Dr. Schindler is an Associate Professor and the Medical Director of the OHSU-Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing. He graduated from Stanford in 1993 with bachelor's degrees in both Classics and Biology. In 1998, he received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Society. After completing his residency in Otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, he undertook fellowship training in Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins and Laryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Schindler's current clinical interests include voice disorders in both professional and non-professional voice users, swallowing disorders, breathing and upper airway disorders, and cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract. His research interests include molecular diagnosis and management of early vocal fold cancers, treatment of spasmodic dysphonia and other neurologic voice disorders, and hoarseness in association with laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Dr. Graville is an Associate Professor and the Clinical Director of the OHSU-Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing.  She earned her Master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University and completed her Fellowship at the Portland V.A. Medical Center.  Dr. Graville developed her expertise in voice restoration and dysphagia at OHSU’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center.  Her desire to develop a comprehensive voice and swallowing center led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Communication Disorders and Sciences at the University of Oregon. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at both University of Oregon and Portland State University.  Dr. Graville serves on the Advisory Committee at Portland State University.

Dr. Graville’s current clinical interests include voice restoration after laryngectomy and swallowing restoration after treatment for head and neck cancer.  Research interests include voice and swallowing treatment outcomes after head and neck cancer as well as, competency-based learning for graduate students of communication disorders and sciences. 

Paul W. Flint, MD received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed his residency training at the University of Washington. He joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins in 1991, where he has served as Residency Training Program Director. 

In 2009, Dr. Flint was appointed Professor and Chair, Otolaryngology –Head & Neck Surgery at Oregon Health &Science University. He is a founding member of the Society for Airway Management, and an active member of The Triological Society, The American Laryngological Society, The American Academy of Otolaryngology, and The American College of Surgeons. He is the Senior Editor of the sixth edition of Cummings –Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, considered to be the definitive textbook for the specialty. 

Dr. Flint's clinical interests include the treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the airway, development of procedures to improve voice, swallowing, and breathing;and, treatment of movement disorders affecting the head and neck including dystonia and Parkinson disease.

Kate Zochowski, PA-C joined the Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing in December 2015. She completed her Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon in 2011 and her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies at Oregon Health & Science University in 2015. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the Oregon Society of Physician Assistants, and Society of Physician Assistants in ORL-HNS. 

Kate was born and raised in Oregon, spending most of her years near Eugene before migrating north to Portland for graduate school. In her spare time she enjoys running, exploring the many restaurants and events Portland has to offer and spending time with family and friends.  She is very excited about joining the Otolaryngology department at OHSU.

 

Dr. Karle was raised in Albany, NY and completed his Bachelor of Science in Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Rochester from which he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Following graduation, he worked as a clinical research coordinator at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Vascular Surgery. He then proceeded to obtain a medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was inducted into the AOA Medical Honor Society. During his time in medical school he spent time volunteering in Uganda and completed a one-year research fellowship for the THANC Foundation. He is currently completing a Laryngology fellowship at OHSU with Dr. Schindler and Dr. Flint.  In his free time you can find him out fishing or hiking. 

 

Karen Drake received her Master's degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ms. Drake established the Voice Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, a Harvard affiliate. She co-developed the voice program at the NW Clinic for Voice and Swallowing.  Ms. Drake's clinical interests include voice disorders in both professional and non-professional voice users and vocal cord dysfunction.  She is also certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment program for individuals with Parkinson disease.  Ms. Drake's research interests includes, voice disorders and vocal cord dysfunction.   She serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Oregon and Portland State University.  Ms. Drake is dedicated to professional and community education in the area of professional voice use and optimal voice technique.

Andrew Palmer earned his Master's degree in Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University and completed his PhD at Portland State University. He completed his fellowship at OHSU in 2001 and has been part of the NWCVS faculty since then. His clinical focus is in the area of head and neck cancer rehabilitation and dysphagia. He regularly completes instrumental evaluations of swallowing, including Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). He is experienced in methods of alaryngeal communication, including the tracheoesophageal puncture. He is Adjunct Faculty at Portland State University, has taught FEES courses nationally as well as at OHSU annually, and has been part of the faculty of the International Association of Laryngectomees' (IAL) Voice Institute. He is the Internship Coordinator for the program and regularly supervises interns as well as the Clinical Fellow Research Supervisor, coordinating much of the clinical research in the program. He has published and presented on topics related to dysphagia, head and neck cancer rehabilitation, aging, and the importance of social relationships. Research interests include swallowing, voice, and quality of life outcomes after surgery.

 Linda Bryans earned her Master's degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1988. She has clinical experience with adults and children with a broad range of communication and swallowing disorders. Her primary focus has been in the area of evaluating and treating voice disorders. She is certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment approach for patients with Parkinson disease. Linda also has participated in clinical research in the areas of voice, motor speech disorders and dysphagia. She currently is a Senior Instructor in the Northwest Clinic for Voice and Swallowing at OHSU as well as an Adjunct Faculty in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department at Portland State University.

 Jana Childes received her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Nebraska.  Following completion of her Fellowship, she received specialized training in voice and swallowing disorders while working at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.  Her clinical interests include the evaluation and treatment of organic, neurogenic, and functional voice disorders in adults and children, vocal cord dysfunction, voice and swallowing disorders secondary to head and neck cancer, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).  She is certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Therapy program. Jana has completed in research in the areas of perceptual voice assessment, communication impairments related to ALS, and dysphagia. She is an Adjunct Faculty in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department at Portland State University.

Rachel Bolognone earned her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Arizona in 2009. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the NW Center for Voice and Swallowing and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Her clinical focus is in evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders as well as rehabilitation of alaryngeal communication. She has published and presented on topics related to normal swallowing, evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders, as well as diet and swallowing outcomes after treatment for head and neck cancer.

Dr. Aaron Ziegler is a speech-language pathologist and singing voice specialist who recently joined the Northwest Clinic for Voice and Swallowing. Dr. Ziegler earned his Ph.D. in Communication Science and Disorders from the University of Pittsburgh under Dr. Verdolini Abbott and a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Northwestern University. He also received a certificate in Vocology from the National Center for Voice & Speech under the direction of Dr. Titze. Dr. Ziegler has worked at the Emory Voice Center, where he completed his clinical fellowship, and the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center. His clinical interests are in the evaluation and treatment of the professional voice user as well as the aging voice. He has conducted and published research in the areas of respiratory and phonatory interactions, the relationship between vocal dose and phonatory function, models of voice therapy, and treatment satisfaction.

 

Carrie Crino earned her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. She completed an internship and her clinical fellowship here at the NW Clinic for Voice & Swallowing. Her clinical focuses include the rehabilitation of voice and swallowing disorders of all etiologies. She regularly completes instrumental evaluations, including Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies and videostroboscopy. She provides rehabilitation services for voice and swallowing disorders including Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) as well as rehabilitation after head and neck cancer treatment. Her research interests include the impact of neurogenic conditions on voice-related quality of life

 Rebecca Pryor earned her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. She completed her internship and her clinical fellowship here at the NW Clinic for Voice & Swallowing. Her clinical interests include evaluation and treatment of voice and swallowing disorders, as well as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She is certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) program. Her research interests include clinical evaluation of swallowing disorders, as well as AAC.

Dr. Fried-Oken is a certified speech-language pathologist and Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, Biomedical Engineering, and Otolaryngology at OHSU. She received her Ph.D. from Boston University in 1984 in the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Behavior, and a Master's degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Northwestern University in 1978. Dr. Fried-Oken is a leading international clinician and researcher in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication and provides expertise about assistive technology for persons with developmental and acquired disabilities who cannot use speech or writing for expression. She was an associate editor of the international journal, Augmentative and Alternative Communication;Adjunct Faculty at Portland State University where she has taught the Augmentative and Alternative Communication graduate course;and author of the book Speaking Up and Spelling It Out, a collection of essays written by adults with disabilities who use speech technology. Dr. Fried-Oken is the principal investigator on federal grants to research communication technology for persons with locked-in syndrome, dementia (Alzheimer's disease and primary progressive aphasia), ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. She leads a multidisciplinary team to develop and evaluate a Brain-Computer Interface for communication. She is Director of the OHSU Augmentative Communication Clinic through the Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing. She also directs the federally funded Realizing Expressive Knowledge in Everyone with Communication Disorders (REKNEW) projects at the OHSU Institute on Development &Disability, and is co-director of the OHSU University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Service, Research and Education (OHSU UCEDD).

Deanna Britton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech &Hearing Sciences at Portland State University (PSU) and at the Northwest Center for Voice & Swallowing in the Department of Otolaryngology (NWCVS) –Head & Neck Surgery at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. She is Board Certified in Neurogenic Communication Disorders in Adults by the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS). She has published and presented on topics related to dysphagia, dysarthria, augmentative and alternative communication, respiratory support for speech and swallowing, motor neuron disease, and spinal cord injury. Dr. Britton's research interests include respiratory support for swallowing and cough effectiveness.

Dr. Theis specializes in caring for children with feeding/swallowing difficulties, upper airway disorders, and craniofacial anomalies/cleft lip and palate. She has a special interest in family-centered tracheostomy care including speaking valves, aerodigestive disorders, and interdisciplinary care of children with complex medical needs. She has advanced training in stroboscopy, pediatric FEES (fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing), videofluoroscopic swallow studies, and nasopharyngoscopy to assess resonance disorders, swallowing &feeding difficulties, and laryngeal structure &function as it relates to voice, upper airway, and swallowing. Dr. Theis has taught courses related to voice disorders and craniofacial anomalies, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, and serves as adjunct faculty with Portland State University. She is an active clinical researcher and has presented extensively at the national and international level on a variety of pediatric topics. Her research interests include health-related quality of life and pediatric outcomes. 

Ali Fanucchi earned her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR, after completing a Backelor of Arts in Vocal Music from University of Denver. She is excited to join the team at NWCVS for her clinical fellowship year.

Sara Charney, MS, CF-SLP was raised in South Pasadena, California, completing her Bachelor of Arts at Occidental College in Cognitive Science with minors in Linguistics and Vocal Performance. After completing a post-baccalaureate certificate program in Communication Sciences &Disorders at California State University, Los Angeles, she attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, completing her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology with an emphasis in voice and medical speech pathology. During her last semester, she completed an externship at UT Southwestern's Clinical Center for Voice Care where she gained further experience with the treatment and assessment of singers and other professional voice users with voice disorders, tracheoesophageal prosthesis (TEP) management, as well as modified barium swallow studies. Following graduation in May 2018, she received specialized training at the Summer Vocology Institute in Salt Lake City under the direction of Dr. Ingo Titze, where she was awarded a certificate in Vocology from the National Center for Voice &Speech upon completion. She was also recently certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Therapy Program. Her clinical and research interests include the professional voice, voice and swallowing disorders secondary to head and neck cancer, and augmentative and alternative communication (e.g., voice banking for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Sara is currently one of two speech-language pathology clinical fellows working at OHSU.