Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker, PhD, CCC-A/SLP, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky was inducted as a Distinguished Scholar Fellow at the 2024 Forum of the National Academies of Practice (NAP). This honor recognizes Dr. Hidecker’s scholarship, research, and teaching which supports interprofessional practices.

The National Academies of Practice (NAP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 to advise governmental bodies on our healthcare system. Distinguished practitioners and scholars are elected by their peers from multiple different health professions to join the only interprofessional group of healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to supporting affordable, accessible, coordinated quality healthcare for all. Nap firmly believes that close collaboration and coordination of different healthcare professions, aligned through a common vision, can advocate for patients and model excellence in interprofessional and preventive care.

Congratulations to Dr. Hidecker for this high honor!

Hidecker is also an Associate Professor in the Rehabilitation and Health Sciences PhD Program (RHB). With training as a speech-language pathologist, audiologist, and epidemiologist, her clinical experience in assisting children and adults with complex communication disorders led her into clinical research.  Dr. Hidecker received her Ph.D. in Audiology and Speech Sciences with an emphasis in family science from Michigan State University, Lansing. She was a NIH  F31 predoctoral fellow. She held a NIH F32 Postdoctoral fellowship in communication disorders epidemiology, resulting in a master’s degree in epidemiology from Michigan State University.

At the University of Kentucky, Dr. Hidecker serves as the Director of the All About Communication (AAC) Lab. The long-term goal of her program of research is to improve family-centered evidence-based practice in those with severe disabilities. Her specific research emphasis is on cerebral palsy, autism, hearing loss, and Parkinson's disease. Her research interests include the relationship among effective treatment outcomes and individual and family factors as well as the use of augmentative and alternative communication.

She has co-founded the UK Rehab Maker Space with physical therapy professor Dr. Patrick Kitzman. With interested faculty and students, they are considering using 3D printing, laser engraving & cutting (GlowForge), soldering, and other makerspace tools to craft solutions for individuals with diabilities.

Dr. Hidecker enjoys mentoring students in research from high school through Ph.D. students. She leads the development and ongoing research on the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) which has been translated into more than 20 languages. She is part of the interdisciplinary research team developing the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF:SC). Another area is looking at using allied health care telepractice to address rural health disparities.