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Gannon University is proud to welcome Katharine (Katya) Hill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, F-ASHA, an internationally recognized speech-language pathologist, as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and program director for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at it's Erie campus. 

Dr. Hill brings over 30 years of clinical, teaching, and research experience in speech-language pathology, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Her work spans the lifespan—from young children in play-based therapy to adults with advanced neurodegenerative conditions—and she is widely known for her leadership in advancing communication technologies for individuals with complex communication and medical needs.  

Dr. Hill comes to ÃûæÂÖ±²¥ from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, where she served as a professor and senior director of the UPMC Augmentative Communication Program at the Center for Assistive Technology. She currently serves as president of the American Board for AAC Specialty Certification.   

Dr. Hill has led and collaborated on numerous clinical translational research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and various foundations and industry partners. She is currently part of a research team working to commercialize an EEG-based P300 AAC-BCI system. Her research evaluates user performance and outcomes, and investigates stakeholder perspectives on training, usability and barriers to implementation of communication BCIs (cBCIs). She also serves on the multidisciplinary team evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Stentrode™ BCI system—a minimally invasive neural implant designed to support motor control and computer access—now progressing toward early clinical trials.  

Among her notable contributions, Dr. Hill introduced Language Activity Monitoring (LAM), a clinical data logging feature that tracks and measures communication performance, now widely used in AAC-BCI research. She also holds several patents for innovative AAC user interface designs.  

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Hill to Gannon University,” said Kimberly Cavanagh, DHSc, PA-C, dean of the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences. “Dr. Hill’s appointment strengthens our commitment to excellence in the health professions, specifically speech-language pathology, and positions the university at the forefront of cutting-edge AAC and collaborative speech-language pathology clinical services.”