Voice Research Training Program

Offering Pre-Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Training Opportunities

Voice disorders affect approximately 7.5 million Americans. The University of Wisconsin Voice Research Training Program is designed to foster the development of translational research skills in future leaders in the field of voice science to help advance understanding and treatment options for this population.

This program is one of the only of its kind in the field of voice science, and it offers promising pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows a unique research experience not found in typical research training.

Through comprehensive laboratory and clinical research experiences, as well as exposure to a curriculum in clinical trials, hypothesis-based research design, management, ethics, and data analysis, individuals receive the necessary interdisciplinary depth needed to impact voice science from bench to bedside. The training program includes otolaryngologists, speech pathologists, and basic scientists (in various engineering, oncology, medicine, and surgical disciplines) working closely with trainees to advance their expertise. The combination of training in voice science with a multidisciplinary focus will make a contribution to future generations of scientists.

A diverse group of trainers support the program and offer training opportunities in the following voice-related research areas:

• Vocal Fold Engineering, Stem Cells and Biomaterials
  • Cell Transplantation and Cell Viability
• Vocal Fold Genetics and Proteomics
  • Vocal Fold Biology and Functional Gene Expression
  • Methodology for epithelial cell culture
• Vocal Fold Physiology and Neurophysiology
  • Age-Related Effect of Cell Death on Fiber Morphology
  • Effects of Cigarette Smoke and Reflux on Human Laryngeal Microbiome
• Vocal Fold Biomechanics and Modeling
  • Impact of exercise and ageing on morphological properties of muscle
• Vocal Tract Imaging
  • Vocal Fold Collagen Composition
  • MRI Quantification of Vocal Fold Tissue Layers
• Improving Health Outcomes through Clinical and Health Services Research
  • Postoperative Patient-Perceived Voice Changes
  • Patient Reported Outcomes

In addition, the training program offers medical students a short-term summer research opportunity, to encourage future clinicians to become physician-scientists in the field of voice research. Our medical students have participated in projects related to diverse areas of voice science and some have even been able to present nationally.

• Vocal Communication Deficits in Parkinson Disease
• Influence of arm supports on phonomicrosurgery and outcomes using video-based phonomicrosurgery instrument tracking system
• Characterization of Toll-Like Receptor Expression in the Larynx: Implications for Inflammation
• Magnetic resonance micro-imaging for the detection of vocal fold injury
• Quantification of Lingual Muscle Plasticity

This training program is supported by NIH, NIDCD T32 DC009401.