Muscle Proteomics
Dr. Mary Sandage is currently engaging in collaborative research with colleagues at New York University and Stanford University aimed at examining intrinsic laryngeal skeletal-muscles that are vital for airway protection and producing voice for effective communication.
Biomarkers of Vocal Fitness
Dr. Sandage and colleagues, Dr. Mariah Morton-Jones (Northwestern), Dr. Chaya Guntupali (Ole Miss), and Emma Willis (MGH) are collaborating to better characterize the metabolic response of vocal demand tasks to establish exercise performance measures as predictors of vocal ability and vocal fatigue. Graduate Thesis student Grace McGee’s thesis is an initial attempt toward creating and applying a training program for a singing task that is grounded in exercise science research and practice.
Muscle Physiology and SLP Training
Graduate Thesis student, Annabelle Lacy, is investigating speech-language pathologists’ knowledge of muscle physiology and exercise science principles, important but little considered aspects of speech and swallowing rehabilitation, via survey. Annabelle Lacy, is also applying muscle physiology and exercise science to rehabilitation of swallowing disorders (dysphagia) in a tutorial for clinicians.
Aerodynamic Differences for Instrumentalists and Singers versus Controls
Graduate Thesis student, Jala Baugh, is examining subglottal pressure of instrumentalists, singers, and non-musicians to determine fine motor control of intrinsic laryngeal muscles for the commonly used aerodynamic phonation threshold pressure task.
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Physiology
Graduate Thesis student Allyson Reyes’s research project is a systematic review of the safety and efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation use in neonatal populations.
Undergraduate Research Fellow, Isabella Farina, is investigating the basic physiologic phenomenon of surface neuromuscular electrical stimulation and creating a tutorial for clinicians to better understand this treatment modality.