Patricia A. Prelock

Interim President

PRONOUNS she/her

Patricia A. Prelock
Pronouns she/her
Alma mater(s)
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • Kent State University
Affiliated Department(s)

Office of the President

BIO

Patricia A. Prelock was named interim president by the Board of Trustees beginning October 1, 2024. She has served as provost and senior vice president of UVM since 2019 and prior to that was dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Dr. Prelock is a recognized expert in the nature and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and has been awarded nearly $25 million dollars in university, state and federal funding as a PI or Co-PI to develop innovations in interdisciplinary training supporting children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, to facilitate training in speech-language pathology, and to support her intervention work in ASD. She has over 220 publications and 600 peer-reviewed and invited presentations/ keynotes in the areas of autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, collaboration, IPE, leadership, and language learning disabilities. In 2019, she was named Associate Editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and in 2023 she was named Associate Editor for Frontiers in Human Neuroscience-Speech and Language Section. Dr. Prelock received the University of Vermont’s Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000, was named an ASHA Fellow in 2000 and a University of Vermont Scholar in 2003. In 2011, she was named the Cecil & Ida Green Honors Professor Visiting Scholar at Texas Christian University and in 2015 Dr. Prelock was named a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Pittsburgh. In 2016, she received the ASHA Honors of the Association and in 2017 she was named a Distinguished Alumna of Cardinal Mooney High School. Dr. Prelock also received the 2018 Jackie M. Gribbons Leadership Award from Vermont Women in Higher Education. Dr. Prelock is a Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language and was named a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in speech-language pathology in 2018.  She was the 2013 President for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and was President of the ASH Foundation in 2020 and 2021.

Area(s) of expertise

Research focuses: the nature and treatment of autism in children, specifically addressing issues of social cognition and theory of mind using social cognitive interventions; identification of the neurological underpinnings of emotion recognition and theory of mind deficits in children with autism; interprofessional education and collaborative practice; family-centered care.

Bio

Patricia A. Prelock was named interim president by the Board of Trustees beginning October 1, 2024. She has served as provost and senior vice president of UVM since 2019 and prior to that was dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Dr. Prelock is a recognized expert in the nature and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and has been awarded nearly $25 million dollars in university, state and federal funding as a PI or Co-PI to develop innovations in interdisciplinary training supporting children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, to facilitate training in speech-language pathology, and to support her intervention work in ASD. She has over 220 publications and 600 peer-reviewed and invited presentations/ keynotes in the areas of autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, collaboration, IPE, leadership, and language learning disabilities. In 2019, she was named Associate Editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and in 2023 she was named Associate Editor for Frontiers in Human Neuroscience-Speech and Language Section. Dr. Prelock received the University of Vermont’s Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000, was named an ASHA Fellow in 2000 and a University of Vermont Scholar in 2003. In 2011, she was named the Cecil & Ida Green Honors Professor Visiting Scholar at Texas Christian University and in 2015 Dr. Prelock was named a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Pittsburgh. In 2016, she received the ASHA Honors of the Association and in 2017 she was named a Distinguished Alumna of Cardinal Mooney High School. Dr. Prelock also received the 2018 Jackie M. Gribbons Leadership Award from Vermont Women in Higher Education. Dr. Prelock is a Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language and was named a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in speech-language pathology in 2018.  She was the 2013 President for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and was President of the ASH Foundation in 2020 and 2021.

Areas of Expertise

Research focuses: the nature and treatment of autism in children, specifically addressing issues of social cognition and theory of mind using social cognitive interventions; identification of the neurological underpinnings of emotion recognition and theory of mind deficits in children with autism; interprofessional education and collaborative practice; family-centered care.