Syracuse Sun

Karen Doherty, a professor of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), has been appointed as A&S' associate dean for faculty affairs. In this role, Doherty will collaborate with department chairs and academic units to develop strategic faculty hiring and retention plans, assist in onboarding new faculty, create support networks for faculty, and liaise with the Office of Faculty Affairs. She will also support efforts related to promotion and tenure, manage regular review and leave processes, assess college governance and policy documentation, committees, and processes. Additionally, she will represent the college at various meetings across campus.

A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi expressed confidence in Doherty's suitability for the role. "I’m so pleased to welcome Professor Doherty to this new role at A&S," says Mortazavi. "In addition to her experience with faculty mentoring and support as a department chair, she has also served on the College Promotion and Tenure Committee—experience that will serve us well as we seek to help our faculty develop their strengths in research and teaching to meet the demands of the academy in the 21st century."

Doherty herself is enthusiastic about her new position. "I am honored to join Dean Mortazavi’s cabinet and work with the outstanding faculty in the college to promote academic excellence," says Doherty. "I look forward to collaborating with the A&S department chairs and all faculty to foster a supportive environment where everyone can succeed as a scholar and teacher."

While fulfilling her duties in this part-time cabinet position, Doherty will continue her research activities and teaching responsibilities within the CSD department.

Doherty joined Syracuse University's CSD department in 1996. She has taught courses on hearing aids, hearing science, clinical audiology, neuroscience program courses, and Aging Studies Institute programs. Her research focuses on age-related hearing loss effects on communication abilities and developing methods for improving older adults' use of hearing aids. Her work has received funding from NIH/NIA, NIH/NIDCD, National Organization for Hearing Research among others.

She served as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders from 2014 to 2021; was president of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology in 2021; is currently a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; was named Distinguished Alumnus by University of Connecticut’s Department of Speech Language & Hearing Science in May 2024.

Doherty holds a Ph.D. in audiology from University of Wisconsin-Madison; an M.A. in audiology from University of Connecticut; B.S. in communicative disorders from University of Rhode Island.

Her four-year appointment began September 1, 2024.