Presented by
Teresa Pitts, PhD, CCC-SLP
Professor and Chair
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
University of Missouri
I am a clinically trained and ASHA-certified clinically competent speech languagepathologist (CCC-SLP) licensed to practice in the state of Missouri.My laboratory focuses on the systems-level neurophysiology of the upper airway, and morespecifically the regulation of behaviors which are activated upper airway afferents(swallow, breathing, laryngeal adductor reflex, etc.). Our long-term goal is to understandthe mechanisms of upper airway dysfunction and develop novel therapies which have ahigh likelihood of clinical utility.My laboratory employs state-of-the-art electrophysiological, imaging, behavioral,mechanical, and computational techniques. We are currently funded by federal andfoundation monies using feline and rodent models performing awake, anesthetized, and/orreduced preparation evaluations of upper airway behavior physiology, and producepredictive computational models that can help move the field forward.Currently, the understanding of swallow lags significantly behind other upper airwaypattern generators such as breathing and cough, limiting the foundational informationneeded for translational therapeutic development.
Thursday, April 09, 2026
12:30 pm – 01:30 pm
ROSS Hall 643
Lunch will be provided
12:15 - 12:30pm
