Eliza A Thompson is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her B.S. in Speech & Hearing Sciences from The George Washington University, her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Howard University and an Ed.S from The George Washington University. Eliza also received a Bilingual Extension Certificate from Teacher's College, Columbia University.  She is currently completing a ph.D in applied linguistics. Eliza has had a long standing interest in the processes of communication with a focus on child language development and emergent literacy intervention. As a clinician and clinical supervisor, Eliza has worked in a variety of settings including public schools, private practice and hospitals. She has also served as a clinical supervisor and therapist overseas, specifically, Ghana, Haiti and Kenya. Eliza grew up overseas in Ghana and speaks multiple languages, including Twi.

Eliza's research looks at the intersection of language, culture and disability through a public health lens. She is particularly interested in how children develop language and the various factors that impact that development; including socio-emotional, environmental, and socio-economic. 

Eliza teaches Clinical Practicum, Principles and Methods in Speech-language Pathology, and Speech and Language Development in Children. Her specific clinical interests include bilingual language development, communication in cultural and linguistically populations, and language/literacy intervention.

Eliza is also founder and director of the department's premiere study abroad program, HESP-GPS. Global Perspective in Service-Learning (GPS) is a clinical training program for HESP students who seek a greater understanding of communication sciences and disorders in an international context.