Giselle Carnaby, MPH, PhD
Professor and SAUL Lab Director
Health Sciences
School of Health Professions
Professor and Director of the Swallowing and Upper Aerodigestive Lab at UT Health San Antonio. She is also a research professor in the department of Health Sciences and Otolaryngology at UT Health Science Center San Antonio.
Dr Carnaby has been conducting clinical research in upper aerodigestive functions and dysphagia for over 30 years. For over 15 years she has been considered a pioneer and leader in this field both nationally and internationally. She has worked to elucidate the natural history and outcomes of swallowing dysfunction following Stroke and Head /Neck Cancer and developed many of the tools currently utilized for measurement of this condition. Moreover, her research has explored the mechanisms underlying the cascade of dysfunction associated with swallowing decline using T2Weighted MRI, Surface EMG, videofluroscopy, manometry and biokinemetric measurement. Dr Carnaby’s research has always been interdisciplinary, incorporating collaborations from Oncology, Dentistry, Otolaryngology, Psychology, Gerontology, Respiratory medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery in her foundational research efforts.
Erika Almazan, MS, CCC-SLP
Doctoral student / Researcher
Health Sciences
School of Health Professions
Erika Almazan is a clinician-researcher and PhD student in Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio, specializing in pediatric feeding disorders. With over 20 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, her focus is on pediatric feeding disorder, barriers to access, and early childhood intervention. She is dedicated to improving patient outcomes and supporting families navigating feeding challenges
Tomio Calhoun, MS
Assistant Professor / Clinical Imaging Specialist
Health Sciences-Imaging Science
Tomio Calhoun is a clinical assistant professor at UT Health Science Center San Antonio who specializes in swallowing imaging for videofluoroscopic and modified barium swallow examination. Director of Clinical Education and Associate Professor in the division of Imaging Sciences with 15+ years in imaging sciences, operations, and academic leadership.
Hannah Chenault, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-language Pathologist / SwallowFit Study Treating SLP
Health Sciences
San Antonio
Hannah is currently participating in the SwallowFit study at UTHSCSA as the treating speech-language pathologist. She operates an adults-only private practice in San Antonio full time that employs a total of 8 speech-language pathologists. Although she has clinical experience across all diagnoses within the pediatric & geriatric populations, her passion is working with adult/geriatric patients with swallowing disorders, aphasia, and dysphonia.
Hiroyasu Furuya, DDS, PhD
Assistant Professor / Affiliated Researcher
Nippon Dental University
Tokyo, Japan
Hiroyasu Furuya is a dentist and lecturer at The Nippon Dental University in Japan and was a visiting scholar at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He specializes in swallowing rehabilitation and oral health. His previous research has focused on dysphagia rehabilitation, including interventions for enterally fed patients. He has received awards from the International Association for Disability and Oral Health (iADH) and the Japanese Association of Home Care Medicine for his contributions to geriatric and dysphagia research.
Dr Jessie Jacobsen, Maj USAF (USA)
Neurology, Movement Disorders
Brooke Army Medical Hospital
Megan Llamas-Carreon, MHA, RRT
Respiratory Specialist/Researcher
Doctoral student
Respiratory Care
School of Health Professions
Assistant Professor and Interim Chair in the Division of Respiratory Care. Megan is an alumna of UT Health San Antonio. Megan currently teaches Pulmonary Function Testing, Management and Leadership in Health Professions and Board prep for our BSRC and MSRC students as well as various online courses for our degree advancement students. Megan previously served at the TSRC President of the Southern Region, currently the Vice-Chair of the CHEST Mechanical Ventilation domain task force, current member of the CHEST Mechanical Ventilation Simulation Team and the Pulmonary Fellow Education Director under Dr. Jay Peters. In her doctoral research she specializes in working with pulmonary function in Parkinson’s disease.
Diane Longnecker, PhD, BCS-S, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor / Affiliated Researcher
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Baylor University
Dr. Longnecker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Baylor University. Her research interests include the evaluation and treatment of swallowing and swallowing disorders, and theory-guided implementation of evaluation and intervention advances. She regularly serves as a peer reviewer for multiple academic journals. She serves in a variety of capacities in state and national professional associations.
https://csd.robbins.baylor.edu/person/diane-longnecker-phd-bcs-s-ccc-slp
Roberto Martinez, MS-HCP
Senior Research Assistant
Health Sciences
School of Health Professions
Roberto Martinez has a master’s in Health Community and Policy within Public Health and currently serves as the Senior Research Assistant for the SwallowFit study at UTHSCSA. As research coordinator he oversees participant recruitment and enrollment, delivers study instructions, coordinates scheduling, supports study operations, communicates with participants, maintains accurate records, and assists the research team to ensure smooth, efficient, and compliant study execution.
Dr Alexis Nelson, Lt Col USAF USARMY MEDCOM BAMC (USA)
Neurology
Brooke Army Medical Hospital
Orlando Hinojosa, MS, CCC-SLP
Doctoral student /Researcher
Orlando Hinojosa is a speech-language pathologist and doctoral student. His clinical expertise includes managing swallowing and communication disorders resulting from head and neck cancers and Parkinson’s disease, among other conditions. His current research focuses on dysphagia in adults with Parkinson’s disease. Orlando is also committed to addressing health disparities by improving access to care for underserved communities and individuals with limited healthcare resources. Orlando is committed to advancing his career as an instructor and researcher in health sciences and speech-language pathology, contributing to both clinical practice and academic scholarship in the field.
Dr. Sonal Pathak, SLPD, CCC-SLP
Affiliated Clinical Researcher
San Francisco, CA
Dr. Pathak is a Speech-Language Pathologist with over 15 years of diverse clinical experience across acute care and post-acute settings with Alameda Health. Her clinical work focuses on the assessment and management of dysphagia, particularly in patients with stroke and other neurologic conditions. She is deeply committed to bridging the gap between clinical research and real-world implementation at the bedside. Dr. Pathak earned her clinical doctorate with research centered on spontaneous swallowing frequency; an area with strong potential for practical application in patient care and early dysphagia identification. Currently, she practices in both acute care and post-acute environments, where she integrates evidence-based approaches into daily clinical decision-making. Her areas of interest include dysphagia management, stroke rehabilitation, and translating research into meaningful clinical outcomes.
Tarah Rochester, MS, CCC-SLP
Doctoral student / Researcher
Health Sciences
School of Health Professions
Tarah Rochester is a speech-language pathologist and PhD student with 15 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings including public and charter schools, pediatric and adult outpatient and home health care, adult inpatient rehab, and adult acute care in rural and urban areas. She currently works as the Independent Evaluator for the SwallowFit research study. Her research focuses on early physiologic swallow changes in Parkinson’s, patient perception of swallow difficulties, and the relationship between pharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing.