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.