Growing up attending Special Olympics events in western Pennsylvania with her father, a special educator, Dr. Kristen West knew early on that she wanted to help children with developmental and medical needs. But the traditional paths didn’t quite fit.

"I didn't want to have a classroom of my own students," she recalled. "I was really intrigued by the medical field."

A conversation with an older cousin who worked as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) sparked an interest.

"I did some observations and just kind of fell in love with that and didn't look back."

Today, West is an assistant professor, assistant chair, and director of the online Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology program at PennWest. Her specialty lies in pediatric dysphagia, early intervention and feeding disorders. In her role, she doesn't just treat patients; she shapes the next generation of clinicians.

"We help people either regain or develop communication, cognition, swallowing skills," she said, noting that SLPs can work with patients from birth to the end of life.

Today's students face unique challenges, and the university is committed to providing the flexible support they need to persevere. West intimately understands the demands placed on modern students; she completed her own doctoral studies while working at PennWest and raising a family. Recognizing that rigid educational pathways often prevent talented individuals from entering the field, West helped design a program rooted in real-world practicality.

"That's a big barrier in our field of speech language pathology,” she explained. “How do we recruit people to our field or diversify our field when our educational pathways have not always been as flexible?"

The online program at PennWest removes these barriers, allowing students from across the country to balance their studies with their lives. But flexibility doesn't mean compromising on academic quality. "We do pace our students out, so they do engage with the same content on the same timeline over the semesters,” West noted. “But they can do that at their own pace."

Whether students enter with an undergraduate background in the field or transition from a different career path through PennWest's Speech Language Pathology Post-Baccalaureate program, West is dedicated to ensuring they receive comprehensive clinical training. By combining rigorous asynchronous coursework with targeted, in-person clinical intensives, West and her team have crafted an experience that prepares graduates to make a lasting impact.

"At the end of the day, the goal is to  support patients and family and help transform their lives," West said.