Presenters at Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders: Fundamentals and Critical Thinking for SLPs

Carolyn K. Barnes, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor at Auburn University at Montgomery in the Department of Communication Disorders. Her clinical and research interests involve pediatric feeding and swallowing, particularly the impact of noninvasive respiratory support on swallowing in acutely and chronically ill pediatric populations, objective measurement in feeding/swallowing assessment, and access to interdisciplinary care.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Auburn University at Montgomery

Amber Bonner, MS, CCC-SLP, CLS (she/her/hers) is an SLP and certified lactation specialist (CLS), currently working in pediatric acute care rehabilitation at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Amber graduated from the University of Alabama with her master's degree and performed her clinical fellowship with a nongovernmental organization in Lusaka, Zambia, serving children with intellectual disabilities. Across her years of practice, she has gained specialized experience in the areas of neonatal and infant feeding, brain injury, and pediatric oncology, while continuing to grow and learn in other areas. Currently at Le Bonheur, Amber provides care for a diverse population in a variety of intensive care units, including a level IV NICU, level I trauma center pediatric ICU, and nationally recognized CVICU. She serves as the primary SLP for neurosurgery, stroke care, and the infant-toddler unit and serves as one of the primary SLPs on Le Bonheur's aerodigestive team. She is a proud toddler mom (who took more pictures than needed of her own child's feeding journey) and finds the most joy in helping the families she meets truly enjoy feeding moments with their child or children.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Laura Brooks, MEd, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (she/her/hers) is a clinical specialist in speech-language pathology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is Board Certified in Swallowing Disorders. She specializes in management of pediatric dysphagia and Passy Muir Valve use with tracheostomy and ventilator-dependent patients. She has published research, case studies, and textbook chapters related to both topics. She serves on the Bioethics Committee, Global Tracheostomy Committee, and ICU Liberation Committee.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Ashley Brown, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is the lead Speech-Language Pathologist on the Airway Management team at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and a Board-Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallow Disorders. Her clinical focus is with dysphagia and voice management in children with complex airway diagnoses and tracheostomy. Ashley has had several articles published as co-author, with focus on team management of children with tracheostomies and vocal cord paralysis management and outcomes.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salaried employee at Children's Health Medical Center Dallas

Tracy Edwards, RRT, is a highly regarded respiratory therapist with over 27 years of experience in respiratory care. For the past 10 years, Tracy has worked as a trach/ventilator educator and has worked diligently toward education improvement and standardization. Tracy is dedicated to promoting excellence in respiratory therapy and advancing the profession through education, advocacy, and leadership.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Tovah Feehan, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC (she/her/hers) is a pediatric speech-language pathologist specializing in pediatric feeding disorder. Tovah is recognized in her profession for her commitment to collaborative feeding support that honors the whole child and family. She is passionate about empowering caregivers to be the experts on their own children. Tovah started her career in early intervention before transitioning to a pediatric hospital, where she spent the majority of her career. She founded her practice, Pediatric Feeding Partners, in 2022, where she offers clinical assessment, instrumental evaluation, and dynamic intervention of feeding and swallowing for infants and children. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor for Widener University's graduate SLP program. She is a proud founding board member of Caffeinated Caregivers Advocacy Network, a nonprofit dedicated to research, resources, education, and peer support for caregivers of medically complex children.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Founder/owner of Pediatric Feeding Partners
• Professor at Widener University
• Swallow imaging at Virtua Health
• ASHA SIG 13 affiliate
• Volunteer committee member of Feeding Matters

Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (she/her/hers) is a pediatric speech-language pathologist and board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders. She has worked with infants and children with feeding and swallowing difficulties for more than 20 years. She is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communicative Disorders at The University of Alabama and maintains a small clinical caseload. Dr. Gosa has published peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and presented nationally and internationally on the topic of pediatric dysphagia diagnosis and management.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from The University of Alabama, Druid City Hospital, and LeBonheur Children's Hospital
• Royalties from Thieme
• Member of ASHA, DRS, and SIG 13

Samantha Grenier, PA-C, is a physician assistant with the inpatient otolaryngology service at Boston Children's Hospital. Her clinical practice as part of the inpatient team includes multidisciplinary management of patients with complex airway and feeding disorders as well as a multitude of other ENT related diagnoses.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Boston Children's Hospital

Jennifer L. Haney, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (she/her/hers) attended The Ohio State University and Cleveland State University for speech-language pathology. She currently works at Nationwide Children’s Hospital outpatient speech pathology department. Jennifer is the clinical supervisor for the outpatient main campus team. She works closely with physicians in the ENT Voice and Swallowing Disorders clinic, ENT FEES clinic, ENT Salivary Gland Disorders clinic, and Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders Clinic. She performs outpatient voice evaluations, oral motor/feeding evaluations, and video swallow studies. Jennifer is a Board-Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders.

Disclosures:

• Paid employee of Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Kayla Hernandez, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CNT, CLC (she/her/hers) is the inpatient feeding and swallowing coordinator and a senior speech-language pathologist at Boston Children's Hospital. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of medically complex neonates, infants, and children in the acute care setting.  She is a member of the multidisciplinary Esophageal and Airway Treatment team and has an interest in working with patients with complex airway and esophageal disorders.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Boston Children's Hospital

Christian Hochstim, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor-Director of Research and Education, Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC Keck School of Medicine.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Romaine F. Johnson, MD, MPH, FACS (he/him/his) is a Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, specializing in pediatric aerodigestive disorders, including voice, tracheostomy, and airway reconstruction. He serves as Director of Quality and Safety for the department and leads the Pediatric Voice/FEES Clinic at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Dr. Johnson also holds a joint appointment at the O'Donnell School of Public Health, where he directs the MD/MPH Program. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, an open-access journal. He earned his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine, completed residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and pursued fellowship training at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins and joined UT Southwestern in 2006. Dr. Johnson's research focuses on subglottic stenosis, sleep apnea, vocal cord paralysis, and airway simulation. He has authored over 100 publications and delivered numerous national presentations. He is a Fellow of multiple otolaryngology societies and has received prestigious awards, including the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Foundation.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Kara Fletcher Larson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC (she/her/hers) is the Director of the Feeding and Swallowing Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. She specializes in the area of Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders. Kara has over 25 years experience in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. She has published clinical research in the area of pediatric dysphagia. Kara is part-time faculty at Boston University and Emerson College. She is an Executive Board Member of the Aerodigestive Society and speaks nationally on pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Boston Children's Hospital, Boston University, and Emerson College
• Paid consultant of Tomy International
• Member of the Executive Committe of the Aerodigestive Society
• Professional Development Committee for ASHA SIG 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders

Deepak Mehta, MD, has been involved in the management of pediatric aerodigestive disorders for over 20 years, including serving as director of pediatric aerodigestive centers in Pittsburgh and Houston for nearly 18 years. Mehta has a special interest in teaching, especially global outreach, and has has served in various leadership roles nationally and internationally. Mehta has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has contributed to various textbooks and book chapters.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Texas Children’s Hospital 

Brianna Miluk, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC (she/her/hers) is a speech-language pathologist and certified lactation counselor in Greenville, South Carolina, who provides home-based and telepractice-based services to infants and medically complex children. Her clinical focus is pediatric feeding disorders, which she also enjoys talking about in her continuing education courses and mentorship programs as well as on her podcast. Bri is also a PhD student at the University of Alabama, with a research focus on misinformation in pediatric feeding on social media. When she isn't working or studying, you can find Bri playing kickball, walking her dog, or creating reels like a true millenial.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Owner and SLP at Pediatric Feeding Therapy, LLC
• ASHA SIG 13 Professional Development Manager
• Feeding Matters conference committee member

Julina Ongkasuwan, MD, FAAP, FACS, is the Director of the Pediatric Voice Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital. She is dual fellowship trained in both pediatric otolaryngology and laryngology (care of professional voice). When she joined the faculty in 2011, she founded the Texas Children’s Hospital Aerodigestive Program and the Swallow Disorders Clinic, multidisciplinary programs that allow clinicians from multiple specialties to easily work together to coordinate care for patients. Dr. Ongkasuwan’s goal is to help children grow, thrive, express themselves, and find their voices. She has been recently board certified in Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology, a new board exam in which she was part of the inaugural class along with 14 other Texas Children's Hospital ENT physicians. Dr. Ongkasuwan’s clinical focus is voice, airway, and swallowing disorders in both adults and children. This narrow scope of practice has allowed her to develop a nationally renowned expertise in disorders of the pediatric larynx in particular.

Disclosures:

• Scientific advisory board for Inovio Pharmaceuticals
• Royalties from Springer
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Katy Peck, MA, CCC-SLP, CLE, BCS-S, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist, recognized as Board-Certified in Swallowing Disorders, and a Certified Lactation Educator. Katy is an expert clinician, accomplished author, experienced professor, and well-known presenter in specialty areas of practice. She has been practicing at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for over 17 years, with recent program development, including FEES Clinic, Aerodigestive Team, and co-lead of a pilot NG for Home Program.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Clinical consultant for Passy Muir

Chelsea Randall, MS, CCC-SLP BCS-S, CLC, CNT, NTMTC (she/her/hers) is a speech-language pathologist, Board-Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders, and Certified Neonatal Therapist at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) in Aurora. She has been treating pediatric dysphagia for over 10 years and specializes in neonatal feeding and swallowing disorders. She is currently practicing clinically in the neonatal intensive care unit and heart institute at CHCO and takes a special interest in patients with airway disorders as well as supporting breastfeeding for patients with dysphagia. She serves on the Society for Ear Nose and Throat Advancement in Children (SENTAC) board.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from CHCO

Christina Rappazzo, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S (she/her/hers) is a speech-language pathologist with extensive training in caring for children with medically complex backgrounds, including tracheostomy/ventilator dependency, aerodigestive disorders, airway disorders, cardiac anomalies, genetic disorders, and head and neck tumors. She has serviced children in a variety of medical settings including outpatient, intensive care units, and the neonatal intensive care unit. Christina is board-certified in swallowing disorders by the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and provides services in English and Spanish.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Kelsey-Seybold Clinic

Rachel Rosen, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Aerodigestive Center at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as Co-Director of Motility, Director of Clinical Research, and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
• Grant funding from NIH

Lauren Schrenk, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC (she/her/hers) is a Senior Speech-Language Pathologist and Certified Lactation Counselor at Texas Children’s Hospital, where she specializes in evaluating and treating infants, toddlers, and children with complex feeding and swallowing disorders. Her expertise includes working with breastfed and bottle-fed infants who have a range of conditions, such as genetic disorders, congenital heart defects, neurological disorders, craniofacial anomalies, and airway disorders. She also provides comprehensive care to infants and toddlers following discharge from the NICU, CICU, and PICU. Lauren is an integral member of several multidisciplinary teams at Texas Children’s Hospital, including the Aerodigestive Team, Swallow Disorders Clinic, Head and Neck Tumor Program, Airway Clinic, and Trach/Vent Outpatient Clinic for PMV evaluations. She conducts objective swallow studies, including Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Studies and Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Additionally, she is passionate about mentoring and serving as a preceptor for students and new SLPs.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Toni Solari, RD, LDN, is a registered Dietitian at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Aerodigestive Center, where she specializes in blenderized nutrition for medically complex patients.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Boston Children's Hospital

Melanie Stevens, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a speech-language pathologist with a Board Certification in Swallowing and Clinical Manager of the Dysphagia and Feeding Programs within the Clinical Therapies division at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She received her bachelor’s degree in speech & hearing science from The Ohio State University and her master’s degree in communication disorders from Western Carolina University. She has been practicing as an SLP for 26 years.

Disclosures:

• Employee of Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Kristin Szymanek, MA, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a dedicated pediatric speech-language pathologist with over 10 years of experience working with infants, children, adolescents, and young adults affected by cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. In her current role as Director of Rehabilitation Services at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she is committed to achieving exceptional patient outcomes through quality improvement initiatives and by empowering health care teams to deliver holistic, supportive care that enhances the lives of childhood cancer patients and their families. Her clinical research interests include dysphagia in patients with posterior fossa syndrome/cerebellar mutism syndrome and speech-language development in infants and young children with medulloblastoma. Kristin also holds an adjunct faculty position in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Memphis and serves on the Executive Board for the Posterior Fossa Society and the ASHA SIG 13 professional development committee. As a clinician-researcher, she strives to make evidence-based information readily accessible and practical for speech-language pathologists to integrate into their clinical practice.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• ASHA SIG 13 professional development committee

Jessica Yasuda, MD, is a therapeutic endoscopist and gastroenterologist at Boston Children's Hospital. In addition, Dr. Yasuda serves as the Research Director of the Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center. Dr. Yasuda's research specializes in the medical and endoscopic outcomes and management of children with complex structural esophageal disorders such as esophageal atresia and esophageal strictures.

Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Boston Children's Hospital

"I was most impressed by the speakers and their depth of knowledge and experience. This was an impressive and memorable learning experience."