Dr. Pruitt-Lord serves as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at San Diego State University in the College of Health and Human Services and Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.

Dr. Pruitt-Lord’s research focuses on improving methods of assessment for children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to prevent misdiagnosis of language disorders and reduce health and educational disparities. She and her students aim to equip families, students, educators, community agencies, and policy makers with the tools needed to facilitate children’s language and cognitive development. Dr. Pruitt-Lord’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, and local community agencies.

Dr. Pruitt-Lord served on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Board of Directors as the National Advisor to the National Student Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. Dr. Pruitt-Lord has been recognized for her dedication to service, teaching, and high impact educational experiences with the prestigious California State University Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award and more than a dozen student-nominated teaching awards.

Dr. Pruitt-Lord is a recent fellow of ASHA and the National Academies of Practice.