Yao Du

Yao Du, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. A bilingual (Mandarin-English) speech-language pathologist, she possesses extensive clinical experience across pediatric and geriatric populations in schools, private practices, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health settings. She additionally consults for digital health startups developing diagnostic and assistive technology tools for individuals with disabilities.

Her research program bridges speech-language pathology and human-computer interaction through rigorous mixed-methods approaches, focusing on designing and evaluating web, mobile, and voice technologies for communication and cognitive disorders. This interdisciplinary work spans medical informatics, game design, and assistive technology domains, with particular emphasis on stakeholder-centered design processes and culturally responsive interventions.

Analysis of her 2018-2023 publications reveals consistent thematic evolution toward technology-mediated therapeutic solutions, with increasing sophistication in mobile application development, virtual environment design, and bilingual assessment methodologies. Key trends include deepening integration of user perspectives from clinicians, parents, and app designers, alongside growing specialization in Mandarin-English bilingual contexts and autism spectrum applications.

Dr. Du teaches seven specialized courses at USC including Telehealth and Assistive Technology, Language and Literacy Disorders, Autism and AAC, and Multicultural Issues in Speech-Language Pathology. Her industry consulting bridges academic research with commercial product development, driving innovation in digital therapeutic tools while maintaining clinical rigor and accessibility standards.