My work is centered around OT education and practice. Among my responsibilities in the education realm are coordinating the admissions process for the MSOT program and supporting that program through teaching, student advising, administrative, and organizational activities. My practice of OT is focused on children (ages 0-21) who have delays, disabilities, or other health conditions that impact the ways they and their families participate in everyday life. I have a particular interest in neurodevelopmental disabilities and serve as the OT faculty for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program at UNC, housed at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. I also have a strong interest in very young children and their families, and am working with the UNC Hospital Newborn Critical Care Center (NCCC).

My research interest is the acquisition and development of language in children who are in the process of learning two languages as dual language learners, particularly Spanish and English. Additional research interests include identifying and refining least-bias approaches to assess dual language learners’ language skills and developing effective interventions for dual language learners, including children who need tiered educational support for language and literacy learning and children with language disorder.

Dr. Alexander works across programs in the School of Medicine to develop educational curricula and assessments. This includes evaluating programmatic changes and understanding how we best prepare students for their roles in the health professions. His research focuses on alternative methods of curricular delivery and their impact on student outcomes, as well as the ways in which technological innovations change the way we teach and practice medicine.

I am a developmental psychologist specializing in the application of novel methodologies and approaches to characterize developmental trajectories in individuals with a diagnosis of autism across the lifespan, with a specific focus on sex differences in symptom presentation and underlying mechanisms. I have published extensively in this area, including on the research priorities of autistic women (Putnam et al., 2023) and improving the identification and supports for autistic females (Lai et al., 2023). My current research, funded through NIMH, NICHD and private foundations, focuses on the application of innovative translational research methods to understand observed phenotypic and trajectory differences between males and females with autism.

I am the clinical coordinator for the Radiologist Assistant Program. I also teach a course in Vascular and Lymphatic Imaging.

My work consists of managing clinical contracts and affiliation agreements the Department of Health Sciences and numerous facilities nationwide have established. I primarily focus on agreements for the following programs: Audiology, Clinical Lab Sciences, Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, Neurodiagnostic and Sleep Sciences, Radiology, Sonography, as well as Speech and Hearing Sciences. I work alongside OPSCA and OUC to process renewals and new requests for agreements and act as a liaison between the department and the divisions during the execution process. I also assist in collecting and managing data for student services and managing locker assignments for incoming students.

Dr. Stephanie Sjoblad (pronounced SHOW-BLAD) grew up as one of three siblings with congenital hearing loss and has worn hearing aids since the age of six. She received a cochlear implant (CI) in Spring of 2009 and now enjoys bimodal hearing (CI on one ear and hearing aid on the other).
Dr. Sjoblad has been a faculty member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences since August 1999 and holds the roles of Professor and Clinic Director. Her primary responsibilities consist of directing the operations of the UNC Hearing and Communication Center clinic, providing direct clinical services while supervising graduate students in audiology, and teaching graduate courses. Dr. Sjoblad is a licensed audiologist in the state of North Carolina and is Board Certified with the American Board of Audiology (ABA).
Dr. Sjoblad has had a lifelong passion to promote more affordable and accessible hearing care to those with hearing loss. She has served on a committee at the National Academies of Science Engineering, and Medicine in D.C. investigating the Use of Selected Assistive Products and Technologies in Eliminating or Reducing the Effects of Impairments. She has served on the Executive Board of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology for over four years.
Her community involvement at the local level includes eleven years of service on the Board of Directors for Beginnings for Parents of Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc. and six years of service on the Board for the American Academy of Audiology – North Carolina. Dr. Sjoblad is a charter member of the North Carolina Audiology Association and served as a Member-at-Large for two years.

Brenda Everett Mitchell is a recently retired Associate Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences as well as Associate Chair of the Department of Health Sciences Office of Student Services and AHEC Operations at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  

As I reflect on my time at UNC as an Associate Professor and administrator, I am grateful for the opportunity to engage with so many awesome individuals. Mentoring is in my DNA so I will always appreciate the growth and development of others through teaching, mentoring, and community service.  

Most recently, I’ve endeavored to reach a younger audience by writing children’s books featuring various health conditions. My books aim to help children understand the importance of treating others respectfully and celebrating differences. 

I am a clinician by training who values helping patients recover from injury and/or surgery to regain mobility and function and ultimately enhance their quality of life. I enjoy working with patients with orthopedic conditions across the lifespan from pediatrics to geriatrics. I am passionate about health equity, ensuring that underserved communities have access to competent and compassionate care. I strive to reduce disparities in healthcare outcomes by offering accessible services for all.
This passion for the profession first led me to clinical teaching with DPT students then classroom teaching. I have a similar passion for my teaching responsibilities as I do clinical care. I aim to create a warm and engaging learning environment that challenges students to think critically and grow in their clinical reasoning. Just as I individualize care for patients, I strive to meet students where they are and support their development into thoughtful, evidence-informed practitioners.