Collegiate Affiliation

Marilyn Fairchild is a speech-language pathologist and clinical supervisor at the University of Minnesota (UMN). She has master's degrees in teaching English as a Second Language and Communication Disorders.

She has experience with pediatric and adult populations with a variety of developmental and acquired communication needs. Areas of interest include provision of gender-affirming voice and communication services for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, assessment of individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, literacy skills in children with speech/language issues, and formative assessment in clinical education.

She is a co-author of Talk With Me: A Resource Guide for Speech Language Pathologists and Educators Working with Linguistically Diverse Young Children and their Families. She is active in the Minnesota Speech, Language, Hearing Association, serving as a member of the Advocacy and Governmental Affairs Committee, Policy Council, and Multicultural Affairs Committee. She is also past co-president of the association. She serves as the advisor to the UMN SLHS NSSLHA chapter. She is currently serving on the Multicultural Issues Board for the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).  

Outside of work, she enjoys rowing, running, and spending time with her family and dogs.

Educational Background & Specialties
Open Close

Educational Background

  • Masters: Teaching English as a Second Language, UMN, 1995 -
  • Masters: Communication Disorders, UMN, 1997 -
  • Certificate of Clinical Competence: Speech Language Pathology, American Speech Language Hearing Association, 1998 -

Specialties

  • communication differences and disorders in pediatric and adult populations
  • gender-affirming voice and communication services
  • assessment and intervention with culturally and linguistically diverse populations
  • developmental and acquired communication needs in speech, language, and literacy