Today we’d like to introduce you to Donnetta Davis.
Hi Donnetta, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always worked in the medical field in some capacity. I initially started in veterinary medicine, working as a veterinary assistant under my uncle, who is a veterinarian and owner of multiple private practices. I worked with him throughout my teenage years, and have always had a desire to pursure the career of a veterinarian.
As I started college, I ended up diverting slightly and getting into human medicine to pay for college and lean less on student loans. I became certified as a Central Sterile Registered Technician (CRCST) and began working in hospitals within the Central Sterile Department. Once I gained experience, I started traveling to different same-day surgical and ambulatory centers across Long Island and New Jersey while attending college, which allowed me to support myself financially while completing my undergraduate degree.
When I graduated college, I was burnt out to say the least, but I wanted to take some time to think about what I truly wanted to do career-wise. By my junior year of college, I had begun questioning whether veterinary medicine was the right fit for me given some of the experiences I had with animal care.
One experience that stands out involved my pet parrot. He became startled, started flying around, and ended up crashing into a wall, injuring one of the blood vessels in his wing. I remember trying to help him to stop the bleeding, but his blood ended up getting all over my hands, and I passed out. That experience, along with several others involving blood, made me realize that veterinary medicine might not be the best career choice for me. Working with animals often means dealing with injuries, procedures, and emergencies on a regular basis, and I recognized that I needed to be honest with myself about whether I was best suited for that environment.
After graduating, I continued traveling and working as a CSRT, but I still wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take professionally. During that time, I was speaking with my travel recruiter, and she mentioned the field of speech-language pathology. She told me she had always wished she had gone to school to become an SLP. I had never heard of the profession before, so naturally, I became curious. Like most curious people, I went online and started researching it.
What I found was a profession that encompassed far more than most people realize. As I learned more about medical speech-language pathology, I discovered that SLPs work with individuals who have communication and swallowing disorders. For me, the field represented a bridge between the extensive medical knowledge I had already developed, my love of neuroscience, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Once I discovered the profession, I pursued it aggressively.
I completed the additional prerequisite coursework necessary to bridge my Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience into the field of Communication Disorders. I then earned my Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Emerson College, passed my board examination, and completed my Clinical Fellowship with Metro Physical & Aquatic Therapy on Long Island.
Following my fellowship, I spent some time working as an independent contractor and providing services through various agencies. As my experience grew, I realized I had taken all of the necessary steps to start my own company. I have always poured my all into my profession, and I wanted the ability to provide a higher level of individualized care than I often felt wasn’t possible within traditional models. I wanted the freedom to spend the time necessary with my patients, focus on quality over quantity, and build meaningful relationships with the individuals and families I served. Most importantly, I wanted to specialize.
From the very beginning of my career, I found myself gravitating toward patients with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and swallowing disorders, because those populations consistently challenged me, inspired me, and reinforced my passion for the field. I knew I wanted to dedicate my career to serving those individuals and their families. As a result, I founded Health & Speech PLLC in late 2024 and officially opened my practice in 2025. Today, I specialize in working with adults with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and swallowing disorders.
More recently, I expanded my mission beyond direct patient care and into social media. I often found myself wanting to explain more than time would allow during treatment sessions. I realized there was a need for accessible, reliable education for patients and caregivers, so I created a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing information related to speech pathology, Parkinson’s disease, stroke recovery, cognition, swallowing disorders, and therapeutic exercises that individuals can incorporate into their daily lives.
Looking back, every step of my journey from veterinary medicine to hospital work, speech-language pathology, private practice ownership, and content creation, has been guided by a desire to combine science, education, and compassionate care in a way that meaningfully impacts the lives of others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road. Every journey has its bumps, of course, but I would say the hardest hurdles to work through were balancing school and work at the same time.
During college, I was working while attending school, which could be challenging at times. Later, when I decided to pursue graduate school, I had additional responsibilities. I had my daughter a few months before making the decision to return to school. Even though I was primarily doing per diem work at that point, my focus was on taking care of my daughter while managing the demands of graduate school.
Graduate school was rigorous, and there was a lot that was required both academically and clinically. However, I have always been the type of person who puts her mind toward something and follows through. If I want to accomplish something, it doesn’t really matter what roadblock or obstacle is in my way, I am going to figure out how to get around it, work through it, or work with it.
I am thankful that I did.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Health & Speech PLLC is a Long Island-based outpatient private practice dedicated to providing specialized speech-language pathology services for adults with neurogenic communication and swallowing disorders. The practice focuses on the evaluation and treatment of conditions including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and swallowing disorders. Services include specialized treatment programs such as LSVT LOUD (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment for Parkinson’s voice therapy) and AmpCare ESP (Effective Swallow Protocol for dysphagia rehabilitation), along with individualized therapy plans tailored to each patient’s goals, abilities, and daily communication needs. All services are provided in patients’ homes throughout Suffolk County, Long Island, allowing for true one-to-one care in a familiar environment.
What sets my private practice apart from others is that I truly take the time to invest in my patients’ cases. I review medical histories, neurological reports, and patient progress across other disciplines when that information is available. I actively individualize treatment plans that incorporate therapeutic activities designed not only to improve a patient’s current level of functioning, but also to be enjoyable and meaningful for the patient to participate in. I also actively study within my areas of specialty, including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and dysphagia, so that I can bring the latest knowledge and treatment approaches to my patients.
What I am most proud of is taking the idea I had in 2024 of starting my own private practice and building it from the ground up. I am proud of myself for starting my company from scratch and growing it into what it is today.
I want your readers to know that Health & Speech PLLC does not represent just another speech-language pathology private practice. It represents a clinician who is truly dedicated to the field of speech-language pathology and offers nothing but the best to every patient and family served!
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If you would like to learn more about communication and swallowing disorders related to Parkinson’s Disease and Stroke, subscribe to Health and Speech PLLC on Youtube!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.healthandspeech.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthandspeechpllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthandSpeechPLLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthandSpeechpllc
