Swallowing Suite
A Tour of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health

  • The leading cause of death in Parkinson’s disease is aspiration pneumonia.
  • Many years ago Christine Sapienza, Jay Rosenbeck, Michelle Troche and Karen Hegland imagined an on-site swallowing suite complete with a radiology “C-arm.”
  • Screening and preventing aspiration pneumonia have been a leading clinical and research area for our faculty, led by Christine Sapienza, who invented and validated the use of the Expiratory Muscle Strength Device, or EMST, therapy.
  • This therapy is used worldwide. Dr. Hegland has been working on cough as another important measure of aspiration risk.
  • The Swallowing Suite was donated by Judith Barrett.