What is Dysphagia?
Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. It is when people have trouble moving food, liquid, pills or even saliva out of the mouth, through the throat and esophagus (food tube), and into the stomach.
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Dysphagia Management: From Evidence to Implementation
Dysphagia Management: From Evidence to Implementation By Phyllis M. Palmer, PhD, CCC-SLP & Aaron H. Padilla, MS, CCC-SLP Editor: Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S of SwallowStudy.com Editor’s...
COVID-19 Pandemic and Dysphagia Management Outcomes
COVID-19 Pandemic and Dysphagia Management Outcomes by Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S of SwallowStudy.com It has been well over one year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that changed our...
5 Dysphagia Tips for Students & New Speech-Language Pathologists
Dysphagia Tips for Students & New Speech-Language Pathologists by Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S of SwallowStudy.com As the snow melts and the first buds of spring will be coming out across...
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About Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995 with a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. There, I was influenced by great mentors in the field of swallowing and swallowing disorders (dysphagia) like Jay Rosenbek, JoAnne Robbins, and James Coyle. Once the “dysphagia-bug” bit, I have never looked back.
Initially, I worked in skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation centers, but since 1999 I have been in acute care. I obtained my Board Certification as a Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S) in August of 2012. I am committed to life-long-learning. I was awarded my 8th ASHA Award for Continuing Education (ACE Award) in January 2022. I am committed to increasing public awareness in dysphagia. I am a member of the Dysphagia Research Society (DRS), the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s Special Interest Group 13: Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders, and the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders (NFOSD), and the US IDDSI Reference Group (USIRG). I am co-chair of the Public Relations Committee of the American Board of Swallowing & Swallowing Disorders. I was awarded the Hormel Health Hero Award in 2019.
I started SwallowStudy.com in May 2014 to create a valuable evidence-based dysphagia resource for professionals and people with difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
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