Respiratory, phonatory, and laryngeal physiology of voice and swallowing disorders, including the use of radiographic, videostroboscopic, and sonographic imaging. Physiologically-based treatment for voice and swallowing disorders. The acoustics of voice and biomechanics of normal and disordered voice and swallowing. Teaching addresses the anatomy and physiology of communication and swallowing, and the assessment and treatment voice and swallowing disorders (dysphagia).

To learn more about Dr. Lowell’s research, click here.

Research Spotlight

Current research in the Voice and Swallowing Physiology addresses:

• Respiratory-based treatment for voice disorders
• Pharmaceutically-based treatment for voice disorders
• Biomechanics of swallowing treatment techniques in healthy individuals and people with dysphagia

• Professor, Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University, 2020-present
• Associate Professor, Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University, 2014-2020
• Assistant Professor, Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University, 2008-2014
• Voluntary Faculty Assistant Professor, Dept. of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 2009-present
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Laryngeal & Speech Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 2005-2008
• Speech-Language Pathologist, Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital, 2001-2005
• Speech-Language Pathologist, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, 1998-2001
• Speech-Language Pathologist, Healthcare Providers Incorporated, 1997-1998
• Speech-Language Pathologist, Children's National Medical Center, 1996-1997
• Speech-Language Pathologist, Carondelet St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s Hospitals, 1994-1996

* Denotes authorship of PhD students and ** denotes Bachelor’s or Master’s students for whom I was the primary mentor.

• Lowell, SY, Kelley, RT, **Dischinat, N, Monahan, M, *Hosbach-Cannon, CJ, Colton, RH, & Mihaila, D (in press). Clinical features of essential voice tremor and associations with tremor severity and response to octanoic acid treatment. Laryngoscope.
• Lowell, SY, Colton, RH, Kelley, RT, **Auld, M, & **Schmitz, H (EPub ahead of print). Isolated and combined respiratory training for muscle tension dysphonia: preliminary findings. Journal of Voice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.06.013
• *Mendes, MB & Lowell, SY (2020). A systematic review of the physiological effects of the effortful swallow maneuver in adults with normal and disordered swallowing. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(3), 1655-1673. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00132
• *Hosbach-Cannon, CJ, Lowell, SY, Colton, RH, Kelley, RT, & **Bao, X (2020). Assessment of tongue position and laryngeal height in two professional voice populations. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 63(1), 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-19-00164
• **Mercer, E & Lowell, SY (2020). The Low Mandible Maneuver: preliminary study of its effects on aerodynamic and acoustic measures. Journal of Voice, 34(4), 645.e1-645.e9. EPub release Jan, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.12.005
• Lowell, SY, Kelley, RT, Monahan, M, *Hosbach-Cannon, CJ, Colton, RH, & Mihaila, D (2019). The effect of octanoic acid on essential voice tremor: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Laryngoscope, 129(8), 1882-1890. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.27695
• Lowell, SY, Vigil DC, Abdelaziz M, Edmonds K, Goel-Sakhalkar P, Guiberson M, Fleming Hamilton A, Hung P, Lee-Wilkerson D, Miller C, Rivera Perez J, Ramkissoon I, Scott D (2018). Pathways to cultural competence: diversity backgrounds and their influence on career path and clinical care. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, SIG 14, 3(Part 2), 30-39. https://doi.org/10.1044/persp3.SIG14.30
• Lowell, SY (2019). Muscle tension dysphonia. In M.J. Ball & J. Damico (Eds.), SAGE Encyclopedia of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-human-communication-sciences-and-disorders/book245001
• Lowell, SY, Kelley, RT, Busekroos, L, Voleti, RV, *Hosbach-Cannon, CJ, Colton, RH, Mihaila, D (2017). The effect of anchors on reliability of endoscopic tremor ratings. Laryngoscope, 127(2), 411-416. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.26034
• Lowell, SY & **Hylkema, JA (2016). The effect of speaking context on spectral- and cepstral-based acoustic features of normal voice. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 30(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2015.1087049
• *Hosbach-Cannon, CJ, Lowell, SY, Kelley, RT, & Colton, RH (2016). A preliminary quantitative comparison of vibratory amplitude using rigid and flexible stroboscopic assessment. Journal of Voice, 30(4), 485-492. EPub release May, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2015.05.018
• **Rosenthal, AL, Lowell, SY, & Colton, RH (2014). Acoustic and aerodynamic features of vocal effort. Journal of Voice, 28(2), 144-153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2013.09.007
• Lowell, SY, Colton, RH, Kelley, R, & **Mizia, SA (2013). Predictive value and discriminant capacity of cepstral and spectral-based measures during continuous speech. Journal of Voice, 27(4), 393-400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2013.02.005
• Lowell, SY, Kelley, RT, Awan, SN, Colton, RH & **Chan, NH (2012). Spectral and cepstral-based acoustic features of dysphonic, strained voice quality. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, 121(8), 539-548. https://doi.org/10.1177/000348941212100808
• Lowell, SY, Reynolds, RC, Chen, G, Horwitz, B & Ludlow, CL (2012). Functional connectivity and laterality of the motor and sensory components within the volitional swallowing network. Experimental Brain Research, 219(1), 85-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-012-3069-9
• Lowell, SY, Kelley, RT, Colton, RH, Smith, PB & Portnoy, JE (2012). Position of the hyoid and larynx in people with muscle tension dysphonia. Laryngoscope, 122, 370-377. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.22482
• Lowell, SY (2012). The acoustic assessment of voice in continuous speech. Perspectives on Voice and Voice Disorders, 22 (2), 57-63. https://doi.org/10.1044/vvd22.2.57
• Lowell, SY, Colton, RH, Kelley, R, & **Hahn, YC (2011). Spectral and cepstral-based measures during continuous speech: capacity to distinguish dysphonia and consistency within a speaker. Journal of Voice, 25(5), e223-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2010.06.007
• Lowell, SY, Poletto, CJ, Knorr-Chung, BR, Reynolds, RC, Simonyan, K, & Ludlow, CL (2008). Sensory stimulation activates both motor and sensory components of the swallowing system. NeuroImage, 42(1), 285-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.04.234
• Lowell, SY, Barkmeier-Kraemer, JM, Hoit, JD & Story, BH (2008). Respiratory and laryngeal function during spontaneous speaking in teachers with voice disorders. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 51(2), 333-349. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2008/025)
• Ludlow, CL, Loucks, T, Simonyan, K, & Lowell, SY (2008). Brain imaging of voice, swallow, and other upper airway functions. In In R. Ingham (Ed.), Neuroimaging in Communication Sciences and Disorders (pp. 87-128). San Diego: Plural Publishing. ISBN13: 978-1-59756-102-0
• Lowell, SY, & Story, BH (2006). Simulated effects of cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscle activation on adult-male vocal fold vibration. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Jul, 120(1), 386-97. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2204442
• Hockensmith, GB, Lowell, SY, & Fuglevand, AJ (2005). Common input across motor nuclei mediating precision grip in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 25(18), 4560-4564. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0046-05.2005
• Lowell, S, Beeson, P, & Holland, A (1995). The efficacy of a semantic cueing procedure on naming performance in adults with aphasia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 4, 109-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2015.01.003
• Swisher, L, Restrepo, MA, Plante, E, & Lowell, S (1995). Effects of implicit and explicit “rule” presentation on bound morpheme generalization in specific language impairment. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 168-173. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3801.168
• Swisher, L, Plante, E, & Lowell, S (1994). Nonlinguistic deficits of children with specific language disorders complicate the interpretation of their non-verbal IQ scores. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 25, 235-240. https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461.2504.235

Dr. Lowell is initiating a randomized clinical trial addressing the treatment of muscle tension dysphonia, a type of voice disorder. This project is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). This research will determine the effects of treatment designed to improve the way that breathing and voice are used during speech production.

Project Title: The effects of respiratory-based treatment for muscle tension dysphonia: a randomized controlled trial. PI: Lowell. Funding Source: NIH, NIDCD. Grant Identifier #: R15DC018132