About Special Interest Group 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia)

Mission

The mission of the SIG on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders is to provide leadership and advocacy for issues in swallowing and swallowing disorders and to serve affiliates who evaluate and manage individuals with swallowing and feeding disorders across the lifespan by supporting professional development, research, education, and communication necessary for delivery of the highest quality services.

Specialty Certification

Interested clinicians can apply to become a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S). Visit the BCS-S website for more information. We hope that you will take advantage of this exciting professional opportunity! For other information on specialty recognition, visit the Clinical Specialty Certification pages on ASHA's website.

Study and Professional Issues

Study Issues

Dysphagia assessment
Dysphagia treatment
Treatment efficacy and risk management
Cross-communication with other SIGs in the form of study sections
Reimbursement & insurance payments
Outcomes of dysphagia treatment: functional, cost, health, quality of life

Professional Issues

Clinical certification standards and their relationship to professional training
Practice standards/clinical guidelines
Interdisciplinary relationships in the health care setting
Identification of high priority clinical and research needs
Ethical considerations
Risk management
Improvement of graduate training and expansion continuing education
CMS, Medicare, insurance policies

Affiliate Benefits and SIG Programs

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups is the online peer-reviewed scholarly review journal of the SIGs. SIG 13 offers new self-study CE activities through Perspectives each year.

Continuing Education

Earn ASHA continuing education units (CEUs) through

Self-study of Perspectives and pay the lowest processing fee to take the learning assessments
SIG sponsored Master Classes and one-hour sessions at the annual ASHA Convention

Networking

SIG 13 Affiliates have access to exclusive discussion forums/groups, which provide the opportunity to interact with other SIG Affiliates who share interest in swallowing and swallowing disorders. Use ASHA's Member Directory to search for individuals by SIG affiliation. In addition, SIG 13 Affiliates can meet in person and online at an ASHA and SIG 13 sponsored events; typically each SIG hosts an Affiliates meeting at Convention and sponsors a virtual open house.

Representation Within ASHA

The SIG 13 Coordinator represents the Dysphagia Special Interest Group within the ASHA Board of Special Interest Group Coordinators.
The Coordinating Committee responds to ASHA requests for input regarding policy, guidelines, committees, and other issues.
Affiliates have the opportunity to provide input to the SIG leadership and ASHA.

Past Recipients of the Lecture in Upper Airway Voice and Swallowing Science

Since its inception in 2005, the Lecture in Upper Airway Voice and Swallowing Science (formerly the PENTAX Medical Lecture in Upper Airway Science) was a prestigious invited lectureship at the Annual ASHA Convention.The highly anticipated event recognized a scientist who provided rich depth and breadth to our knowledge of the upper airway as it applied to the complementary fields of voice and swallowing. Previous lectures were characterized by the prestige of the presenters and the scholarly content of the presentations. The Lecture itself was recognized as the premier upper airway science lecture at the Convention. This lecture was developed in conjunction with leaders of Special Interest Group (SIG) 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders and SIG 13, Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. The annual lecture series was discontinued in 2019. Following is a list of past recipients.

2018 – Robert Hillman, "What Happens When Patients Leave the Clinic? Assessing & Treating Voice Disorders Using Wearable Technology"
2017 – Sponsorship Transition Year; No Lecture
2016 – Dr. Lorraine Ramig
2015 – Dr. Dimitar Deliyski
2014 – Dr. Ilona Schmalfuss
2013 – Dr. Bonnie Martin-Harris
2012 – Dr. Ingo Titze
2011 – Dr. Peter Belafsky
2010 – Dr. Susan Thibeault
2009 – Dr. Richard Zraick
2008 – Dr. Nadine Connor
2007 – Dr. Jeri Miller
2006 – Dr. Jamie Koufman
2005 – Dr. Christy Ludlow

Coordinating Committee Members

2021–2024 Coordinator: Aneesha Virani, Northside Hospital
2023–2025 Associate Coordinator: Tiffany M. Mohr, Orlando Health – Orlando Regional Medical Center
2024–2026 Editor: Angela M Dietsch, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
2024–2026 Professional Development Manager: Brianna R Miluk, Pediatric Feeding Therapy, LLC
2023–2025 Member-at-Large: Cara A. Donohue, University of Florida
2021–2024 Member-at-Large: Raquel J. Garcia, Northwestern University
2024–2026 Member-at-Large: Aarthi Madhavan, Pennsylvania State University
Ex Officio: Stefanie LaManna, Associate Director, Health Care Services, ASHA