Current Members
Director - Bernard Rousseau, PhD, MMHC, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow (he/him)
Dr. Bernard Rousseau is professor and chair of the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed undergraduate and graduate studies in Communicative Disorders at the University of Central Florida, a PhD in Communicative Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master of Management in Health Care degree from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. His federally funded research program focuses on the molecular pathophysiology of phonotrauma, health care costs and outcome studies related to the assessment and management of benign vocal fold disease.
Research Assistant Professor - Lea “Lee” Sayce, DPhil (she/her)
Dr. Lea Sayce is a research assistant professor in communication science and disorders. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Neuroscience at the University of Surrey and her doctoral degree in Biochemistry at the University of Oxford. Lea has extensive experience in molecular biology, previously undertaking research characterizating sensorineural deafness in mice, developing models of chronic movement disorders in c. elegans, and most recently exploring the pathobiology of voice disorders as a Co-Investigator in Dr. Rousseau's federally funded program. Her research utilizes surgical modeling, basic science and computational approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying common voice disorders.
Senior Research Coordinator – Xiaochuan “Carol” Xu, MD, PhD (she/her)
Dr. Carol Xu (MD, University of Sun Yat-Sen Medical Sciences, China; PhD, Universite des Sciences de Lille, France) is a senior research coordinator in the Laryngeal Biology Lab. Her previous experience includes investigating the lung’s ability to regenerate alveolar epithelium following lung injury fibrosis using transgenic mice and identification of the regulatory T cell’s roles in autoimmune diseases and cancer. Her current research investigates phonotraumatic inflammation and the therapeutic effects of glucocorticoid steroids in the vocal fold epithelia.
Graduate Research Assistant – Azure Wilson, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her)
Azure Wilson (MS – Florida Atlantic University) is a final year pre-doctoral fellow in the Laryngeal Biology Lab. Her research interests include standard of care treatment and optimization of therapeutic interventions for type I laryngoplasty in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
Graduate Research Assistant - Lizzie Hary, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her)
Lizzie Hary (MS - Bowling Green State University) is a first year pre-doctoral fellow in the Laryngeal Biology Lab. Her research interests include laryngeal stenosis, vocal fold biomechanics in normal and pathobiological conditions, and unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
Research Assistant - Zachary Zimmerman, MS (he/him)
Zach Zimmerman (MS - Chatham University) joined the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory as a Research Assistant in 2020. His research interests include surgical modeling, electrophysiology and transmission electron microscopy imaging.
Research Assistant - Alysha Slater (she/her)
Alysha Zimmerman (MS - Chatham University) joined the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory as Research Assistant in 2020. Her research interests include surgical modeling and medical management, sleep-deprivation effects and vocal fold histology.
Recent Alumni
Gary Gartling, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Gartling was a doctoral student in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory and is currently a Research Scientist at NYU Medical Center.
Emily Kimball, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Kimball was a doctoral student in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory and is currently an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Maria Powell, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Powell was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory and is currently an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Hongmei Wu, MD
Dr. Wu was a research assistant in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory and is currently a research assistant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Shintaro Sueyoshi, MD
Dr. Sueyoshi was a postdoctoral fellow in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory and is currently working as an otolaryngologist in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Takashi Kurita, MD
Dr. Kurita was a postdoctoral fellow in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory and is currently working as a laryngologist in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Jennifer Brandley, CCC-SLP
Ms. Brandley was a Masters of Speech Language Pathology student in the Laryngeal Biology Lab. She completed her clinical fellowship at the VA-Minneapolis/St. Paul and is now working as a licensed SLP.
Steven Schneeberger, MS
Mr. Schneeberger was a medical student researcher in the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory. He is currently completing residency in Plastic Surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.