Helou Laboratory for Vocal Systems Anatomy and Physiology Research: Members

Director Leah B. Helou

Leah Helou Dr. Leah B. Helou (she/her/hers) aims to ask questions and solve problems related to the pathways underpinning healthy and disordered voice and speech production. She maintains several distinct yet intertwined lines of research. Using gold-standard experimental neuroanatomy techniques, Helou identifies the neural substrates underlying cortical control of vocalization in non-human primates. Engaging a variety of psychophysiological techniques, she probes the relationship between human stress responses, communication behaviors and various facets of personality and identity. Finally, drawing on her experience as a clinically certified voice pathologist, she seeks to improve the diagnosis and treatment of specific patient populations. Specifically, she has a particular interest in advancing the care of people with so-called “functional” voice and laryngeal breathing disorders and individuals along the gender spectrum. Broadly, all of Helou's research pertains to “mind-voice pathways."

Brett Welch

Brett Welch (he/him/his) is a third-year PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. His research focuses on understanding how one's personality and identity influence their voice and communication behaviors. Welch also seeks to understand how these relationships and communication disorders affect a person's mental health. Welch earned a BA in linguistics and a BS in communication sciences and disorders focusing on speech-language pathology from the University of Texas at Austin. He then earned his MS in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he wrote his thesis on voice and identity as it relates to the gender spectrum. Welch currently holds his Certificate of Clinical Competency for Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and continues to further his clinical knowledge as a voice clinician.

Sarah Martineau

Dr. Sarah Martineau is an experienced speech-language pathologist specializing in voice therapy and facial rehabilitation. She works at Hospital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (Montreal, Canada), specifically for the multidisciplinary voice clinic, and as a clinical professor at Université de Montréal (Canada). She completed her doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences at Montreal University in 2022. She currently collaborates as a postdoctoral fellow at the Helou lab as well as at École de Technologie Supérieure. At the Helou lab, her project aims to operationalize the concept of meta-therapy in voice therapy and to ultimately understand its impact on clinical outcomes. Her research interests focus on the long-term effects of speech therapy for diverse neuromotor disorders, including voice and facial paralysis, with the contribution of artificial intelligence tools.

Tara Dickinson

Tara Dickinson (she/her/hers) is a second-year graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh in speech-language pathology with a Clinical Concentration in Voice. Her clinical and research interests include voice, swallowing, and healthcare equity. In her free time, Tara serves as president of the national LGBTQ+ CSD Student Association. She also enjoys singing, reading, and exploring arts and food in Pittsburgh.

Katie Fowler

Katie Fowler (she/her/hers) is a second-year speech-language pathology graduate student in the Concentration in Voice at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the Helou Lab experimental neuroanatomy research team examining the neural control of muscles for vocalization and breathing, and has contributed to additional Helou Lab studies, including “Speech Traits: Expression and Perception.” Katie holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Music in Voice Performance from Kent State University and is a Summer Vocology Institute-trained vocologist. She has spent 14 years as a professional singer and teacher of singing and is seeking to continue her voice-centered career in a clinical and scientific capacity as a voice-specialized speech-language pathologist.

Lacey Gelfand

Lacey is a Senior communication sciences and disorders major at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been an undergraduate research assistant in the HelouLaboratory since August 2022, and is a native of Ellicott City, Maryland. In the future she intends to work in voice and swallowing as a speech language pathologist.

Connor Mahon

Connor Mahon (he/they) is a second-year graduate student of Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a Concentration in Voice. They are passionate about exploring the intersections of speech-language pathology and LGBTQ+ healthcare, including gender affirming voice and communication and improving outcomes for trans and gender diverse (TGD) youth.

Connor earned BAs in Speech & Hearing and Linguistics from Cleveland State University, where their research focused on the development of sociophonetic gender markers.

Their work in the Helou Laboratory includes the Vocal Congruence Project, a video series that seeks to assist TGD people in navigating voice training options, and a thesis project on the test-retest reliability of communicative congruence and communicative dysphoria.

Jenna Toth

Jenna (she/her/hers) is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh studying Natural Sciences (Pre-PA) with a minor in Music and the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine Certificate. After graduation, she plans to attend a graduate program for physician assistant studies and become a physician assistant that specializes in laryngology. Jenna hopes to work with professional voice users and with voice disorders. She is interested in diaphragm disfunction and conversation training through meta-therapy. In her free time, Jenna enjoys physical exercise, singing classical music, and singing in her choir and a capella group.

Laboratory Affiliates:

Elisa Monti

Elisa Monti

Elisa Monti (she/her/hers) is a voice-specialized experimental psychologist. She received her doctorate from The New School for Social Research. Her concentration is the relationship between psychological trauma and acoustic (and physiological) measures of voice. Monti is a collaborator of the Helou Lab at the University of Pittsburgh and is affiliated with New York Speech Pathology. She worked as a Teaching Fellow and as a Vocal Psychotherapist (trained by Dr. Diane Austin) at The New School. Monti is now completing Level III Montello Method for Performance Wellness Certification.

Charles "Chip" Dugan

Charles "Chip" Dugan (he/him/his) is a voice and language development consultant at Pittsburgh Voice & Speech Partners and an officer of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Tri-States Chapter. He has presented his research on professional voice issues at conferences and medical settings across the United States. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Miami and is an alumnus of University of South Florida, Florida State University, and Ohio Northern University.