Amy Szarkowski, PhD - Training Director

Amy Szarkowski

LEND Program
Psychology Faculty, Boston Children’s Hospital
Director, The Institute & The Clinic, Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD)
Assistant Professor (Adjunct), Dept. of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Associate Professor (Adjunct), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate program, Gallaudet University

Amy Szarkowski, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), as well as children with complex communication challenges, and their families. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Gallaudet University, during which she spent time in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship. She completed her doctoral internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. A lover of travel, following her completion of her doctoral training, Dr. Szarkowski then took an academic position at Miyazaki International College in Japan. Returning to the U.S. after living abroad for three years, she joined the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program (DHHP) at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she remained for 11 years. In 2017, she joined the LEND faculty.

At present, Dr. Szarkowski is Director of The Institute at the Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD), which aims to conduct research, provide professional development, and partner with invested stakeholders to bridge the research-to-practice gap in the areas of Deaf Education and Special Education, focusing on supporting learners with communication challenges. Dr. Szarkowski holds an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Additionally, Dr. Szarkowski is an adjunct Associate Professor at Gallaudet University, where she teaches in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and their Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program. She serves on several advisory boards and is highly involved in her passion project, DHH Fostering Joy, a parent-professional collaboration to support families of children who are DHH and to focus on the strengths of their children and the joy that they bring to the lives of their family members and the professionals fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with them.

Degrees: B.S., Psychology, Southern Oregon University
B.S., Health Promotion & Fitness Management, Southern Oregon University
M.S., Clinical Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University
Post-graduate certificate, Providing Mental Health Services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, Eastern Kentucky University
M.A., Psychology (Developmental emphasis), Gallaudet University
M.S., Administration & Supervision, Gallaudet University
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Gallaudet University

Publications