The New York City Dysphagia Symposium

Salman Azhar, MD, is the Regional Director of Stroke in the Western region and the System Director of Telestroke for Northwell Health. He attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School and residencies both at VCUMS and Mount Sinai Hospital & Medical Center. He completed his fellowship training at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke. Dr. Azhar is also a professor of Neurology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Martin Brodsky, PhD, ScM, CCC-SLP, F-ASHA is Section Head for Speech-Language Pathology in the Head and Neck Institute at Cleveland Clinic and Adjunct Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.  His publications largely focus on swallowing and swallowing disorders and laryngeal injury after endotracheal intubation.  Dr. Brodsky’s research is funded by the NIH studying the effects of critical illness and critical care medicine on swallowing and the airway.

Financial Disclosure: Salary from the Cleveland Clinic; Grants from NIH/NINR; FDA; Consultant for Phagenesis, Inc; Royalties from Medbridge, Inc.; Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Volunteer board member for the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders; Volunteer committee co-chair for the Dysphagia Research Society.

James Curtis, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is an assistant professor of speech-language pathology and principal investigator of the Aerodigestive Innovations Research lab (AIR) in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. His mission is to improve the health and quality-of-life of people with voice and swallowing disorders through clinical innovation, scientific discovery, multidisciplinary collaborations, and educational outreach.

Financial Disclosure: Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Debra Dout is a marathoner, artist and traveler.  She’s run marathons on 3 continents, made art and perfume across North America and Europe, kayaked through icebergs to glaciers in Alaska, trekked the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, and cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 24 in Paris.  Before her “full-time life,” she launched Oracle Applications as a sales executive running sales organizations in the Bay Area and western US and was a doctoral candidate (ABD) in experimental psychology.   

Financial Disclosure: No financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Louisa Ferrara-Gonzalez, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CNT, NTMTC is board certified in Swallowing/Swallowing Disorders, a Certified Neonatal Therapist, Neonatal Touch and Massage, and holds certification as a Trauma-Informed professional. She has over 15 years of clinical experience working with medically fragile infants and children. She currently runs a private practice, manages the NICU Dysphagia Research Team at NYU Langone Hospital and is Chief Clinical Officer at Innara Health. Dr. Louisa publishes in peer-reviewed journals and is an internationally sought out speaker.

Financial Disclosure: Receives a salary from Innara Health and NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island; Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: ASHA PFD Topic Committee.

Raquel Garcia, SLPD, CCC-SLP, CLC, CNT, BCS-S is a trained craniofacial speech-language pathologist who is a core member of the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Craniofacial team. She has worked in the acute care setting in the neonatal intensive care unit for over 10 years. She graduated with her M.S. in communication disorders from Nova Southeastern University and her doctorate of speech-language pathology from Northwestern University. Her clinical interests include upper airway disorders, infant feeding, neonatal care, and dysphagia across the lifespan.  

Financial Disclosure: Receives a salary from Nova Southeastern University. Receives a salary as an hourly PRN Speech-Language Pathologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Cleft and Craniofacial Center; Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Cafe.

Non-Financial Disclosure: FLASHA Executive Board Member, Vice President of Membership; Hispanic Caucus, Vice President of Professional Practices; SIG 13 Coordinating Committee, Member at Large; Feeding Matters, Conference Committee; NANT, Peer Reviewer; Dysphagia Research Society, Social Media Committee.

Kate Hutcheson, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is a professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is the Chief for Speech Pathology and Audiology. She serves as the Director of Research in the Section of Speech Pathology and Audiology. She is the Director of the Voice Center and AUD Fellowship Director and is a lecturer at the University of Houston. Dr. Hutcheson is a certified speech-language pathologist with a doctorate degree in Epidemiology.

Financial Disclosure: Grants from National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute/NIDCR, MD Anderson Institutional Research Grant, Daneen and Charles Stifle Oropharynx Program, Department of Defense, Atos Medical and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Personal fees received from Atos Medical and ASHA. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Cafe.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Board member for the Head & Neck Cancer Alliance.

Seth Kaplan, MD is Director of the Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital, is a Board Certified Otolaryngologist and Head and Neck Surgeon. He treats all disorders of the ear, nose and throat and did subspecialty training in Laryngology, professional voice and swallowing disorders at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. He is an active member of the Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery as well as the American Laryngological Association and The New York Laryngological Society.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Marta Kazandjian, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA, NBC-HWC is Clinical Assistant Professor and Department Head of Speech Pathology/Swallowing at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.  Board certified in swallowing and integrative health and wellness, Marta has worked collaboratively with palliative care teams to provide communication and swallowing support for patients with serious illness.  She is co- author of  “Communication and Swallowing Management of Tracheostomized and Ventilator Dependent Individuals”, (3rdEd)  and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. 

Financial Disclosure: Salary, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital; Royalty, Northern Speech Services  (EYELINK2); Co-Ownership-Eat Speak Breathe Publishing Inc.. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Volunteer Teaching/Speaking- Teachers College/Columbia University; Board Membership-ABSSD; Non-salaried faculty member in the Department of Speech Pathology at Stony Brook University. Serves as reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals.

Linda Kirschenbaum, DO, FCCM graduated from New York college of Osteopathic Medicine in 1989. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training and her fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center in New York City, NY.   She has been practicing in the field of Critical Care Medicine and involved in the training of Critical Care fellows for over 20 years. Her research interest has been in the area of rheologic changes and microvascular flow in severe sepsis and septic shock. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.  She is currently an Attending in the section of Critical Care Medicine and Associate Chair of Quality for the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She is the Western Region Critical Care lead for Northwell Health.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Mario Landera, SLP.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-S is Chief in the Division of Speech Pathology and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He specializes in the evaluation and treatment of voice and oropharyngeal swallowing disorders, as well as head and neck cancer speech and swallowing restoration. He currently has leadership positions with the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and the Dysphagia Research Society.

Financial Disclosure: Salary from the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Volunteer board member for the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders; Volunteer committee co-chair for the Dysphagia Research Society.

Kara Larson, MS, CCC-SLP is the Director of the Feeding and Swallowing Program at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Division of Otolaryngology & Communication Enhancement. She specializes in the area of Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders. Kara has over 25 years of clinical experience. She has published clinical research in the area of pediatric dysphagia. Kara is part-time faculty at Boston University and Emerson College where she teaches the graduate course in craniofacial disorders. She is an executive board member of the Aerodigestive Society and speaks nationally on pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. Kara enjoys spending time with her family, boating and skiing, and drinking coffee.

Financial Disclosure: Salary from Boston Children’s Hospital; Part-time Faculty at Boston University; Part-Time Faculty at Emerson College; Paid Consultant for Tomy International. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Executive Committee Member for Aerodigestive Society; ASHA SIG #13 Topic Committee: Pediatric Dysphagia for 2023 ASHA Convention.

Paula Leslie, PhD, MA Bioethics, CCC-SLP, FRCSLT (UK), Reg HCPC (UK) is clinically licensed in the USA and UK and a Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Professional Adviser. She is a member of the American Society for Bioethics & Humanities, ASHA SIG 13, SIG 15 Professional Development Committee, Dysphagia Research Society, and past Scientific Chair of the UK Swallow Research Group. She supports researchers and clinicians internationally, across health professions, on complex clinical decision making, ethics and end of life in vulnerable populations.

Financial Disclosure: Royalties from Northern Speech Services and J&R Press. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Georgia Malandraki, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA, is Professor of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University and a Board-Certified Specialist in Swallowing Disorders. She investigates developmental and treatment neuroplasticity, and rehabilitative and telehealth interventions for dysphagia. Dr. Malandraki's work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIBIB, NIA, NINDS, NIDCD), and several foundations. She is the Immediate Past President of the Dysphagia Research Society and Editor of AJSLP. 

Financial Disclosure: Salary from Purdue University; related grants from NIH (NIBIB, NIA, and NINDS) and Purdue University; gift for related research: David C. Greulich & Deanna M. Greulich Research Gift Award. Editor, American Journal of Speech Language Pathology. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Dysphagia Research Society: Immediate Past President (Board Member); ASHA Member and 2023 ASHA Convention Adult Swallowing Topic Committee co-chair; ISHA: Co-Chair of Telehealth Taskforce.

Andrea Mangino, MS, CCC-SLP, is Manager of Pediatric Speech Language Pathology at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and LIJ Hearing and Speech Center. While there she developed and continues to improve the pediatric inpatient and outpatient feeding and swallowing program.  Andrea has over 15 years of experience treating pediatric patients with swallowing/feeding disorders across the continuum of pediatric settings, including neonates and medically complex infants and children. Andrea provides lectures on topics including neonatal and pediatric dysphagia, feeding in the NICU, aural rehabilitation as well as related topics including speech and swallowing for patients with craniofacial anomalies.   

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders in New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Guest Speaker for Abbott Nutrition Health Institute. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Member of the Hagedorn Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Center. 

Yvette McCoy, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is Assistant Clinical Professor of Speech-Language Pathology in the Rehabilitative Sciences Department and Director of Clinical Education at Moravian University. She currently holds her board certification in swallowing and swallowing disorders. Yvette has numerous peer-reviewed publications, and serves on the Executive Committee of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders as secretary. She has volunteered her time on various committees for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Dysphagia Research Society and the Pennsylvania Speech and Hearing Association.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Moravian University and royalties from various recorded webinars and Dyphagia TherAppy App from Tactus Therapy. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Executive Committee, Secretary, American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders; Vice-President for Membership and Ethics, Pennsylvania Speech and Hearing Association.

Sonja Molfenter, PhD, CCC-SLP is a clinically-trained speech language pathologist whose research specializes in understanding the physiological features of both normal swallowing and disordered swallowing. She is Director of the NYU Swallowing Research Lab. Her research focuses on naturally-occurring muscle loss in the pharynx as the result of aging. Her current NIH-funded research is focused on establishing methods to prevent or reverse age-related changes to the pharyngeal muscles. Dr. Molfenter also studies changes to swallowing function after cervical spine surgery.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from NYU; Research funds from NIH (1R01AG079907). Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Alex Rimar, MD, FACP, graduated from Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education and Downstate College of Medicine in 2007. He completed his fellowship in Palliative Medicine in 2013. He has been practicing in the field of Palliative Medicine and has held positions of increasing leadership within the division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care within Northwell for the last 10 years. Currently, Dr. Rimar serves as the Western Region Director for Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and the Chief of Palliative Care at Lenox Hill. He is an advocate for growth, integration and standardization of Palliative Care across the health system, with intent on earlier identification of patients with Advanced Illness as well as establishing access to Palliative care both inside and out of the hospital. 

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Luis Riquelme, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is Director, Rehabilitation & Speech-Language Pathology, Maimonides Health; Adjunct Professor, Universidad Católica del Uruguay and Diagnostics Instructor, Teachers College, Columbia University. His current research focuses on changes in swallow physiology in dementia and pill swallowing. Publications also include relationships between culture and dysphagia. Luis has presented locally and internationally. He serves as vice chair of the IDDSI and is a member of ASHA’s Healthcare Economics Committee. He is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and received ASHA’s 2020 Media Award and NYSSLHA’s Distinguished Achievement Award.

Financial Disclosure: Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Nicole Roach, RD received her degree in nutrition from Queens College and did her dietetic internship through Northwell. She been a dietitian for 7 years and has worked at Lenox Hill Hospital for the last 4 years. She covers a regional cardiac unit and CTICU and is actively involved in the outpatient Lenox Hill Core 4 weight loss program. She specializes in Cardiac Nutrition and has been recognized through the Sodexo Faces of Health Care campaign for her work with heart failure patients.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Raele Robison, PhD, CCC-SLP is a postdoctoral fellow in the Swallowing and Salivary Bioscience Laboratory, affiliate member of the Center for Health Disparities Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Clinician-Scientists Transdisciplinary Aging Research (Clin-STAR) Health Equity Research Scholar. Dr. Robison is supported by a National Institute on Aging K00 Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her research focuses on understanding associations between frailty and dysphagia and how to improve health equity for older adults with dysphagia.  

Financial Disclosure: Dr. Robison receives grant funding and a salary stipend through the National Institute on Aging. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Nicole Rogus-Pulia, PhD, CCC-SLP is a faculty member of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology within the Department of Medicine and Director of the Swallowing and Salivary Bioscience Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She also serves as Director of the national VA multi-site Intensive Dysphagia Treatment (IDT) Program and Associate Director for Research Training and Career Development for the Advanced Women's Health Fellowship at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. 

Financial Disclosure: Grant funding from various sources, including the Veterans Health Administration, the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Michelle Troche, PhD, CCC-SLP is Associate Professor and Program Director in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research is focused on improving health outcomes and quality of life associated with disorders of airway protection (i.e., swallowing and cough). She is a certified speech-language pathologist. Her research has been funded by National Institutes of Health, Michael J. Fox Foundation, CurePSP Foundation, and National Ataxia Foundation.  

Financial Disclosure: Salary from Teachers College, Columbia University; Grant Funds - National Institutes of Health; Royalties - MedBridge, Inc. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: Editorial Board Member, Journal of Speech, Language, Hearing Research, Member of ASHA, Dysphagia Research Society, International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology (ISARP).

Keri Vasquez Miloro, MS, CAGS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is a practicing clinician and clinical assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire. She has 23 years of experience working with adults in various settings and continues to work in acute and acute rehab hospitals. She recently transitioned to academia to  strengthen education and training of students in swallowing and swallowing disorders. She is passionate about teaching and practicing person-centered care with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration.

Financial Disclosure: Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Laurie Wennerholm, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (PhD Candidate) is a clinical specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders with 25 years devoted to medical speech pathology. Her primary clinical position is at NYU Langone Health where she works with patients with head and neck cancers. She serves as an adjunct professor at New York University and is enrolled in a PhD program with a research focus on improving care pathways for patients with laryngectomy.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from NYU Langone Health and NYU Steinhardt School of Education, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Rollins Wright, MD MS, MPH, MA is an Associate Professor of Medicine with Penn State Health-Hershey Medical Center’s Division of Geriatric Medicine in Hershey, PA, “the sweetest place on Earth.” Besides medicine, she holds degrees in Medical Education, Public Health, and Clinical Ethics. She is deeply involved in geriatric medicine education development/design and teaching students, residents, and fellows. She is passionate about comprehensive dementia care and helping people with dementia to live the best quality of life possible.

Financial Disclosure: Receives small amount of funding from HRSA’s Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program and the Age-Friendly PA GWEP. Received an honorarium and travel expense reimbursement from Dysphagia Café. 

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Michelle Graham, MS, CCC-SLP is the Director of Clinical Care for Speech-Language Pathology at Lenox Hill Hospital. She has been practicing for 19 years and has worked in a variety of settings including, LTAC, acute-rehab, acute care and outpatient. At Lenox Hill Hospital she serves on the Ethics Committee and the Survivorship Committee for the Commission on Cancer.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Lauren Reingold, MS, CCC-SLP is a Senior SLP at Lenox Hill Hospital. She specializes in caring for adult inpatients with stroke and other neurological diseases, and is cross-trained in the NICU. Lauren was a recipient of the WRAS Star Award for her skilled and compassionate care.

Financial Disclosure: Receives salary from Northwell Health. No other relevant financial disclosures.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.

Jonathan Waller, MA, CCC-SLP is the founder of Dysphagia Café. He has been a practicing SLP for 15 years, working both inpatient and outpatient, with primary interest in swallowing disorders. His primary clinical position is at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Hospital- Midtown in their multidisciplinary head neck program. In addition, he serves as adjunct faculty at Gordon College in Boston.

Financial Disclosure: Receives a salary as owner of Dysphagia Café. Receives a salary as full-time employee from Emory Healthcare.

Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial disclosures.