Speaker Bios & Disclosures for the Utah Performance Voice Conference

Presenters from our 2023  Performance Voice Conference are listed below. Stay tuned for details on 2024 as they come!!

Dr. Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer 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 for the Utah Performance Voice Conference and membership on the planning committee. She also receives royalties for her MedBridge online courses as well as funding from the NIDCD for research related to her presentation topic (R01DC016838, PI: Barkmeier-Kraemer; P50DC019900, PI: Simonyan).
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  Dr. Barkmeier-Kraemer is a member of ASHA, SIG3, and is on the advisory board for Dysphonia International.

Heather Fellows, SCMT, MT-BC has worked as a music therapist, leader, trainer and clinical program developer for over 20 years. She graduated from Utah State University with her Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy and will graduate in May from University of Utah with her Master’s in Healthcare Administration. Heather currently leads the music therapy program at Huntsman Cancer Institute and is passionate about music and human connection in health care.

• Financial Disclosures:  Ms Fellows is an employee of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah and her registration was waived for her contributions to this course.
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  Ms Fellows is a state-certified and Board-certified music therapist.

Elizabeth Lanza, MA, CCC-SLP, is a certified speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice, swallowing, and airway disorders at the University of Utah Voice Disorders Center. She received specialized training at the Summer Vocology Institute with the National Center for Voice and Speech, ENT Plastic Surgery and Associates, and the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. She teaches the graduate level Voice Disorders Course at Northern Illinois University, her alma mater. In another life, Elizabeth worked professionally as a singer/actor and loves all things voice. 

• Financial Disclosures:  Ms. Lanza is employed by University of Utah Health. 
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  None 

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. 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. His students have performed in national and international Broadway tours and in regional Equity theatres across the United States.  

• Financial Disclosures:  Dr. Manternach is employed by the University of Utah.
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  Dr. Manternach is an active member of Utah NATS District and PAVA.

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 provided in association with his participation in this 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.

Heidi Moss Erickson, B.A.Bio, B.Mus.Voice, M.Sci. is a performer, educator, and scientist. She holds a double biology and music degree from Oberlin and a masters in biochemistry (neuroscience emphasis) at the University of Pennsylvania. She studied telomeres at Rockefeller University and has several publications, including a landmark paper in Cell. In 2007, a cranial nerve injury sidelined her career. It compelled her to study how speech and singing is processed in the brain. She now applies these ideas to vocal pedagogy.

• Financial Disclosures:  Ms Moss receives an honorarium and travel support as part of her contributions as the Master Class keynote presenter for the Annual Utah Performance Voice Conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  None

Mackenzie Oprean, MT-BC, graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She enjoys facilitating a wide array of therapeutic music-based interventions, including songwriting, creating original heartbeat songs for grieving families, music-supported relaxation and music-prompted discussions. She has experience working with a variety of populations, including pediatric and adult oncology, mental health, burn trauma, and neurotrauma. Mackenzie is dedicated to cultivating a supportive healing environment through a wide range of experience and skills.

• Financial Disclosures:  Ms Oprean is an employee of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah and her registration was waived for contributing to this conference.
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  Ms Oprean is a Board-certified music therapist.

Nelson Roy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHA-Fellow is a Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders at the University of Utah where he specializes in the voice and its disorders. Dr. Roy has published extensively on the topic of voice disorders including epidemiology, psychological/personality factors, treatment outcomes, differential diagnosis, acoustics, and the direct and indirect economic costs of disordered voice. He is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

• Financial Disclosures:  Dr. Roy is employed by the University of Utah. He receives an honorarium as our Science Behind the Tools keynote presenter for the Annual Utah Performance Voice Conference and also receives royalties for textbook, “Clinical Voice Pathology: Theory and Management,” from Plural Publishing LLC.
• Non-Financial Disclosures:  Dr. Roy is a member of ASHA as well as ASHA’s Special Interest Group 3:  Voice and Upper Airway Disorders and served on the planning committee for the Utah Performance Voice Conference.

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 her registration was waived in association with her participation in this 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.