Speech-Language Pathology Advanced ICU Fellowship
This intensive fellowship program will allow you to participate in a clinical practice with a focus on evaluation and treatment of the ICU patient. The goal of this fellowship is to provide mentorship and advanced practice experience with a complex patient population in the intensive care unit and offer support to work toward completion of the Board Specialty Certification in Swallowing.
Duration: 13 months
Accreditation: ASHA accredited
Apply: Learn how to apply.
Application period: January 1, 2024 - March 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EST
Program start: August 2024
Prerequisites: The fellowship is designed for speech-language pathologists who have completed their clinical fellowship, have a certificate of clinical competency from ASHA and are eligible for Maryland state license. Please note that we are unable to sponsor visas for international applicants.
Please click the pay application fee link to pay the supplementary application fee. Application will not be processed until the fee is received and application is complete. All fees must be paid by midnight E.S.T. on date of application deadline. All fees are non-refundable. If applying for more than one program, separate payments are required.
Fellowship Features
- Clinical evaluation and treatment experience in the areas of motor speech, language, cognition, swallowing, speech-generating devices and alternative communication
- Didactic experience, including surgery observations, participation in multidisciplinary rounds, weekly swallowing conference and monthly journal club meetings
- Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile certification
- Participation in scholarly activities, including case presentations, multidisciplinary education and research projects, with the opportunity to present at a conference or submit for publication
- Leadership experience, including mentorship for the next clinical fellowship year
- Participation in Johns Hopkins Research Development Program
- Poster submission to the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Expo, with additional publication opportunities when appropriate
Fellowship Coordinator
Nicole Frost, M.A., CCC-SLP, BCS-S
Acute Care Therapy Services Team Leader
Board-certified in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
Speech-Language Pathologist
Director of the Advanced ICU SLP Fellowship and Acute Care SLP Fellowship Programs
Email: [email protected]

Current Fellow
Rebecca Brown, CCC-SLP | Class of 2024
Undergraduate school: Syracuse University, bachelor's in neuroscience, and communication sciences and disorders
Graduate school: Columbia University, master's in speech pathology
Hometown: Haddon Township, New Jersey
Professional interests: standardization in dysphagia evaluation, neurologic populations, cough assessment and treatment for dysphagia rehabilitation
Why I chose Johns Hopkins: Working in a medical setting prior to this fellowship gave me the experience to see how much I loved the ICU, but I felt like I had so much more to learn! The advanced ICU fellowship is such a unique program and I felt that Johns Hopkins would be an amazing place to learn.

Fellowship Alumni
Sarah Kim, M.Ed., CCC-SLP | Class of 2023
Undergraduate school: George Washington University, bachelor's in speech, language, and hearing sciences
Graduate school: University of Virginia, master's in communication sciences and disorders
Hometown: Closter, New Jersey
Professional interests: dysphagia, neurogenic communication disorders, tracheostomies and speaking valves
Why I chose Johns Hopkins: This fellowship is an ideal program to hone my clinical skills as I transition my career to a medical setting. It offers unique opportunities to care for a diverse and medically complex patient population with an enriching learning environment through comprehensive teaching and unparalleled mentorship.

Holly DiClemente, M.S., CCC-SLP | Class of 2022
Undergraduate school: Georgetown University, bachelor's in linguistics Graduate school: Columbia University, master's in communication sciences and disorders Hometown: Short Hills, New Jersey Professional interests: instrumental assessment of dysphagia, tracheostomies and speaking valves, aphasia, biofeedback in dysphagia rehabilitation Why I chose Johns Hopkins: Having completed my clinical fellowship in the sub-acute and long term care setting, I was eager to transition my career into acute care. JHH is one of the few programs in the country to offer hands-on, high caliber mentorship and training in the acute setting at the post-CF level.

Alyssa Cook, M.A., CCC-SLP | Class of 2021
Undergraduate school: University of Maryland, bachelor's in hearing and speech sciences Graduate school: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, master's in communication sciences and disorders Hometown: Ocean Township, New Jersey Professional interests: dysphagia, tracheostomies and speaking valves, dysphagia management practice patterns between institutions Why I chose Johns Hopkins: The fellowship truly gives a unique opportunity to further expand my clinical skillset with diverse and complex patient populations through research, didactics and mentorship. I am thrilled to have the expertise of my colleagues to explore how medical speech-language pathology relates to the various aspects of medicine associated with patients in the intensive care unit. What I like about Baltimore: During the pandemic, there are so many outdoor trails to explore that let me get outside while still socially distancing. Plus, there are so many wonderful restaurants that serve takeout!

Brittany Boandl, M.A., CCC-SLP | Class of 2020
Undergraduate school: University of Pittsburgh, bachelor's in communication science disorders Graduate school: Our Lady of the Lake University, master's in speech-language pathology Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania Professional interests: dysphagia, apraxia, tracheostomies Why I chose Johns Hopkins: This fellowship is a wonderful opportunity to initiate my involvement in research. It also provides time and mentorship to hone my skills as an acute care speech-language pathologist while working with a diverse and medically complex patient population. What I like about Baltimore: I love the waterfront trails and parks!

Joanna Smith, CCC-SLP | Class of 2019
Undergraduate school: Bloomsburg University, bachelor's in audiology & speech-language pathology Graduate school: East Stroudsburg University, master's in speech-language pathology Hometown: Bellefonte, Pennsylvania Professional interests: dysphagia, neurogenic communication disorders Why I chose Johns Hopkins: This fellowship is an incredibly unique opportunity that, to my knowledge, no other hospital system currently offers. I’m excited to advance my career and fortify my skillset as an acute care speech-language pathologist. What I like about Baltimore: I love that there seems to be a festival every week!
