Megan Cuellar

Dr. Cuellar is excited to have joined faculty as Professor and Program Director in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders department at Piedmont University in the fall of 2024.  Dr. Cuellar has previously served as an Associate Professor in Speech-Language Pathology Programs at number of nationally recognized academic institutions where she has instructed in the areas of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, acquired cognitive communication disorders, motor speech disorders, dysphagia and voice.  She also researches and frequently publishes articles and book chapters in the areas of dysphagia, virtual reality implications for clinical service delivery in speech language pathology, aphasia, interprofessional practice, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.  Dr. Cuellar's overall research aims to explore the effects of using virtual reality technology to stimulate mirror neurons in order to enhance swallowing, cognitive communication and motor speech abilities in clinical populations.  She also uses EEG to explore the functional neurophysiology of language abilities in individuals with aphasia.  In addition to her teaching and research experiences, Dr. Cuellar has more than 20 years of clinical experience working with individuals with voice, swallowing, motor speech, and acquired cognitive communication disorders in the following settings and units, Level I trauma, Trauma step-down, Progressive Medical ICU, Medical Surgical ICU, Neurotrauma ICU, Medical / Surgical Acute Care, Long term respiratory care units, in-patient / out-patient rehabilitation units, as well as long term care facilities and university clinics.