2024 Health Care Champions Specialty Provider: Mallory Moore

While the career path for most college students is likely unclear during their first year, that wasn’t the case for Mallory Moore when she enrolled at Missouri State University nearly 20 years ago.

“During my freshman year of college, I had an innate feeling that my career would be within a helping profession,” she says. “After taking the introductory course to communication sciences and disorders, I knew that I had found my calling to be a speech-language pathologist.”

After graduating from MSU in 2011 with a master’s degree in speech-language pathology, Moore went on to work at CoxHealth – a place she says has become a second home to her. During the past 13 years with the health care system, she’s served as a speech-language pathologist in an outpatient rehabilitation setting. Additionally, she earned a doctorate in speech-language pathology in 2018 from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

During her time at CoxHealth, Moore has developed a passion for caring for individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Lou Gehrig’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. She was elected as the first speech-language pathologist to serve and develop protocols for the CoxHealth ALS Clinic.

Her passion also has extended to caring for head and neck cancer patients, leading her in 2022 to become only the second speech-language pathologist in the nation to be a board-certified lymphedema therapist.

“Ultimately, my professional motivation is rooted in the desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, empower colleagues through mentorship and education, and continue pushing the boundaries of excellence in speech-language pathology,” Moore says.

Recognizing the need to improve access to top-of-the-line assessments and therapy materials at CoxHealth, Moore says she successfully has secured more than $300,000 in grant funding over her 13 years with the health system. Funded materials have included laryngoscopy scopes and respiratory trainers for COVID-19 survivors.

Kevin Norris, system director for therapy services at CoxHealth, says he’s continually inspired by Moore’s “unwavering dedication, expertise and commitment to serving this community.”

“Mallory is not only an exemplary clinician but also a passionate advocate for continual learning and the advancement of her skill set,” he says. “Through her dedication to ongoing professional development, she remains at the forefront of the latest advancements and best practices in the field.”

Moore’s professional activity extends beyond CoxHealth as she’s served since 2019 as a board member for Lary’s Speakeasy, a nonprofit that provides supplies to the laryngectomee community. She also is active with the nonprofit Ozarks Neurological Foundation, for which she’s served on the board since 2021.