Holly Storkel


Holly Storkel
  • Investigator, Life Span Institute
  • Professor, Department of Speech Language and Hearing: sciences & Disorders

Contact Info

Dole Human Development Center, Room 3001
1000 Sunnyside Ave
Lawrence, KS 66045-7599

Biography

Dr. Holly Storkel joined the faculty in the Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS in 2001, where she currently is a Professor. She previously served as Department Chair (2013-2017) and Associate Chair (2010-2013). Through these roles, she has spearheaded numerous efforts at the department level to improve student learning and student success leading to her department being awarded the University Degree-Level Assessment Award (2016), the CLAS Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising (2015), and the CTE Departmental Award for Exceptional Teaching and Learning (2008). Dr. Storkel also served as Associate Dean of Academic Innovation and Student Success (2017-2021) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and as Vice-Provost for Assessment and Program Development (2020-2021). In this roles, she lead efforts to improve student learning, refine evaluation of teaching and mentoring, explore innovative methods of course delivery, and advance program assessment.

Education

Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Services , University of Washington
M.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington
B.A. in Speech and Hearing Services, Highest Distinction, Indiana University

Research

Dr. Storkel’s research focuses on helping children learn words and sounds so they can succeed in school and life. Her work has been supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Her early research focused on understanding why some children learn the sounds and words of their native language so easily while others struggle. Her current research seeks to develop and evaluate treatment approaches to accelerate sound and word learning in children with speech sound disorder and/or developmental language disorder. Dr. Storkel conducts efficacy, effectiveness, and implementation science research. She was named Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2014.

Research Interests

  • Language development
  • Language disorders
  • Phonology
  • Word learning
  • Vocabulary
  • Specific language impairment
  • Speech sound disorders

Service

Dr. Storkel currently serves as Chair of the KU Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders Department and Co-Director (with John Ferraro) of the KU/KUMC Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders (2013-present). Dr. Storkel also is the Past-President of the KU Chapter of Sigma Xi (an international & multi-disciplinary research society, 2017-2019), an Action Editor for the Journal of Child Language (2014-2017), and Chair of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Scientific Advisory Board. Additional recent leadership experience includes Associate Chair of the KU Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders Department (2010-2013), Chair of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (AHSA) Research and Scientific Affairs Committee (RSAC, 2011-2013); Faculty Fellow at the University of Kansas Center for Undergraduate Research (2013-2014); Associate Editor for the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (2011-2013).

Teaching

Dr. Storkel teaches courses related to speech and language structure, processing, development and disorders at the undergraduate and graduate level. She also has lead several doctoral seminars related to professional development, manuscript writing, and grant writing.

New Teaching interests

  • Language science
  • Phonology
  • Phonological disorders
  • Scientific writing and publishing
  • Grant writing
  • Clinical research
  • Implementation science