Speaker Bios & Disclosures for the Utah Performance Voice Conference

Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, PhD, CCC-SLP is a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Director of the Voice, Airway, Swallowing Translational (VAST) Research Lab, Clinic Director of the Voice Disorders Center and adjunct faculty to the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Utah. She has over 30 years of clinical and research experience in the areas of voice, swallowing, and airway disorders and longstanding NIH funding to support her translational research in neurolaryngology.

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Barkmeier-Kraemer is employed by the University of Utah and her registration was waived as a presenter and co-chair of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Barkmeier-Kraemer is a member of ASHA and the Special Interest Group 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders and also served on the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.

Jacque Lynn Bell, MFA is a dancer/choreographer and AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. She received her MFA in choreography at the University of Utah, where she has taught Movement and the Alexander Technique in the Department of Theatre for over 30 years. Jacque has taught and presented her work locally as well as nationally and internationally. Her teaching includes the Framework, which she has studied for the last eight years with Luc Vanier.

• Financial Disclosures: Ms. Bell is employed by the University of Utah and her registration was waived as a presenter for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Ms. Bell is a member of AmSAT. She is also a teacher/trainee for the Alexander Technique and Framework training directed by Luc Vanier.

Catharine DeLong, PhD, CCC-SLP received her BA Philosophy and Chemistry from Mount Holyoke College. She completed her MS degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Utah in 2012 and PhD in 2019, also from the University of Utah. Catharine was an acute care therapist for Intermountain HealthCare from 2017 to 2023 and opened a private practice in Salt Lake City in 2019. Her focus is in treating adults with acquired and progressive neurogenic disorders, as well as gender affirming voice therapy. Catharine joined the clinical faculty at the University of Utah in 2022 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. 

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. DeLong is employed by the University of Utah and her registration was waived as a presenter for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. DeLong is a member of ASHA.

Julia Ellerston, SLPD, CCC-SLP is a certified speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice, swallowing, and airway disorders at the University of Utah Voice Disorders Center, and a classically trained soprano, with performance credits in venues across the United States and Europe. Julia completed her bachelor's degree, a double major in vocal music and communication disorders, and her master's degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Northern Iowa, and her clinical doctorate in speech-language pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. Julia previously worked with Dr. Robert Sataloff and associates in Philadelphia, and has presented locally and nationally on the topics of voice, swallowing, and upper airway disorders. 

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Ellerston is employed by the University of Utah Health. Her registration fee for the performance voice conference was waived as a presenter and planning committee member for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Ellerston is the SLP coordinator for Parkinson Voice Project funding of clinical services for LOUD Crowd. She is also a legislative committee member for USHA as well as Utah's State Advocate for Medicare Policy (StAMP). She is a member of ASHA and PAVA as well as ASHA's SIGs 3 and 13. She serves as a member of SIG 3's program development committee. 

Daniel Houtz, MA, CCC-SLP is the lead speech-language pathologist at the Voice Center at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Among 1,400 rehabilitation clinicians for Intermountain Health, he is one of two speech pathologists to have an Advanced Rehabilitation Clinician position and designation. He has extensive expertise in assessing and treating voice, upper airway disorders and dysphagia patient populations.

• Financial Disclosures: Mr. Houtz is employed by the Voice Center at LDS Hospital, and his registration was waived as a presenter and planning committee member for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Mr. Houtz is a member of Special Interest Group 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders. He is also a member of the American Board of Voice and Upper Airways Disorders Assessment Subcommittee. 

Brian Manternach, DM is an associate professor (clinical) in the University of Utah Department of Theatre and a research associate at the Utah Center for Vocology, where he serves on the faculty of the Summer Vocology Institute. He holds a Doctor of Music in vocal performance from Indiana University, is an associate editor of the Journal of Singing, and regularly contributes to Classical Singer magazine. 

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Manternach is employed by the University of Utah and his registration was waived as a presenter and member of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Manternach is an active member of Utah NATS District and PAVA and also served on the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.

Lynn Maxfield, PhD is the Director for the Utah Center for Vocology (UCV) at the University of Utah. He also holds a faculty appointment in the University of Utah’s School of Music and is the contracted Vocal Coach at the University of Utah Health Voice Disorders Center. His PhD is in Voice Pedagogy with an MA in Voice Performance from the University of Iowa.

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Maxfield is employed by the University of Utah and his registration was waived as a presenter and co-chair of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Maxfield is a founding member of the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA) and also served on the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.

Jenny Pierce, PhD, CCC-SLP is a research assistant professor at the University of Utah in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, member of the Voice, Airway, Swallowing Translational (VAST) Research Lab and per diem SLP in the Utah Voice Disorders Center and LDS Voice and Swallowing Disorders Center. Dr. Pierce has expertise in neurogenic voice disorders and translational research related to a novel approach for treating vocal fold scar tissue and subglottic stenosis. She is also a classically trained soprano.

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Pierce is employed by the University of Utah and her registration was waived as a presenter and member of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference. She is also employed by an NIH-funded project related to idiopathic vocal fold paralysis (R01DC011311, PI: JBK), and by a project investigating a novel approach for treating vocal fold scar using a rabbit model (Skaggs Foundation, PI Marshall Smith). Her registration was waived as a presenter and member of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Pierce is a member of ASHA and the Special Interest Group 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders.

Breanne Schiffer, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. She is a board-certified otolaryngologist and fellowship-trained Laryngologist. Dr. Schiffer’s expertise includes evaluation and surgical and medical care of the voice.

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Schiffer is employed by the University of Utah and a co-investigator on several NIH funded grants supporting research investigating neurogenic voice disorders and breathing issues related to asthma and subglottic stenosis, laryngeal dystonia and vocal tremor (P50DC 019900, PI: Simonyan; R01DC016838, PI: Barkmeier-Kraemer), in addition to translational work with Dr. Tanner investigating the impact of corticosteroids and asthma on vocal fold epithelium (R01DC016269, PI: Tanner). Her registration was waived as a presenter and member of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Schiffer is a member of the American Laryngological Association, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. 

Amanda Stark, PhD, CCC-SLP is a post-doctorate in the Voice, Airway, Swallowing Translational (VAST) Research Lab in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and per diem speech-language pathologist at the Voice Disorders Center at the University of Utah. Dr. Stark has expertise in performing voice, neurogenic voice and speech populations as well as upper airway disorders. She is employed by NIH-funded projects related to laryngeal dystonia and vocal tremor (P50DC 019900, PI: Simonyan; R01DC016838, PI: Barkmeier-Kraemer), in addition to translational work with Dr. Tanner investigating the impact of corticosteroids and asthma on vocal fold epithelium (R01DC016269, PI: Tanner).

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Stark is employed by the University of Utah and also works clinically and on funded research at the University of Utah. Her registration was waived as a presenter and member of the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Stark is a member of ASHA and the Special Interest Group 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders.

Kristine Tanner, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and an adjunct faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Utah. Dr. Tanner cares for patients with a variety of voice problems and specializes in professional voice. She is a classically trained lyric soprano. Her research in voice and upper airway is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Tanner is employed by the University of Utah and also works clinically and on funded research at the University of Utah. Her registration was provided in association with her participation in this conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Tanner is a member of ASHA and the Special Interest Group 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders and also served on the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.

Miranda L. Wright, MM, MS, CCC-SLP is doctoral student in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and per diem speech-language pathologist in the Utah Voice Disorders Center. Her doctoral work is supported through her contributions on two NIH-funded projects through the Voice, Airway, Swallowing Translational (VAST) Research Lab investigating neurogenic voice disorders and breathing issues. Her doctoral research has focused on investigations on clinical characterization and treatment response patterns in those with chronic refractory cough in addition to interests in patient populations with airway and irritable larynx syndrome issues.

• Financial Disclosures: Ms. Wright is employed by the Utah Center for Vocology, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the Voice Disorders Center in addition to funded research at the University of Utah related to asthma and subglottic stenosis (R01DC016269, PI: Tanner), laryngeal dystonia and vocal tremor (P50DC 019900, PI: Simonyan; R01DC016838, PI: JBK). Her registration was provided in association with her contributions to this conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Ms. Wright is a member of ASHA and the Special Interest Group 3, Voice and Upper Airway Disorders and also served on the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.

Rebecca Zarate, PhD is a board-certified Music Therapist (MT-BC), licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCT), and Advanced Vocal Psychotherapist trained in the Austin Method (AVPT). Associate Dean for Research in the University of Utah College of Fine Arts, Dr. Zarate is a music psychotherapist, musician, researcher, and educator of music therapy, arts therapies, and arts and health. Her research focuses on community mental health and sustainability, mental health, creativity, improvisation, wellbeing, and the arts. 

• Financial Disclosures: Dr. Zarate is employed by the University of Utah. She also receives royalties from her book, “Music psychotherapy and anxiety: Social, community, and clinical contexts,” published by Jessica Kingsley. Her registration was provided in association with her contributions to this conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Zarate leads the Arts and Health Innovation Lab. She is co-editor of the Journal of Creative Arts in Education and Therapy, and Editorial board member for the Journal of Music Therapy.