This is part of a series of Q&As introducing faculty who have joined the College of Health Sciences for the 2023–24 academic year. Meet all of our new faculty members.

Caroline (Carrie) Larson

Assistant professor, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

What classes are you teaching this semester?

I will be teaching SLHS 8320: Speech Sound Disorders.

Tell us about yourself. What is your background?

I’m from central Illinois originally, and I practiced as a pediatric speech-language pathologist for several years in Chicago before getting my Ph.D. from UW-Madison. I received additional training in clinical neuroscience at UConn before landing here at Mizzou!

What brought you to Mizzou? To your field?

It is a really exciting time of growth and research focus in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. There is an excellent clinical neuroscience community across multiple disciplines that I look forward to learning from and contributing to.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

Tackling challenges I observed in the field, like how to better identify and support individuals with developmental language disorders, and mentoring future clinical scientists.

What has you excited for this semester?

Getting to know my top-notch colleagues and our incoming class of graduate students.

What is a fun hobby or activity that you enjoy outside of work?

Hikes with my dog – my family loves adventuring, like our hiking/camping trip at Acadia National Park last summer.

Could you share a memorable moment from your time teaching?

Seeing the success of my students and mentees! A former mentee who faced a lot of challenges during her undergraduate career was recently featured in the university magazine because she secured a position in a world-renowned infant research lab and was accepted to a prestigious graduate program.

What is your hidden talent?

Tennis! I played at the collegiate level and can still serve up an ace or two.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?

When I was beginning my clinical career, an academic mentor told me that when I get out into the field and have more questions than answers, that’s the time to go back to school and pursue a research career.