Hillary D. Cooper has joined the faculty in the college’s new Speech-Language Pathology program.
Cooper is a medical speech-language pathologist with expertise in evaluating and treating patients with swallowing difficulties. She began her career in an outpatient private practice, serving active-duty military personnel, their dependents, and retired servicemembers. She later worked in long-term care facilities, acute care, and home health before starting her own private practice in 2016. In 2018, she founded North Louisiana Swallow Solutions, a mobile provider of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).
In 2019, Cooper co-founded the Dysphagia Outreach Project, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting individuals with swallowing difficulties by providing education, supplies, and resources. She is a frequent guest lecturer, podcast guest, and produces dysphagia content for www.dysphagiaoutreach.org/shop and www.dysphagiainformedconsent.com. An article she authored, “Bold Solutions to Shortages of Dysphagia Services,” was published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in the July 2026 issue of The ASHA Leader news magazine.
She is a recipient of multiple Awards for Continuing Education (ACE) from ASHA, including the Presidential Impact Award in 2025. She also was awarded a meritorious poster submission for her health equity research at the 2025 ASHA convention, which earned her a research career development award and grant from the Dysphagia Research Society, where she also serves as a member.
Cooper began teaching in the Speech-Language Pathology program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2020. She has served as a board member of the Louisiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Council of State Association Presidents.
A graduate of the University of Houston, Cooper earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communication Disorders. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University, where she has been nominated for Baylor’s Outstanding Graduate Research Award for her health equity work and dissertation titled “Barriers and Facilitators to Shared Decision-Making for Modified Diets by Speech-Language Pathologists in U.S. Nursing Facilities: A Multiple Case Study.”
