About Our Lab
Welcome to the Swallowing Lab, the academic research lab of Dr. Rosemary Martino.
Our lab is a team of graduate students, research coordinators and volunteers who work across two sites.
Our research focuses on understanding swallowing impairment (dysphagia) and its associated impacts. We conduct research that will assist clinicians in providing the best possible care to their patients and that will ultimately help reduce the burden of dysphagia for patients, their caregivers and the community.
Through this research, we are developing resources for health professionals, patients and their families.
Rosemary Martino, MA, MSc, PhD
Dr. Rosemary Martino is Chair and Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network. She held the inaugural Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Swallowing Disorders (2013-2023) and is an expert in the area of swallowing disorders (dysphagia) and clinical epidemiology.
Dr. Martino’s research focuses on oropharyngeal dysphagia secondary to cancer, cardiovascular and neurological etiologies. Dysphagia is an abnormality in swallowing physiology of the upper aerodigestive tract and a common consequence of diseases, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and head and neck cancer. The presence of dysphagia can compromise patient health and recovery, and lead to serious comorbidities including pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration, anxiety, depression, poor quality of life and even death. The aim of Dr. Martino’s research is to discover high-level evidence to determine whether swallowing interventions are beneficial in reducing or eliminating these unnecessary consequences.
Through years of work in this field, Dr. Martino has developed two dysphagia-related tools: 1) the Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Tool (TOR-BSST©), a screening tool for early detection of dysphagia, and 2) the Medical Outcomes of Dysphagia (MOD) tool, which measures the medical consequences of dysphagia.
Currently, Dr. Martino is Co-Principal Investigator on one of the largest dysphagia-related studies, and the largest rehabilitation-related trial ever – the PRO-ACTIVE trial.
As principal investigator, Dr. Martino has obtained 27 grants totaling over $10 million.
View Dr. Martino’s research profile on: PubMed | Scopus | Publons | ORCID | ResearchGate
2004 PhD, Clinical and Evaluative Sciences / Health Outcomes, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
1999 MSc, Clinical Epidemiology, Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
1987 MA, Speech-Language Pathology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Chair and Graduate Chair, Speech-Language Pathology
Professor, Speech-Language Pathology
Professor, School of Graduate Studies
Professor, Rehabilitation Science (Graduate)
Professor, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Director, Swallowing Disorders Lab
Senior Scientist, Health Care & Outcomes Research, Krembil Research Institute/University Health Network
Director, Swallowing Disorders Lab
Staff
Trixie Reichardt, MHSc, RD
Clinical Research Coordinator
Maisha Khan, MSc, CCRP
Clinical Research Coordinator
Lab Manager
Veronica Rodriguez, MHSc, SLP
Clinical Research Coordinator
Kieshan Amarakaran, MPH
Research Associate
Aliaa Sabry, MD, PhD, SLP
Scientific Associate
Current Students
Elissa Greco, MSLP, SLP
Doctoral Student
Project: Dysphagia and head and neck cancer
ORCID | ResearchGate
Ala Refai, MHSc, SLP
Doctoral Student
Project: Caregivers of head and neck cancer patients
ORCID | ResearchGate
Former Students
Beatrice Manduchi, MSc, PhD, SLP
2019-2024 (PhD)
Project: Develop core outcome set for dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients
ORCID | ResearchGate
Vivian Che, MHSc, MSc, SLP
2020-2023 (MSc)
Project: Quantification of fibrosis in head and neck cancer using MRI.
ResearchGate
Stephanie Shaw, MSc, PhD, SLP
2010-2022 (PhD)
Project: Development of a protocol for measuring the tensile properties of the swallowing musculature: A potential methodology for quantifying radiofibrosis.
Victoria Sherman, MHSc, PhD, SLP
2016-2021 (PhD)
Project: Early identification of dysphagia in children with stroke.
Aliaa Sabry, MD, PhD, SLP
2019-2021 (Post-Doctoral Fellowship)
Project: Comparison of patient perception and objective measures of swallowing impairment.
Current Position: Scientific Associate, Swallowing Lab, University of Toronto / University Health Network
ResearchGate
Ana Furkim, PhD, SLP
2016-2017 (Post-Doctoral Fellowship)
Project: Comparison among objective measures of videofluoroscopic findings of deglutition.
Current Position: Professor, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
ORCID
Heather Flowers, MHSc, PhD, SLP
2006-2013 (PhD)
Project: Evaluating the neuroanatomical associations of dysphagia, dysarthria, and aphasia in acute stroke: A multi-site investigation.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
ORCID | ResearchGate
Stacey Skoretz, MSc, PhD, SLP
2007-2014 (PhD)
Project: Dysphagia following cardiovascular surgery: Incidence, type and associated risk factors.
Current Position: Associate Professor, University of British Columbia
ORCID