Speech-language pathology program gains new faculty member

By Kate Hunger 

The Speech-Language Pathology master’s program welcomed a new faculty member in June.

Assistant Professor Casey Taliancich-Klinger, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, grew up bilingual in South Texas.

“I’ve always had an interest in language and communication, so I felt this was the right field for me,” she said.

Taliancich-Klinger earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology, as well as bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Communication Sciences & Disorders, all from The University of Texas at Austin.

She most recently was on faculty at the Woolfolk School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she also served as director of the CLD/Bilingual Certificate in Speech Language Pathology and the Multilingual Language and Linguistics Lab. 

Taliancich-Klinger’s research interests focus on pediatric dual-language learners and their language development patterns. She was drawn to UT Health San Antonio by the medical focus of its speech-language pathology program.

 “A lot of my clinical experience is in the medical setting, whether it be acute care or outpatient care,” she said. “I felt it would be the perfect opportunity to combine my research and clinical interests.”

Taliancich-Klinger’s goals in her new role include establishing a research program looking at pediatric populations that are exposed to multiple languages. She also plans to create a bilingual training program for students to teach them about evidence-based best practices for dual-language learners. 

Taliancich-Klinger comes from a family of educators, including her mother.

“She was a certified classroom teacher working with children with different disabilities,” she said. “I loved visiting her classroom.”