Ronald B Gillam

Ronald B. Gillam is a Professor and holds the Raymond & Eloise Lillywhite Endowed Chair at Utah State University, within the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education at the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. He specializes in developmental language disorders, bilingual language development, and neurocognitive mechanisms of language. His work integrates clinical research with educational interventions, particularly focusing on children with specific language impairment (SLI).

Education: PhD (1989, Indiana University), MS (1979, Colorado State University), BS (1977, Colorado State University).

Research Interests:

• Neuroscience of language processing using fNIRS
• Cognitive predictors of language comprehension
• Bilingual language assessment and intervention
• Evidence-based practices for language disorders

Awards: Over 30 honors including the 2016 Honors of the ASHA Association, 2009 Bill E. Robins Research Award, and multiple Editor’s Awards for impactful publications.

Teaching & Advising: Teaches courses on fluency disorders, research methods, and special education. Mentored 9 graduate students across disciplines like Psychology and Special Education. Active in grant-funded research projects focusing on bilingual interventions and neuroimaging.

Key Contributions: Pioneered narrative-based interventions, developed assessment tools like the Test of Narrative Language (TNL), and advanced understanding of working memory’s role in language deficits.