Meet Our 2025 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year!

VNS Health’s 2025 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year has been revealed: It’s Jennifer Hansen—and the announcement is sure to generate a round of applause across Staten Island.

One of just two VNS Health speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Staten Island and a resident of the borough herself, Jennifer treats all her patients like family. “Everyone knows everyone here,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll find I know a patient’s daughter, or I may have cared for the patient’s aunt or cousin. They all feel like family.”

Jennifer has been with VNS Health Home Care for 19 years, and she finds every day rewarding, especially now that she’s past the hustle and bustle of raising young kids and being new on the job. What she loves most about her work is that she’s making a difference in the lives of her clients. They’re often isolated and lonely when she first meets them—they may be unable to socialize over a meal, for example, or be struggling to communicate with friends and loved ones.

“Besides losing their ability to be understood or to eat, they’re also losing their independence—everyone’s making decisions for them,” she says. “When I talk to them, I listen and I make sure to include them in the decision-making process. I can see that it cheers them up.”

Her colleagues praise Jennifer for how her work embodies VNS Health’s Core Values of Empathy, Agility and Integrity. For a time, she was VNS Health’s only SLP on Staten Island, and she knows the borough intimately. In one of her most memorable cases, she helped a 9/11 first responder regain the use of his voice after his larynx was removed during cancer treatment. On her first visit, she helped him set up and use a new electrolarynx. “He began talking up a storm! He was ecstatic, and I was ecstatic,” she recalls.

When another client she’d worked with numerous times over the years recently passed away, the family let Jennifer know how grateful they were for all her support. “They told me how much of a difference I made in their mother’s life,” Jennifer says. “That kind of feedback makes the job so rewarding.”

Jennifer always knew she wanted a career helping people. While in college, she was introduced to speech-language pathology through her boss at the deli where she worked, whose wife was an SLP. Around the same time, Jennifer’s uncle was diagnosed with ALS and lost the ability to speak. The confluence of events inspired Jennifer to become an SLP herself, and she’s found it to be an ideal way for her to contribute to people’s quality of life. Gratitude is a big part of Jennifer’s life, as is yoga and meditation. She often weaves gratitude into her patient care, along with relaxation techniques and breathing awareness. She also sets a Gratitude Alarm on her phone that chimes regularly, reminding her to acknowledge things she’s grateful for. Her job at VNS Health tops the list. “I just enjoy my work so much these days,” she says. “In a way, it feels even more appropriate to get this award now.”