NEWS
"Patients were 1.9 times more likely to complete therapy with each virtual telehealth session attended."
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY: PUBLICATION
12.29.22
McKenna, V.S., Gustin, R.L., Hobek, A.L., Howell, R.J., Dickinson, T.E., Shanley, S.N., & Patel, T.H. (2022). Factors related to treatment attendance for patients seeking gender-affirming voice therapy. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, in press. VIEW PDF
VOICE, SPEECH, & TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM
12.15.22
The VSM Lab hosted their second bi-annual symposium to bring together researchers from the greater Cincinnati community to discuss innovative technologies. Speaker's included: Brittany Krekeler, Ph.D., CCC-SLP; Rachel Hahn Arkenberg, M.S., CCC-SLP; and Aaron Friedman, M.D.
ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: PRESENTATION
12.08.22
McKenna, V.S., Llico, A.F., Friedman, A.D., Shanley, S.N., Talavage, T., & Bamford, L.M. (2022). “Developing a voice monitoring smartphone app: Acoustic acquisition and processing considerations.” Acoustical Society of America, Nashville, TN. VIEW PDF
ASHA: PRESENTATION
11.19.22
McKenna, V.S., Llico, A.F., & Howell, R.J. (2022). “Vocal fold kinematics for volitional and reflexive cough in healthy adults using high-speed flexible laryngoscopy.” American Speech-Language and Hearing Association Convention, New Orleans, LA.
ASHA: PRESENTATION
11.18.22
Brittany Fletcher, M.S., CCC-SLP presented her work "Fricative production in typical and disordered speakers: Acoustic analysis of Jamaican Preschooler's speech productions" at the National ASHA Convention.
ASHA: MERITORIOUS POSTER AWARD
11.18.22
Congratulations to Cora Ling and our collaborators at Indiana University for receiving a Meritorious Poster Award from ASHA, 2022! This merit was awarded to < 5% of all posters at the ASHA National Convention. Click here to see the poster, "Effects of daily electronic cigarette use on the vocal mechanism: A multimodality study."
UPRISE: PRESENTATION
7.28.22
Mary Wilkens, undergraduate in CSD, participated in the Undergraduates Pursing Research in Science and Engineering (UPRISE) program this summer in the VSM Lab. Her final project was titled, "Technological and Educational Initiatives to Improve Voice Outcomes." For more information on Mary and the program, click here.
VOICE, SPEECH, AND TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM
7.21.22
The VSM Lab hosted the first Voice, Speech, & Technology Symposium, a collaborator effort with UC Laryngology to bring together scientists to discuss innovative research projects in the speech and voice sciences.
Congratulations to Jacqueline Meriwether and Andres Llico for their presentation, "Voice and cough function in individuals who use e-cigarettes."
EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS IN RESEARCH AWARD
7.18.22
Congratulations to Dr. McKenna for receiving the prestigious Early Career Contributions in Research Award for 2022 ASHA. This award recognizes significant scientific accomplishments in individuals within the first five years of receiving their doctoral degree. Please click here to see previous award recipients.
JOURNAL OF VOICE: PUBLICATION
7.12.22
Reid, K., McKenna, V.S., & Smith, D. (2022). Mitigating dysphonia, pain, and vocal handicap after violent videogame voice overs: A pilot investigation into Vocal Combat Technique Training. Journal of Voice, in press. VIEW PDF
VOICE FOUNDATION:
PRESENTATION
6.04.22
Gustin, R.L., Dickinson, T.E., Shanley, S.N., Howell, R.J., Hobek, A.L., Patel, T.H., & McKenna, V.S. (2022). "Acoustic outcomes in Patients seeking Voice Feminization: Investigation into Articulatory and Spectral Measures.” Voice Foundation, Philadelphia, PA.
VOICE FOUNDATION: POSTERS
6.02.22
Congratulations to Kelly Carraro and Lauren Humpert for presenting their posters at the Voice Foundation Conference in Philadelphia! Click here to see their work on Relative Fundamental Frequency and Chronic Cough.
TRANSFORMING HEALTH CONFERENCE: PRESENTATION
4.14.22
McKenna, V.S. (2022). “Gender-Affirming Voice Care: Improving Therapeutic Targets and Treatment Access.” TransForming Healthcare: Equity and Access for Transgender Health, Cincinnati, OH. Click here for more information on the event.
PRAISE: PRESENTATION
4.12.22
Meriwether, J., Wesley, S., McKenna, V.S., & Welden, K. (2022). “Use of pharyngeal high-resolution manometry (pHRM) in dysphagia treatment.” PraIse Conference, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
"Improving health and health equity for urban subpopulations"
GRANT AWARD
3.28.22
The VSM Lab has been awarded the "Next Lives Here Urban Health Pathway Seed Grant" to examine the relationship between vocal congruence and wellness in gender-diverse patients. Dr. McKenna will be partnering with Sarah Pickle, M.D., Shanna Stryker, M.D., Renee Gustin, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Equitas Health to complete the project.
GRAND ROUNDS PRESENTATION
2.09.22
Gustin, R.L., McKenna, V.S., Stryker, S., & Howell, R.J. (2022). “Gender Diverse Healthcare: Providing Compliant and Competent Care.” UC Health Laryngology Grant Rounds, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
"We developed a set of free-to-use educational modules to promote
vocal wellness among mask wearing
occupational
voice users"
JOURNAL OF VOICE: PUBLICATION
12.27.21
McKenna, V.S., Gustin, R.L., Howell, R.J., Patel, T.H., Emery, M.B., Kendall, C.L., & Kelliher, N.J. (2021). Developing educational health modules to improve vocal wellness in mask-wearing occupational voice users. Journal of Voice, in press. VIEW PDF
FALL VOICE PRESENTATION
10.22.21
Congratulations to Tara Dickinson and Savannah Shanley for presenting our work at the Fall Voice Conference in Miami, Florida. To check-out their poster, click here.
OHIO SOCIETY FOR RESPIRATORY CARE: PRESENTATION
8.09.21
McKenna, V.S. & Gustin, R.L. “Masks and Vocal Health: Strategies for Mask-wearing workers.” Ohio Society for Respiratory Care Annual Meeting and Conference, Columbus, Ohio.
SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
8.05.21
Congratulations to Tara Dickinson for being awarded a prestigious Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship through UC's College of Medicine. Tara completed a 10-week intensive fellowship with oversight from Dr. McKenna, Dr. Friedman, and Renee Gustin. Her major project examined attendance trends in gender diverse patients seeking gender-affirming vocal care.
"This NIH Program is designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical and biobehavioral research careers."
NIH LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
7.31.21
Congratulations to Dr. McKenna for receiving an NIH Loan Repayment Award Renewal for 2021-2022. For more information about this NIH program, click here.
LARYNGOSCOPE: PUBLICATION
7.21.21
McKenna, V.S., Kendall, C.L., Patel, T.H., Howell, R.J., & Gustin, R.L. Impact of face masks on speech acoustics and vocal effort in healthcare professionals. The Laryngoscope, 0, 1-7. VIEW PDF
"Our project will develop tools to enhance culturally inclusive practices for both research and teaching in the speech sciences."
ASHA AARC AWARD
7.15.21
The ASHA Advancing Academic-Research Career (AARC) Award aims to support academic and research career advancement for junior faculty. Dr. McKenna will be working on her project "Advancing Culturally Responsive Practices in the Speech Sciences" from 2021-2023.
SECOND PLACE POSTER AWARD
6.18.21
Congratulations to Tulsi Patel, Courtney Kendall, and Dr. McKenna for receiving second place at the Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium for their poster "Voice Acoustics and Vocal Effort in Mask Wearing Healthcare Professionals: A Comparison Pre- and Post-Workday." View their award winning poster here.
"Mask-wearing healthcare professionals exhibit acoustic changes and report vocal effort after their workday."
JOURNAL OF VOICE: PUBLICATION
6.8.21
McKenna, V.S., Patel, T.H., Kendall, C.L., Howell, R.J., & Gustin, R.L. “Voice acoustics and vocal effort in mask-wearing healthcare professionals: A comparison pre- and post-workday.” Journal of Voice. VIEW PDF
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AWARD
5.20.21
Dr. McKenna received a UC Faculty Development Award to receive Emergency Medical Response Training to help ensure safety for research participants. She will complete the training over the summer months.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD
5.11.21
Kelly Carraro and Lauren Humpert were awarded Excellence in Communication for their Senior Capstone Project: Improving Vocal Health in mask-wearing community workers.
Check-out their award-winning presentation!
GRADUATE STUDENTS AWARDED RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
3.20.21
Mariah Emery and Tulsi Patel were each awarded Graduate Student Government Research Fellowships for the remainder of their graduate program studies. Mariah received an award of $1000 to collect and analyze data related to masked communication, whereas Tulsi received $1500 to complete an interdisciplinary project with biomedical engineering. The VSM Lab is proud of them both!
Graduate Research
Fellowships
FACULTY SCHOLARS RESEARCH AWARD
2.28.21
Dr. McKenna has been awarded a 2-year grant aimed to develop vocal monitoring tools for chronic voice disorders. She was chosen as 1 of 8 pre-tenured faculty members in a university-wide competition to receive this award as part of the inaugural University Research Council (URC) faculty scholars program. For more information click here.
COVID-19 CRITICAL COMMUNITY
CHALLENGE GRANT
2.15.2021
The VSM Lab has been awarded a continuation of the COVID-19 Critical Community Challenge Grant, titled "Phase 4: Behavioral and Acoustic Changes following Vocal Education: An assessment of how online tutorials improve communication patterns in mask-wearing healthcare workers."
COVID-19 CRITICAL COMMUNITY
CHALLENGE GRANT
11.23.20
The VSM Lab has been awarded a continuation of the COVID-19 Critical Community Challenge Grant, titled "Phase 3: Promoting Vocal Wellness in Mask-wearing Community Workers: A Community Outreach Initiative."
ASH FOUNDATION NEW INVESTIGATOR GRANT AWARD
9.28.20
Dr. McKenna has been award the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation New Investigator Grant for her project "Sensorimotor Reflexes in Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders." This 1-year grant will provide funds for pilot data for a larger NIH submission.
COVID-19 CRITICAL COMMUNITY
CHALLENGE GRANT
9.9.20
The VSM Lab has been awarded funds to continue with Phase 2 of the COVID-19 Critical Community Challenge Grant, which seeks to develop educational modules to address communication problems and vocal health in healthcare workers. This grant is funded by the Center for Clinical & Translational Science and the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Phase 2 will begin this Fall. (Pictured: Tulsi Patel, B.S. and Victoria McKenna, Ph.D).
COVID-19 CRITICAL COMMUNITYCHALLENGE GRANT
7.15.20
The Center for Clinical & Translational Science and Training at Cincinnati awarded Dr. McKenna a grant to assess the impact of mask use on acoustics and vocal fatigue in health care workers. The project is funded through the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
"Neither vocal effort, nor extrinsic muscle activation impacts vocal tract length in healthy speakers."
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH: PUBLICATION
5.7.20
Groll, M.D., McKenna, V.S., Hablani, S., & Stepp, C.E. (2020). Formant-Estimated Vocal Tract Length and Extrinsic Laryngeal Muscle Activation During Modulation of Vocal Effort in Healthy Speakers. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63, 1395-1403.
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH: PUBLICATION
2.26.20
McKenna, V.S., Hylkema, J.A., Tardif, M.C., & Stepp, C.E. (2020). Voice onset time in individuals with hyperfunctional voice disorders: Evidence for disordered vocal motor control. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63, 405-420.
WOMEN'S HEALTH SYMPOSIUM (LAFAYETTE, IN)
11.1.19
McKenna, V.S. "Voice Disorders in Women: Prevalence and Risk Factors Contributing to Reported Voice Problems."
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH: PUBLICATION
8.15.19
McKenna, V.S., & Huber, J.E. (2019) The accuracy of respiratory calibration methods for estimationg lung volume during speech breathing: A comparison of four methods across three adult cohors. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2632-2644.
MI-BIO SUMMIT ON FLEXIBLE AND STRETCHABLE BIOELECTRONICS
(LAFAYETTE, IN)
7.30.19
McKenna, V.S., Alvar, A.M., Zañartu, M., Malandraki, G.A., & Huber, J.E. "Neck-surface accelerometry in voice and swallowing research."
HONORS OF NSSLHA NATIONAL ORGANIZATION
7.10.19
Awarded to Victoria McKenna for service to the organization and commitment to undergraduate and graduate students within the field of CSD.
(Pictured left: McKayla Schloemer, Purdue Grad class 2021)
BOSTON SPEECH MOTOR CONTROL SYMPOSIUM (BOSTON, MA)
6.21.19
McKenna, V.S., & Huber, J.E. "The accuracy of respiratory calibration methods for estimating lung volume during speech breathing: A comparison of four methods across three adult cohorts.”
(Pictured right: Matias Zañartu, Ph.D.)
“Vocal fold kinematic trajectories can be accurately estimated from videoendoscopy at a sampling rates as low as 120 Hz”
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH: PUBLICATION
6.19.19
Diaz Cadiz, M., McKenna, V.S., Vojtech, J.M., Stepp, C.E. (2019). Adductory vocal fold kinematic trajectories during conventional versus high-speed videoendoscopy. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 1685-1706.
“Perceived vocal effort is related to acoustic intensity, spectral
content, and
harmonics-to-noise ratio”
VOICE FOUNDATION
(PHILADELPHIA, PA)
5.31.19
McKenna, V.S., & Stepp, C.E. "The relationship between acoustical and perceptual measures of vocal effort."
CEREBRAL SYMPOSIUM
(LAFAYETTE, IN)
4.17.19
McKenna, V.S., & Huber, J.E. "The accuracy of respiratory calibration methods for estimating lung volume during speech breathing: A comparison of four methods across three adult cohorts.”
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH: PUBLICATION
4.15.19
McKenna, V.S., Diaz-Cadiz, M.E., Shembel, A.C., Enos, N.M., & Stepp, C.E. (2019). The relationship between physiological mechanisms and the self-perception of vocal effort. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(4), 815-834.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF VOICE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS
(EAST LANSING, MI)
4.17.19
McKenna, V.S., Diaz-Cadiz, M.E., Shembel, A.C., Enos, N.M., & Stepp, C.E. "The relationship between physiological mechanisms and the self-perception of vocal effort.
(Pictured: STEPP lab for Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering)
THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: PUBLICATION
9.27.18
McKenna, V.S., & Stepp, C.E. (2018). The relationship between acoustical and perceptual measures of vocal effort. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 144(3), 1643-1658.