Teresa Valenzano-Hacker is a speech-language pathologist and health system leader dedicated to advancing clinical practice, strengthening systems of care, and elevating the profession at local, provincial, and national levels.
She serves as Manager of Clinical Practice Improvement & Scholarship at Unity Health Toronto, leading organization-wide initiatives to translate evidence into practice and enhance interprofessional care. Through a scholarly, practice-based approach, she has spearheaded and co-led initiatives that improve patient outcomes, including a person-centred language program that influenced clinical documentation, policy, and electronic health record design, and innovative care models to support safe community discharge. She is equally committed to building capacity for critical inquiry, empowering clinicians to lead quality improvement and practice-based research.
Her leadership is exemplified by the co-creation of the Health Disciplines Emerging Leaders Fellowship, now a cornerstone program developing leadership and quality improvement skills across health disciplines. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto, where she is passionate about mentoring future SLPs.
An active advocate through provincial and national professional organizations, and a contributor to dysphagia and implementation science research, Teresa has made a sustained and meaningful impact on patient care and the advancement of speech-language pathology.
