Kathleen Webler, MS CCC-SLP

Senior Speech Language Pathologist
Shirley Ryan

Kate Webler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is a Senior II Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Educator at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, where she specializes in complex medical rehabilitation with a focus on swallowing and communication disorders. A board-certified swallowing specialist, Kate brings over a decade of clinical experience supporting individuals with neurologic, neuromuscular, and multi-system conditions, including those receiving palliative and end-of-life care.
Her clinical practice emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and ethically grounded decision-making to support individualized care that aligns with patient values and goals. In her educator role, Kate develops and delivers training programs for allied health professionals, mentors early-career clinicians, and contributes to institutional efforts to improve quality and continuity of care across the rehabilitation continuum.
Kate is passionate about advancing the role of speech-language pathologists within palliative rehabilitation and helping teams navigate complex dysphagia management decisions through a patient-centered lens. She has presented regionally and nationally on clinical topics including competency, burn rehabilitation and ethical considerations in dysphagia care.

Poster(s):

• Can the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability Be Used as an Aspiration Risk Screening Tool in Parkinson’s Disease?

• Supporting Complex Decision Making in Dysphagia Management Within Palliative Rehabilitation