Dr. Ellen Cohn is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Communication and Rhetoric in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the College of General Studies at the University of Pittsburgh and an adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she teaches distance education health communication and a variety of other applied communication courses. She has held secondary appointments in Pitt’s School of Dental Medicine and in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and as a Faculty Fellow, University Honors College, and an affiliated faculty member of Pitt’s University Center for International Studies.

Dr. Cohn co-authored two programs at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law: Certificate Program in Disability Law, and the first MSL with a Concentration in Disability Law. Dr. Cohn is a past investigator for a Department of Education – National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telerehabilitation. She served as Professor, Department of Communication Science and Disorders School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Associate Dean for Instructional Development (2007- 2015), Assistant Dean for Instructional Development (2002-2007) and Director of Instructional Development (1999-2002), School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh. Cohn was designated a Diversity Champion, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2009), and was a Provost’s Office, Diversity Seminar Fellow (2005).

Dr. Cohn earned her BA from Douglass College of Rutgers University. She then attained a MS from Vanderbilt University, followed by a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.  She began her career as a speech-language pathologist at the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Center, University of Pittsburgh, and was formerly Director of the Speech and Hearing Clinic and the Clinical Coordinator for the Master’s Program in Speech-Language Pathology. Her interests span the areas of telerehabilitation/telehealth/telemedicine; interprofessional education; cleft palate, dentofacial, and craniofacial disorders; clinical training in speech-language pathology; and healthcare communication.

Dr. Cohn initiated an electronic journal archive, which is available gratis to the public, for the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal (1964-1989), in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Library System. She is the Founding Editor (2008 –present) of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation (a PubMed indexed electronic journal).  Currently she is a journal reviewer for numerous publications, including the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, Communication Disorders Quarterly, Current Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, and Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare.

Her membership in professional and scientific societies includes the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (Founder and Past Coordinator, Special Interest Group on Telepractice), the American Telemedicine Association (Board of Directors, two terms, Past Chair, Special Interest Group on Telerehabilitation), the Pennsylvania Speech and Hearing Association (Board, 2016-2017), and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Speech-Language and Hearing Association (past president).  In 2013, Dr. Cohn was named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In   2006 she received the Honors of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Speech-Language and Hearing Association. In 2017, she served as an External Reviewer for the University of  Kentucky College of Health Sciences. In 2020, she received the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s Editor’s Award, for “Ethical Considerations for Client-Centered Telepractice, Perspectives of the Special Interest Groups.

In 2022, Cohn was invited to represent her discipline in the National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine’s workshop: The Use of Telehealth for Disability Evaluation in Medicine and Allied Health, with published proceedings, to inform the Social Security Administration.

View a list of some of Dr. Cohn’s publications:

Books:

• Hall, N., Juengling, J., Guttman, M., Cohn, E.  (2022). Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Plural Publishing, Inc.
• Hall, N., Juengling, J., Guttman, M., Cohn, E.  (2020). Tele-AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Through Telepractice, Plural Publishing, Inc.
• Kumar, S. and Cohn, E. (Eds.) (2013). Telerehabilitation, Springer-Verlag, UK, ISBN: 1447141979.
• Chabon, S. and Cohn, E. (Eds.) (2011).  The Communication Disorders Casebook: Learning by Example, Boston MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, ISBN: 9780205610129
• Gareis, J. and Cohn, E. (2013) (3^nd Edition).  Communication as Culture: An Introduction to the Communication Process. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. ISBN: 0757548040.
• Branche, J., Mullennix, J. and Cohn, E. (Eds.) (2007). Diversity Across the Curriculum, Bolton, MA, Anker Publishing Company, ISBN: 9781933371283.
• Skolnick, ML and Cohn, ER (1989).  Videofluoroscopic Studies of Speech in Patients with Cleft Palate.  New York: Springer-Verlag, ISBN: 0387969586.

Selected articles/chapters:

• Cohn, E. & Cason, J. (2020) Tele-ethics and Informed Consent. Chapter 3 in Hall, N., Juengling, J., Gutmann, M., Cohn, E. (2029). Tele-AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication through Telepractice.  San Diego: Plural Publishing Inc.
• Cason, J, & Cohn, E. (2020). Introduction to Telepractice. Chapter 1 in Hall, N., Juengling, J., Gutmann, M., Cohn, E. (2019, in press). Tele-AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication through Telepractice.  San Diego: Plural Publishing Inc.
• Cohn, E. and Cason, J. (August, 2019). Ethical considerations for client-centered telepractice. Perspectives, SIG 18 Telepractice, 704-711.  https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_PERS-SIG18-2019-0001, Editor’s Award.
• Cohn, E. and Cason, J. (2016), Telepractice, Telehealth, and Telemedicine: Acquiring knowledge from other disciplines. Perspectives in Telepractice, American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
• Shore JH, Mishkind MC, Bernard J, Doarn CR, Bell I Jr, Bhatla R, Brooks E, Caudill R, Cohn ER, Delphin BJ, Eppolito A, Fortney J, Friedl K, Hirsch P, Jordan PJ, Kim TJ, Luxton DD, Lynch MD, Maheu MM, McVeigh FL, Nelson EL, Officer C, O’Neil PT, Roberts LJ, Rye C, Turvey C, Vo A., A lexicon of assessment and outcome measures for telemental Telemed J E Health. 2014 Mar;20(3):282-92. doi: 10.1089/t.
• Cohn, E. (2014). Invited Commentary. Telemedicine, circa 2014. Journal of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth.
• Cason, J. & Cohn, E. (2014). Telepractice: An Overview and Best Practices. American Perspectives in AAC. Speech-Language Hearing Association. Vol. 23:4-17. doi:10.1044/aac23.1.4
• Cohn, & Watzlaf, V. Tomorrow’s Professor eNewsletter: “Private and Secure Online Classes?” April/May 2014 publication.
• Cason, J. & Cohn, E (2013). Invited Commentary: Telerehabilitation: Current Challenges to Deployment in the United States, Journal of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth, 1: 2.
• Cohn, E. & Cason, J. (2013). Telepractice: A wide-angle view for persons with hearing loss. Volta Review.112:3, 207-226.
• Schmidt, KL, Neiswanger, K, Cohn, E, DeSensi, R, Brandon, C, Bardi, K, & Marazita, M., Nasolabial fold and extended cleft phenotype. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, Cleft Palate Craniofac J. Mar; 50(2):201-6. doi: 10.1597/11-103, 2013.
• Cohn, (2012). Tele-ethics in Telepractice for Communication Disorders, Perspectives on Telepractice, 2(1). 3-15.
• Brannon, JA, Cohn, E, Cason, J. (Spring 2012). Making the case for uniformity in professional state licensure requirements.  International Journal of Telerehabilitation, Vol. 4, No. 1, doi:  10. 5195/ijt.2012.6091.
• Cohn, ER, Brannon, J, Cason, J. (Fall 2011). Resolving barriers to licensure portability for telerehabilitation professionals.  International Journal of Telerehabilitation.  3:2, 31-33.doi: 10. 5195/ijt.2011.6078.
• Schmidt, KL, Neiswanger, K, Cohn, E, DeSensi, R, Brandon, C, Bardi, K, Marazita, M., Nasolabial Fold and Extended Cleft Phenotype. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 2012 Jan 24.
• Cohn, E, and Watzlaf, JM (2011, ) Privacy and Internet-based telepractice. Perspectives on Telepractice, 1:26-37; doi: 10.1044/tele1.1.26.
• Cohn, E. and Chabon, S. Making the Case for Case-based Learning, in Chabon, S. & Cohn, E.  (2011), The Communication Disorders Casebook: Learning by Example.   Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
• Cohn, E. Viewpoint: Preparing for the Future with Disruption-Resistant Online Programs, Educause Quarterly, March 2010. 33:1.
• Cohn, E.  and Hibbitts, B. Academic Public Service Web Sites and the Future of Virtual Academic Public Service.  Innovate, June/July 2005, 1:5.
• Cohn, E. and Hibbitts, B. Beyond the Electronic Portfolio: A Lifetime Personal Web Space, Educause Quarterly, 27:4, 7-10, Nov. 2004.
• Cohn, E, Klinzing, G, Frieze, IH, Sereika, S, Stone, CA, and Vana, C. Academic Computing Vulnerabilities:  Another View of the Roof, Educause Quarterly, 1:  57- 61, 2004.
• Cohn, E, One Course, One Website-Of Course? Educause Quarterly, 27:2, 6-7. 2004.
• Cohn, E, Davis, D, Nicholl, J, and Baker, C. Faculty development strategies for a multidisciplinary faculty in health and rehabilitation.  In David Brown (Ed.) Faculty Development Strategies that Work, 2003.
• Cohn, ER, Hesky, E, Bradley, WF, McWilliams, BJ, Hurwitz, DJ and Wallace, SB., Life response to Crouzon’s Disease, Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 22: 123-131, 1985.
• Cohn ER, Rood, SR, McWilliams BJ, Skolnick, ML, and Abdelmalek, LR, Barium sulphate coating of the nasopharynyx in lateral view videofluoroscopy. Cleft Palate Journal, 21:7-17, 1984.