Lab News

Scroll down to see what's new in the lab. Newer content appears first. 

Rapid Review published

A rapid review was performed to assess the evidence for  the BOLUS framework. It is available at https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/rehabilitation-sciences/articles/10.3389/fresc.2024.1412635/full

Check out some of the current articles in this Frontiers in Rehab Sciences edition on Aspiration Management.





Article on frame rate and its impact on VFES interpretation is now available online

A manuscript describing the swallow repository, DysphagiaBank, published in DYSPHAGIA is now available online at https://rdcu.be/dqrIp. 

Cheyenne Levy takes 2nd place in UNM's UROC Undergraduate Research Competition

Cheyenne, an ASSURE recipient, presented some of the work she has done on the pediatric normative data study and it was well received.

Frame rate data, part 1, accepted in Dysphagia Journal

The impact of videofluoroscopic pulse rate on duration and kinematic  measures in infants and adults with feeding and swallowing disorders was accepted for publication in Dysphagia. Way to go team!!

Stay tuned for part 2 which is focused on safety and efficiency.


Dysphagia Research Society Meeting

Our lab had great participation in Puerto Rico with graduate student Ashley Drewry, and clinical community members Aaron Padilla and Adrianna Ramirez. BOLUS framework and Pediatric Normative data projects were well received. 


BOLUS man gets promoted to Superhero!

Two posters are ready to go to Puerto Rico to be presented at the Dysphagia Research Society meeting in 2 weeks (March 2024).

BOLUS Framework 

A summary of a systematic review of the impact of bolus variables on risk associated with aspiration.

Pediatric Swallow Measures

A summary of quantitative swallow measures from current literature.  

Cheyenne Levy from the UNM Swallow Disorders Lab, gets ASSURE funding to explore current thoughts on which swallow variables are important in determining level of deficit in pediatrics with feeding and swallowing disorders. 

Pediatric Normative Database paper accepted for DRS Annual Convention in March 2024!

Mahshid & Ashley compete in Shared Knowledge Conference 2023

Two lab members presented research in the LoboBites competition as part of UNM's Shared Knowledge conference. Well done!! (Ashley, so sorry I forget to get  a photo when you were presenting.) 

Practice patterns for patients with swallow disorders who aspirate. 

A presentation including focus groups to explore practice patterns across New Mexico and an overview of the BOLUS framework was presented at NMSHA convention, 2023.

We're going to NMSHA and ASHA!

The Swallow Lab has successfully submitted proposals and were approved to present their research of the BOLUS Framework in the New Mexico Speech and Hearing Association Convention on October 27th to October 28th, 2023. In addition, we have also been approved to present at the American Speech and Hearing Association Convention in Boston on November 19th, 2023! Go team!

Undergraduate Cheyenne L. is awarded  ASSURE funding to help in the development of a pediatric normative database for swallowing. 

Myth Busting

Drs Phyllis Palmer and Paula Leslie have joined with Frontiers in Rehab to edit a special edition on aspiration. We are seeking articles to help clarify some long-standing myths such as --people who aspirate should be NPO or the use of  thickened liquids is an overall approach to treating patients with swallowing disorders. Learn more about the special edition and how you may contribute at https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/53696/aspiration-management-and-rehabilitation.

Aspiration Management and RehabilitationEveryone aspirates. However, for some, particularly those with dysphagia or complex medical status, aspiration can result in negative medical consequences. The literature on aspiration spans across multiple disciplines which challenges the implementation of evidenced-based aspiration management and rehabilitation. Several studies have evaluated variables that increase the risk of a negative medical consequence from aspiration. Despite the available evidence of the variables that impact response to aspiration, management and rehabilitation decisions are often guided by the presence or absence of aspiration instead of the variables known to impact the outcome of aspiration. Guided by the evidence from these landmark studies, a recent publication provided a framework for implementation of current evidence in the management of dysphagia for those who aspirate.As aspiration occurs in all humans, and not all individuals have a significant negative reaction to the aspiration event(s), it is clear that there are physiologic mechanisms to protect individuals when these events occur. The goal of this Research Topic is to clarify current knowledge on responses to aspiration. Management and rehabilitation of aspiration requires a knowledge base across multiple disciplines. Breaking the discipline silos to foster enlightened management will enhance patient care and outcomes. The goal of this Research Topic is to attract contributions across various medical disciplines to address our cu...

LAB GROUP GETS SILLY

Twitter explodes with the Repository. 

Even though I do not know anything about twitter, I am informed that twitter shared the poster and it has received over 14K views!

If you want to access the database go to https://aphasia.talkbank.org/access/English/Other/Dysphagia/UNM-access/UNM.html  and click on browsable database.

Lab presents frame rate data at ASHA Convention 2022

The ongoing project assessing the impact of frame rate on interpretation of VFES was presented at ASHA and is now available through the ASHA Learning Pass!

October 2022: NMSHA

Lab members presented on the publicly available repository of swallow studies.  Nice work, Sam and Marie. 

UNM News Highlights a Lab Member: Check it out at https://news.unm.edu/news/uroc-highlights-undergrad-research.

End of Semester Outing

Lab members celebrate a successful year with a picnic at the beautiful Botanical Gardens. This year we had one publication and  a successful oral presentation at the Nov 2021 ASHA. In fact the publication was picked up by two blogs! We also submitted a poster and 3 presentation proposals to ASHA and completed a training video to help support the  Vietnam Head and Neck Cancer project. What a team!!

Check out UROC winner Samantha M's research story at https://uradexpo.unm.edu/discovering-my-path/

Preparing for Graduation

Lab members have an eye on graduation. 

Lab Hike

Lab members enjoy a hike up Domingo Baca

Welcome newest member to our research lab - Mahshid Rashidi. 

Lab Member Samantha M. rocks it at UROC!

Samantha competed in two activities at UNM's undergraduate research conference (UROC)--the research paper and the 180. She took first place for the research paper and 3rd place in the 180. 

Way to go Samantha!!

CHECK out the 3 part video series...

... of our lecture at ASHA 2021 convention on Host Variables and Risk of an Adverse Event. It is here that the BOLUS framework is explained. We proudly received over 750 watches  of this video during the convention. 

Part 1: How the lungs work

Part 2: The BOLUS Framework

Part 3: Case Studies using the BOLUS framework

The Host paper from AJSLP was featured on Karen Sheffler's blog. 

Congrats to Samantha and Megan on being awared an ASSURE grant!

Undergraduates Samantha M and Megan F were awarded funds to help in the swallow lab. They will be testing the usefulness of the swallow repository. 

Check out the latest publication from our lab

Risk of an Adverse Event in Individuals Who Aspirate: A Review of Current Literature on Host Defenses and Individual Differences

https://pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00375?casa_token=HZJnjXoungUAAAAA%3AZ-hzbCWY96Tb61aFxCjQOTeZv9aLmkEzpMi5n6WBIqOhWhDYx02hSuDO4xI4aZZ7aAF2ZHfsXSFTzA