Research

Research into the most effective methods of assessing and treating swallowing dysfunction is an active and rapidly evolving field. There are a number of research laboratories across the United States and Canada that are publishing high quality research in the area of dysphagia assessment and management and have ongoing clinical trials.

Local to the Bay Area, Stanford is home to the HOPES (Helping Oncology Patients Enjoy Swallowing) research lab that is spearheading some amazing-looking projects focused on swallow dysfunction related to head and neck cancer.

For research projects related to other medical diagnoses, and to explore opportunities for participating in dysphagia research studies, here is a list of some labs that focus on swallowing and swallowing dysfunction in the United States and Canada: 

• Aerodigestive Research Lab (Gainesville, FL)- ALS

• HOPES Lab (Stanford, CA) - Head and Neck Cancer

• Johns Hopkins Swallowing Investigation and Physiology Lab (Baltimore, MD) - Stroke

• Laboratory for the Study of Upper Airway Dysfunction (New York, NY) - Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders, Ischemic Stroke

• NYU Swallowing Research Lab (New York, New York) - Stroke, Head and Neck Cancer, Cervical Spinal surgery, Parkinson’s Disease, swallowing changes with normal aging

• Purdue I-EaT Research Lab (West Lafayette, IN) - Alzheimer’s, Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease

• Steele’s Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Lab (Toronto, Canada) - Stroke

• Swallowing Cross-Systems Collaborative (Evanston, IL) - Head and Neck Cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, Stroke

• Upper Airway Dysfunction Lab (Gainesville, FL) - Parkinson’s Disease