorders. She has traveled internationally to provide speech, language and feeding services for those with developmental disabilities and craniofacial anomalies in China, Guatemala and Morocco.

O’Rourke completed her Ed.D. in Leadership in Healthcare and Education this spring and is pursuing her doctoral degree in Communication Disorders.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. O’Rourke leading Mercy College’s Communications Disorders program as we prepare for the upcoming academic year,” said Kathleen Golisz, interim dean of Mercy College’s School of Health and Natural Sciences. “The program will greatly benefit from Dr. O’Rourke’s global knowledge of the field, skill as a clinician and leadership capabilities.”