Faculty and Staff Profiles

DEBRA M SUITER, Ph.D.
,
Office Location:
Office Hours: By Appointment
Profile

Assistant Professor, Speech-Language Pathology

Faculty member since 2002

Education:
  • Ph. D.      The University of Tennessee, Knoxville,  2001
  • M.A.        The University of Tennessee, Knoxville,  1993
  • B.A.         University of Evansville,  1990                
Credentials:
  • Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
  • Tennessee State Licensure, Speech-Language Pathologist
Research Interests:
  • Swallowing-related issues in patients with tracheotomy
  • Efficacy of motor-based treatments for dysphagia
  • Accuracy of diagnostic testing for dysphagia
  • Efficacy of treatment for motor speech disorders
Teaching Interests:
  • Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
  • Adult Neurogenic Language Disorders
  • Motor Speech Disorders in Children
Clinical Interests:
  • Diagnostic and therapeutic management of dysphagia
  • Tracheotomy
  • Adult neurogenic language and speech disorders

       

Additional Information

Current Research Projects
  • Effects of Lee Silveman Voice Treatment (LSVT) on Perceptual Speech Intelligibility
  • Effects of Saliva and Body Temperature on Line Spread Test Results

 Publications

  • Leder, S. B., & Suiter, D. M. (2008). Effect of nasogastric feeding tubes on aspiration status. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89, 648-651.
  • Suiter, D. M., & Cannito, M. P. (In press). Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. In M. R. McNeil (ed.) Clinical Management of Sensorimotor Speech Disorders (2nd ed.). New York: Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
  • Suiter, D. M., & Leder, S. B. (2007). Clinical utility of the three ounce water swallow test. Dysphagia [Electronic version].
  • Suiter, D. M., & Moorhead, M. K. (2007). Effects of flexible fiberoptic endoscopy on pharyngeal swallow physiology. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 956-858.
  • Suiter, D. M., & Ruark-McMurtrey, J. L. (2007). Oxygen saturation and heart rate during feeding in breast-fed infants at 1-week and 2-months of age. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 1681-1685.
  • Suiter, D. M., & Leder, S. B. (2007). Contribution of tracheotomy tubes and one-way speaking valves to swallowing success. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 23, 341-351.
  • McCullough, G. H., Rosenbek, J. C., Wertz, R. T., Suiter, D., & McCoy, S. (2007). Defining swallowing function by age: Promises and pitfalls of pigeonholing. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 23, 290-307.
  • Suiter, D. M., & Easterling, C. S. (2007). Update on current treatment and practice patterns for dysphagia. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 23, 197-210.
  • Cannito, M. P., Suiter, D. M., Wolf, T., Chorna, L., Beverly, D., & Watkins, J. (2006). Vowel harmonic amplitude differences in a speaker with hypokinetic dysarthria before and after treatment. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 14, 229-234.
  • Suiter, D. M., Leder, S. B., & Ruark, J. L. (2006). Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on submental muscle activity. Dysphagia, 21, 56-60.
  • Suiter, D. M., McCullough, G. H., & Powell, P. W. (2003). Effects of cuff deflation and cuff deflation and one-way speaking valve placement on swallow physiology. Dysphagia, 18, 284-292. 

Recent Presentations:

  • Suiter, D. M., & Moorhead, M. K. Effect of a flexible fiberoptic endoscope on pharyngeal swallow physiology. Oral presentation. Annual Meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society, Vancouver, BC, March 8-10, 2007.   
  • Suiter, D. M., & Leder, S. B. Can the 3 oz. water swallow test screen for aspiration? Poster presentation. Annual Meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society, Vancouver, BC, March 8-10, 2007.   
  • Leder, S. B., & Suiter, D. M. Incidence of aspiration dependent upon a nasogastric tube. Poster presentation. Annual Meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society, Vancouver, BC, March 8-10, 2007.  
  • Suiter, D. M., Gosa, M., Powers, L., Palmer, F., Petersen, M., & Temple, C. Utility of clinical swallow measures for determining aspiration in infants and young children. Poster presentation. Annual Meeting of the Dysphagia Research Society, Vancouver, BC, March 8-10, 2007.



Appendix A - Teaching Experience
  • AUSP 7303/8303 - Adult Language Disorders II: TBI & Dementia
  • AUSP 7202 - Motor Speech Disorders in Children
  • AUSP 7209/8209 - Dysphagia and Related Disorders
  • AUSP 7303 - Adult Language Disorders II: TBI & Dementia
  • 7202/8202 - Motor Speech Disorders in Children
  • AUSP 7209/8209 - Dysphagia and Related Disorders
  • 7303 - Adult Language Disorders II: TBI & Dementia