Our Team
The Swallowing Innovations Lab brings together researchers, trainees, clinicians, and patients.
Our team approaches our research streams from unique perspectives, maintaining a dynamic and innovative environment. Our researchers, trainees and clinicians come from a variety of academic backgrounds and fields. We strive for clinical stakeholder and patient partner participation in all projects in order to maintain the clinical applicability of our work and facilitate prompt translation of our findings into practice, while keeping patients at the center of what we do.
University of British Columbia
director

Dr. Stacey Skoretz
PhD, CCC-SLP, SLP(C), R.SLP
Research Trainees

Arlo Adams
Doctoral Student
Details
Arlo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences at UBC. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Honours cell biology from UBC in 2015. His current research focuses on elucidating the function of unique interorganelle membrane contact sites in Sertoli cells of mammalian testes and how these contact sites may mitigate sperm release at the cellular level. For this work, he received the Alexander Graham Bell Graduate scholarship from NSERC Canada. His other academic training is in human gross anatomy, a subject he is involved in teaching extensively at UBC. Arlo brings to the SI Lab his expertise in cell and tissue morphology as well as in upper aerodigestive tract anatomy, which he is currently applying to our cross-species approach to swallowing rehabilitation in harbor seals.

Geoff Fullerton
Masters Student
Details
Geoff is a MSc student in Speech-Language Pathology at the UBC School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. With a background in music and biological sciences, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Speech Science at UBC in 2019. During his undergraduate studies, Geoff conducted research in laboratory phonology; his undergraduate thesis investigated changes-in-progress observed in Canadian English. He is completing a master’s thesis in dysphagia examining patient and caregiver perspectives of dysphagia following critical illness and artificial airway use.

Veronica Letawsky
MSc, SLP(C)
Doctoral Student
Details
Veronica is a PhD student at the UBC School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. She recently completed her clinical master’s degree in speech-language pathology, which included a thesis with Dr. Skoretz: “Determining the Feasibility of Assessing Salivary Biomarkers and Swallowing Perception in those with Sjogren’s Syndrome and Healthy Controls”. With the support of a BC Graduate Scholarship, Veronica started doctoral studies in September, 2019. Her research is focused on volumetric and compositional changes in saliva and how these changes impact swallow physiology and perception in disease and healthy conditions. Veronica remains involved in additional Si-Lab research projects and serves as a teaching assistant for various coursework at the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. She has completed training in salivary bioscience at the University of California-Irvine’s Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, and has a diploma in linguistics from UBC and a BSc in biological sciences from the University of Alberta.

Ann Marie Schreiber
MScSLP, RSLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Doctoral Student
Details
Ann-Marie Schreiber is a PhD student studying the biomechanics of swallowing following tracheostomy and the science behind the implementation of evidence-based practice. She received both her B.A. in Psychology and M.Sc. in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Alberta. Ann-Marie has extensive clinical experience in acute care and rehabilitation hospitals in Canada, the UK and Australia, with a particular interest in critical care.

Robyn Jones
BA (Hons)
Undergraduate Research Student
Details
Robyn is a student in the post-baccalaureate Diploma in Linguistics program at UBC. Currently studying psychology and linguistics, she aims to pursue a master’s program and career in speech-language pathology. She has a professional background working in communications and the technology industry, and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Victoria. Robyn joined the Swallowing Innovations Lab in June 2020.
Staff

Tahira Tejpar
BA, MSc
Research Coordinator
Details
Tahira is a clinical research professional; her role at the Si-Lab is to facilitate and support ongoing research projects. She graduated with a B.A. in psychology from the University of Victoria in 2014 and a M.Sc in neuroscience from Simon Fraser University in 2017. Her Masters research explored the neural correlates of the auditory steady state response in Down Syndrome-initiating her interest in the field of audiology and speech science.
External Affiliates: Clinical
ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES
Andrea Benoit
MSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
University of Alberta Hospital, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
Mini Kurian
MClSc, RSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
University of Alberta Hospital, Stollery Children’s Hospital
Alysha Serviss
MSc(A), RSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist, Cardiac Sciences
Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
Karolin Skogsrud
MSLP, RSLP, SLP(C)
Speech-Language Pathologist, Neurosciences
University of Alberta Hospital
FRASER HEALTH
Dulcie Carter
BSc MMedSci, RSLP, SLP(C)
Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Practice Leader, Speech Language Pathology, Fraser Health
Clinical Faculty, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia
Reena Parhar
MSc, RSLP, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Supervisor, Adult Inpatient, Surrey Memorial Hospital
Clinical Faculty, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia
Erin Tschopp
MSc, RSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Practice Leader, Burnaby Hospital
Caren Carlaw
MA, RSLP, SLP(C)
Clinical Practice Leader, Speech-Language Pathology, Surrey Memorial Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia
Providence HEALTH
Tara Chen
BA, MSc, RSLP, SLP(C)
Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Instructor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, UBC
Rachel Kennedy
M.Sc, R-SLP, R-CORU
Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Instructor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, UBC
Indershini Pillay
MS, RSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Vancouver Coastal HEALTH
Tracey Findlay
MA, RSLP, SLP(C)
Practice Leader, Speech-Language Pathology in Vancouver Acute (GF Strong Rehab Centre, UBC Hospital & Vancouver General Hospital), part of Vancouver Coastal Health.
Clinical Instructor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia
Stephanie Riopelle
MSc, RSLP, SLP (C)
Speech-Language Pathologist
Hillary Stahl
MSc, RSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
External Affiliates: Academic
Dr. Sean M Bagshaw
MD, MSc, FRCPC
Professor and Chair, Department of Critical Care Medicine
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and School of Public Health
University of Alberta
Scientific Director, Critical Care Strategic Clinical Network,
Alberta Health Services, Alberta
Canada Research Chair in Critical Care Nephrology (2016-2021)
Dr. James L. Coyle
PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA
Professor, Communication Science and Disorders and Otolaryngology
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Board Certified Specialist, Swallowing Disorders
Fellow, American Speech Language and Hearing Association
Dr. Camilla Dawson
DClinP, BSc (hons) MRCSLT, HCPC
Dr. Heather Flowers
MEd, MHSc, PhD, CCC-SLP, S-LP(C), Reg CASLPO
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Institut du Savoir – Montfort – A Knowledge Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
The Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada (clinical affiliation)
Dr. Stephen Raverty
MSc, DVM, PhD
Meghan Sebastianski
BSc, MPH, PhD
Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) SUPPORT Unit Knowledge Translation Program
University of Alberta
Lab Alumni
Past Trainees
Post-doctoral Fellows
Dr. Camilla Dawson, DClinP, BSc (hons) MRCSLT, HCPC
Visiting Scientist
Masters Project Students
Julia Varanese, MSc, SLP(C)
Nicole Anger, MSc, RSLP, SLP(C)
Orinna Yeung, MSc, SLP(C)
Reana Deng, MSc, SLP(C)
Stephanie Riopelle, MSc, SLP(C)
Undergraduate Research Students
Jasmine Shi, UBC Integrated Sciences
Hirad Nourbakhsh, UBC Integrated Sciences
Graduate WorkLearn Program Assistants
Allison Empey, MSc, RSLP, SLP(C)
Courtney K Dorman, MSc, RSLP, SLP(C)
Alannah Turner, BFA, MSc, RSLP, SLP(C)
Undergraduate WorkLearn Program Assistants
Lisa Nguyen, UBC Speech Sciences
Harleen Kaur Hehar, BSc Candidate