David Rehfeld

Dr. Rehfeld's research examines how pre-professional and professional training influence healthcare professionals' development, clinical decision-making, and patient outcomes in speech-language pathology and related health disciplines. Through the Translational Research and Clinical Education (TRACE) Laboratory, he integrates quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to conduct community-engaged, practice-relevant scholarship across three interconnected areas. His first line of inquiry focuses on pre-professional skill development and instructional design, with an emphasis on innovative instructional practices that support the learning and retention of key competencies � including clinically-focused critical thinking and decision-making � and how instructional design influences learners' ability to apply knowledge in increasingly complex clinical contexts. A second, related area examines interprofessional education and collaborative practice, focusing on the development and evaluation of experiences in which students from different disciplines learn from, with, and about each other in preparation for interprofessional collaborative practice. This work informs the creation of learning environments that more closely approximate real-world clinical care. A third line of inquiry investigates educational technology and professional development, evaluating how tools such as clinical simulation and virtual reality shape learner engagement, reasoning, confidence, and readiness for clinical practice.