Susan is a licensed/certified Speech-Language Pathologist, dedicating time as a researcher at UCLA, hospitals and nursing homes, focusing on communication issues between family and professional caregivers and the frail elderly. Her experience has gained her recognition in lecturing and training on the subject of communication with this population, including published work and a training video on communicating with the cognitively impaired. Susan is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild and works professionally as an actress and singer, skills she attributes to laying the ground work for developing the techniques of making "connections" with persons who suffer from dementia. She currently resides in Santa Monica, CA.

Be sure to watch "The Alzheimer's Project" documentary series on HBO.