Roxann Diez Gross, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, is a leading expert, accomplished researcher, and frequently invited national and international lecturer. Her areas of expertise include swallowing function, esophageal dysphagia, and management of patients with tracheostomy tubes and speaking valves.

Currently, Dr. Gross is a consultant and clinical specialist for Swallowing Diagnostics, Inc., Parkland, FL. She was the Director of Research at The Children's Institute in Pittsburgh, PA., and prior to this position, she was Director of the Swallowing Disorders Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology in the School of Medicine.

Dr. Gross has published several scientific papers and clinical book chapters. Most recently, she was the primary editor of a case study textbook that focuses on tracheostomy and ventilator dependence in adults and children. Her primary area of research examines interactions between breathing and swallowing in neurologic and respiratory disease. Over the past 10 years, she has expanded her clinical work and research to include non-pathologic forms of esophageal dysphagia.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Roxann Diez Gross is presenter of online CE courses by Northern Speech Services; receives royalties.

Nonfinancial — Roxann Diez Gross has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Jacqueline A. Hind, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is an accomplished clinician, researcher, and inventor. Her work in adult dysphagia has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and she was a regional principal investigator for the largest NIH-funded, randomized clinical trial in swallowing. Ms. Hind is an Outreach Program Manager and Coordinator of the Swallowing Speech And Dining Enhancement Program (SSWAL-ADE) at the University of Wisconsin and at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center within the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, WI.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Jacqueline Hind is a presenter of online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives royalties.

Nonfinancial — Jacqueline Hind has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Christy Ludlow, PhD, CCC-SLP, (Retired) is one of the premier researchers in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. Dr. Ludlow specializes in voice and swallowing neurophysiology and disorders and is a frequently invited international lecturer on the diagnosis and management of voice and swallowing disorders. Dr. Ludlow's research has been published in numerous leading peer-reviewed journals covering neuroimaging, neurophysiology, dysphagia and Speech Pathology, among others.

Dr. Ludlow recently retired as Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at James Madison University in Virginia where she taught courses on voice, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and clinical trials. She also developed the Laboratory on Neural Bases of Communication and Swallowing and currently is active in research focusing on the role of sensory feedback in neural control for voice, speech, and swallowing; the use of sensory enhancement during motor training for recovery from dysphagia; and the diagnosis and assessment of spasmodic dysphonia.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Christy Ludlow is a presenter of online CE courses sponsored Northern Speech Services; receives a royalty.

Financial — Christy Ludlow serves as a research consultant for StimSwal; receives payment.

Financial — Christy Ludlow authors books on building a research career and measuring voice, speech and swallowing for Plural Publishing, Inc.; receives a royalty.

Nonfinancial — Christy Ludlow has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Bonnie Martin-Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, ASHA Honors, is the Alice Gabrielle Twight Professor in the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Communication at Northwestern University. She is also Professor, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Radiation Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine.

She is a Past-President of the Dysphagia Research Society, past Chair of the Specialty Board for Board Certification in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S), and Associate Editor for the Dysphagia Journal. She is an ASHA Fellow, recipient of the 2016 Admiral Albert J. Baciocco Innovation Award – Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), The 2017 12th Annual Pepper Lecturer, Northwestern School of Communication, Honorary Member of the MUSC Chapter of The National Academy of Inventors, recipient of Honors from the South Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SCSHA), 2010 MUSC College of Health Professions Scholar of the Year Award, and associate member of the Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the American Head and Neck Society.

Dr. Martin-Harris is the author and developer of the first standardized method for videofluoroscopic assessment of swallowing impairment (Modified Barium Swallowing Impairment Profile, MBSImP™), translated to research and clinical practice in the United States, Canada, and 13 additional countries. She is also the author of the manual, "Standardized Training In Swallowing Physiology—Evidence-Based Assessment Using The MBSImP Approach" published by Northern Speech Services. Her work is funded by the National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the Veteran's Administration, and the Mark and Evelyn Trammell Foundation.

Presenter Disclosures:

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris is the presenter of CE seminars and online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives speaking fees and royalties.

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris is the author of "Standardized Training In Swallowing Physiology — Evidence-Based Assessment Using The MBSImP Approach" published by Northern Speech Services; receives royalties.

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris' former employer, MUSC, receives royalties from Northern Speech related to enrollment tuition of the MBSImP Online Training.

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris' MBSImP research and development was funded in part by Bracco Diagnostics; received grant funding.

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris' research is funded in part by the Veteran's Administration (VA); receives grant and research funding.

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris' research is funded in part by the Mark and Evelyn Trammell Foundation; receives grant funding.

Financial — Bonnie Martin-Harris' research is funded in part by the National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIH/NIDCD); receives grant and research funding.

Nonfinancial — Bonnie Martin-Harris is associated with numerous journals, publications, and boards related to speech-language pathology; receives no compensation in these roles.

Paula A. Sullivan, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, currently is a Senior Speech-Language Pathologist in the Department of Neurology/Speech Section, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System in Gainesville, FL. Paula's clinical expertise and research are focused on swallowing disorders in head and neck cancer and at end-of-life. She has been affiliated with numerous comprehensive cancer centers, including H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, Sylvester Cancer Center, Miami, FL, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Paula also has participated as part of numerous clinical research trials in swallowing.

Paula served as a co-regional primary investigator for the largest controlled, randomized research trial in oropharyngeal dysphagia funded by the National Institutes of Health (Protocol 201). Protocol 201 examined the effectiveness of chin down and thickened liquids in individuals with dementia and Parkinson's disease both with and without dementia. Additionally, Paula has published numerous articles, book chapters, and co-authored books, including Swallowing Intervention in Oncology and the Easy-To-Swallow, Easy-To-Chew Cookbook. She also has co-authored multiple national guidelines, directives, and policies relating to oropharyngeal swallowing disorders for both the Veterans Health Administration and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is a board recognized specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders. Paula is an ASHA Fellow and former coordinator of ASHA's Division 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. She was named "2013 Clinician of the Year" by the Association of Veterans Affairs Speech-Language Pathologists. 

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Paula Sullivan is a coauthor of the text, "Easy-To-Swallow; Easy-To-Chew Cookbook"; receives royalty payments.

Financial — Paula Sullivan is a presenter of online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives royalties.

Nonfinancial — Paula Sullivan has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.