معرفی
Mellissa Bortz serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders within St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John's University. A nationally certified speech-language pathologist originally from South Africa, she specializes in global language assessment and neurodiversity with a focus on culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Her academic credentials include:
- Ph.D. from University of the Witwatersrand
- M. Phil. from CUNY Graduate Center
- M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from University of the Witwatersrand
- M.A. from Queens College
- B.A. in Speech and Hearing Therapy from University of the Witwatersrand
Dr. Bortz's research centers on developing culturally responsive language assessments for global populations, particularly Translanguaging narrative assessments for African language communities. Her clinical and teaching interests emphasize assessment and treatment of language challenges through neurodiversity-affirming frameworks. She employs Socratic methods and Bloom's Taxonomy to cultivate critical thinking, integrating real-world clinical experiences and multilingual case studies to bridge theory and practice while promoting equitable educational approaches.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a sustained focus on global language assessment development, with significant contributions to Setswana and Zulu language diagnostics, stuttering interventions in multilingual contexts, and neurodivergent perspectives in clinical training. Her work consistently addresses cultural adaptation of assessment tools across the lifespan, with increasing emphasis on African language standardization and ethical considerations in pseudostuttering assignments.
Her professional recognitions include:
- Faculty Mission Certificate from Vincentian Centre for Church and Society
- Selection for ASHA's Faculty Development Institute
- Membership in ASHA's Leadership Development Program
- NSSLHA chapter Gold Honors as faculty moderator
Dr. Bortz actively mentors students through research participation and Academic Service-Learning projects presented at national conferences. She received St John's Summer Support of Research funding in June 2021 and serves on ASHA's SIG 17 Coordinating Committee for Global Issues. Her students engage in community-based projects addressing language disorders across diverse populations, reflecting her commitment to practical application of clinical skills.
As founding member of the African Connections networking group and active participant in International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP), she drives international collaboration to build speech-language pathology resources across Africa. Her current work focuses on the Global Language Assessment Template (GLAT) development and sustainable global partnerships for multilingual service delivery.
