Exploring the Roots of Stuttering: Dr. Cara Singer’s Journey from Graduate Researcher to Tenured Professor

Dr. Cara Singer, Associate Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Grand Valley State University

When Cara M. Singer, PhD, CCC-SLP, received the National Stuttering Association’s (NSA) Graduate Student Research Award in 2017, she was a doctoral student at Vanderbilt University, deep in the process of preparing her dissertation. Under the mentorship of Dr. Robin Jones and Dr. Melanie Schuele, and with guidance from Dr. Jim Bodfish, she was exploring a fundamental question in the field of speech-language pathology: Why do some children continue to stutter while others recover?

Early Curiosity and Groundbreaking Research

Her project, “The Contribution of Cognitive-Emotional and Speech-Language Vulnerabilities to Stuttering Chronicity,” investigated how different cognitive and emotional factors might contribute to whether stuttering persists in young children. The NSA Research Fund Award helped her purchase an iPad for administering the NIH toolkit—an innovative way to gather data on cognition in children who stutter.

“The award was my first funded external grant, which will always be especially memorable for me,” Dr. Singer said. “It gave me the opportunity to collaborate closely with mentors and senior members of our lab as we explored novel factors related to stuttering chronicity.”

That early experience not only supported her research, but also helped launch her career as a scientist and educator.

From Graduate Student to Tenured Professor: Dr. Cara Singer’s Career in Stuttering Research

After completing her PhD in 2019, Dr. Singer joined Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as an assistant professor. Today, she serves as Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for Speech-Language Pathology—and recently celebrated earning tenure in 2024. Since her NSA-funded project, she’s published twelve peer-reviewed articles and co-authored the fourth edition of “Stuttering: Foundations and Clinical Applications” alongside Ehud Yairi and Carol Seery.

Her 2020 publication, “Attention, Speech-Language Dissociations, and Stuttering Chronicity” in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, grew directly out of her NSA-supported research, sharing findings that continue to inform the field today.

Research that Builds Confidence and Resilience

At GVSU, Dr Cara Singer teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in stuttering and supervises clinical students. Her current research focuses on building resilience in young children who stutter through bibliotherapy, a creative, therapeutic approach that uses stories to help children navigate their experiences and emotions.

“I hope my work helps improve the support we provide to people who stutter and their families,” she says—a goal that continues the same spirit of curiosity that began with her very first research award from the NSA.