Team | Mysite

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

DR. VICTORIA S. MCKENNA, PH.D, CCC-SLP

Dr. McKenna is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and secondary faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, at the University of Cincinnati. 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.

CONTACT

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR VSM LAB GRADUATES:
Tulsi Patel, Mariah Emery, and Courtney Kendall

ANNA BIRKEMEIER

First-year graduate student in the MA Speech-Language Pathology Program at UC. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green Status University where she completed a senior project in acoustics. Her areas of interest include acoustics, voice disorders, and neurologic language and speech disorders.

KELLY CARRARO

First-year graduate student in the MA Speech-Language Pathology program at UC. She hreceived her BS from UC and has been a lab member since her four year. Kelly received a UC Excellence Award for her Capstone Project in the VSM Lab. Her areas of interest include neurogenic communication disorders, voice disorders, and developmental language disorders.

HALEY DOERR

First-year graduate student in the MA Speech-Language Pathology Program at UC. She received bachelor’s degrees from Western Kentucky University, including B.S. Communication Sciences & Disorders & B.F.A. Performing Arts. Her areas of interest include voice disorders, dysphagia, & neurogenic communication disorders.

LAUREN HUMPERT

First-year graduate student in the MA Speech-Language Pathology Program at UC. She received her bachelor’s degree from UC, and has been a member of the VSM Lab since her fourth year. Lauren received a UC Excellence Award for her Capstone project in the VSM Lab. Her areas of interest include voice disorders, developmental language disorders, dysphagia, and speech-sound disorders.

ANDRES LLICO, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UC. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria (Chile), and his Doctoral degree on Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University. His research interests include auditory neuroscience, cochlear implants, and signal processing.

ELIZABETH MACKLEY

First-year master's student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at UC. She received her bachelor's degree from Baldwin Wallace University. Her areas of interest include dysphagia, voice disorders, and injuries among professional voice users.

JACQUELINE MERIWETHER

Second-year graduate student in MA Speech-Language Pathology program at UC. She received her bachelor's degree from Miami University. Her areas of interest are voice disorders, dysphagia, and neurogenic communication disorders.

SAM WESLEY

First-year MA student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at UC. She received her bachelor's of science from UC. Her areas of interest include dysphagia, Parkinson's disease, voice disorders, and neurogenic cognitive disorders.

GRADUATE & POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS

MIN BAMFORD

Soon to be fourth-year undergrad student studying electrical engineering at UC. She is proficient in C++ and Java, loves learning, and is interested in research. Upon graduation in 2024, Min is interested in pursuing a graduate program related to alternative energy.

TARA DICKINSON

Recent Case Western Reserve University graduate, who majored in Communication Sciences and Psychology with a minor in Public Health. She completed a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at UC with a focus on gender affirming voice care. Her areas of interest include voice disorders, dysphagia, and neurogenic communication disorders

PAIGE DIXON

Fourth-year undergraduate student in the Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences program at UC. She will attend graduate school in Fall of 2022 at Miami University. Her areas of interest include dysphagia, neurogenic cognitive disorders, and voice disorders.

NEIL MCGROGEN

Fourth-year undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering at UC. He is proficient in Swift and Python. When he graduates in 2023, he hopes to pursue a career of software engineering, consulting, or financial analysis on a team of passionate scientists.

JULIE PANSTARES

Fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences at UC. She will attend graduate school for Speech-Language Pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her areas of interest include voice disorders, swallowing disorders, and language disorders in individuals on the Autism spectrum.

RACHEL ROBERTS

Fourth-year undergraduate student with a major in Speech-Language Hearing Sciences and a minor in Developmental Disabilities at UC. She will attend the Speech-Language Pathology graduate program at UC in the fall of 2022. Her areas of interest include developmental language disorders, dysphasia, neurogenic communication disorders, and voice disorders.

SAVANNAH SHANLEY

Fourth-year undergraduate student in the Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences program at UC. She will be attending graduate school in the fall of 2022 for Speech-Language Pathology at UC. Her areas of interest include aphasia, dysphagia, and voice disorders.

MARY WILKENS

Second-year undergraduate student majoring in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at UC. Mary joins the lab through the prestigious UPRISE program at UC. Her areas of interest include gender-affirming voice therapy, voice disorders, and dysphagia.