PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
VICTORIA S. MCKENNA, PH.D, CCC-SLP
Dr. McKenna is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and faculty in the Communication Technologies Research Center at the University of Central Florida. She received a Bachelors degree from Syracuse University, Masters degree from the University of New Hampshire, and Doctoral degree from Boston University in the area of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences. She completed her postdoctoral training at Purdue University and is now focusing on translational research for voice and swallowing.
STUDENTS & STAFFING
Doctoral Candidate
AMNA MIRA, M.S.
Amna is a third-year doctoral student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at University of Cincinnati. Amna received her bachelor's degree in Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences from Dar Al-Hekma University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and her master's of science in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University. Amna is currently a faculty member at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Jeddah, where she was awarded her scholarships to complete her masters and doctoral studies. She is passionate about conducting research in the areas of voice and swallowing disorders, and the intersection among them across different populations.
Graduate Research Assistant
EMMA BURNS, B.S.
Emma is a graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at University of Central Florida (UCF). She received her bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from UCF in 2021. Previously, she worked as a research assistant in I/O
and Human Factors psychological research. Currently, she is involved in research that assesses the accuracy of a new voice evaluation tool, as well as a study that aims to assess the effects of vaping on voicing onset and cough. Her current interest includes research in physiological laryngeal disorders.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
MARY WILKENS
Mary is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Mary joined the lab through the prestigious UPRISE Summer program at UC. Mary is also a recipient of the Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award for her work on the VSM Lab Gender Diversity Project. She is continuing her work in research for gender-affirming voice services, working on a project to develop a website that would increase the accessibility of gender-affirming voice therapy. Her main interests include gender-affirming voice therapy and voice disorders.
Graduate Research Assistant
KARILYN BRUDZINSKI
Karilyn is a first-year graduate student in the master's Speech-Language Pathology program at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She received her bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Psychology from UCF. Her primary areas of interest are aphasia, dysphagia, and gender-affirming voice therapy, with a passion for neuroscience as well. ​​​
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Research Assistant
SOPHIA GIFFORD, M.A.
Sophia Gifford, M.A., CFY-SLP is a recent graduate of UCF’s Speech-Language Pathology master’s program. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2022. Her research interests include voice and dysphagia evaluation and treatment. She has research experience in assessing quantitative perception measures of voice disorders. She is currently involved in research assessing the accuracy of a new voice evaluation tool.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR LAB GRADUATES
Tulsi Patel, Mariah Emery, Courtney Kendall, Tara Dickinson, Jacqueline Meriwether, Sam Wesley,
Anna Birkemeier, Haley Doerr, Kelly Dunlap, Lauren Humpert, Neil McGrogen, Savannah Shanley, Rachel Roberts.
SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST COLLABORATORS
KELLY DAVID, M.A., CCC-SLP
Kelly David, M.A., CCC-SLP, CBIS, received her BS in Biology and MA in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Central Florida. She spent the early part of her career in acute care, with a focus on dysphagia, before transitioning to an outpatient setting at the UCF Health Communication Disorders Clinic.
RENEE GUSTIN, M.S., CCC-SLP
Renée Gustin, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist at UC Health within the Department of Otolaryngology, with a specialty in the treatment of professional and performance voice. She attended the University of Florida for her bachelor’s degree and the University of Arizona for her masters in speech language pathology. With an expertise in gender spectrum voice, she is committed to advocating for comprehensive health access for transgender patients in the Cincinnati community.
ADAM LLOYD, SLP-D, CCC-SLP, MM
Adam Lloyd, SLP-D, CCC-SLP, MM, is Assistant Professor and Deputy Chief at the University of Miami in the Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Speech Pathology. He specializes in singing voice rehabilitation as well as gender affirming voice care. Dr. Lloyd is an active researcher in the field of voice with interests in outcomes of voice therapy and vocal pedagogy, prevalence of voice disorders, vocal health, and outcomes of gender affirming voice treatments.
