Catriona Steele
Ph.D., CCC-SLP, SLP(C), CASLPO |
Research Team |
Research Team - Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Laboratory
Research Team Members
Principle Investigator
Co-Investigators
Research Interactions
Janice Waugh Bennett is a speech-language pathologist and Research Coordinator in the Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Lab of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Her responsibilities include subject recruitment, conducting subject intake assessments, assisting in experimental sessions, conducting literature reviews, and writing sections of ethics protocols and research articles. She also works clinically as an outpatient speech-language pathologist at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, where 50 per cent of her caseload is in swallowing disorders. She finds the combination of clinical work and research in Speech-Language Pathology to be an exhilarating career choice, and is proud to be associated with the Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Lab of Dr. Catriona Steele.
Lyen Mortensen is a full-time Research Coordinator at the lab. She coordinates data analysis, personnel and and lab administration as well as supports Speech Language Pathologists with technology. Lyen has a background in Applied Science, major in Kinesiology, with experience and interest in qualitative research, ergonomics, human computer interaction and applied technology in health care.
Minn N. Yoon is a graduate research student studying under the supervision of Dr. Catriona Steele in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology. Currently, Minn is focusing her research efforts in the area of oral hygiene and its link to aspiration pneumonia, especially in the dysphagic population. She finds this research to be highly important given the general trend of the increasing aged population. Minn believes in the need for better understanding and care to improve the quality of life for the aging without major systemic illnesses.
Research Interactions and Collaborations
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Research Teams
As an active member of the
Activity Research Team at Toronto Rehab, Dr. Catriona Steele has developed several new collaborations through her membership on this team:
- Development and validation of a finite elements model of the oropharyngeal swallow. She is the principal investigator on this grant (Application submitted, 2005 CIHR operating grant competition) in collaboration with Dr. M. Popovic (Toronto Rehab; University of Toronto Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering [IBBME]) and Dr. A. Morris (Post-doctoral fellow, Toronto Rehab).
- The development of a commercially available aspirometer. She is the principal investigator for the testing and validation study at Toronto Rehab on the adult validation component of this research study in collaboration with Dr. T. Chau (Bloorview MacMillan Children’s Centre [BMCC]; IBBME), the principal investigator of the study. Other members of the research team include Drs. G. Berall, D. Kenny and M. Casas (BMCC).
- Library of Videofluoroscopic Swallows: Prevalence of timing abnormalities in swallow onset in acquired neurogenic dysphagia. She is principal investigator on this pilot project, which involves collaboration with the clinical speech-language pathologists at Toronto Rehab.
Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Dr. Catriona Steele is co-investigator with Dr. M. Huckabee, director of the New Zealand lab, on two projects:
- Outcomes of swallowing rehabilitation after stroke.
- An analysis of lingual contribution to submental sEMG measures and pharyngeal biomechanics during swallowing manoeuvres.
Collaborative Research Program in Rehabilitation and Long-term Care [CRP-RLTC]
Dr. Catriona Steele is co-chair of the Enablement Group of this research consortium, dedicated to building knowledge through practice based research. This has led to new collaborations, with nurses, clinicians, and to three projects:
- The time course of oral colonization by respiratory pathogens related to dental hygiene service provision in long-term care residents. She is principal investigator for this grant, which has received initial funding through the CRP-RLTC, and has subsequently been submitted to the CIHR June 2005 Pilot Projects in Aging competition. Collaborators include Dr. R. Ellen (Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto), Dr. S. Poutanen (Microbiology lab, Mt. Sinai Hospital), and two dental hygienists (J. Wimmer & T. Hebbes).
- The experience of meal assistance for clinical and non-clinical staff in a long term care facility in a time of crisis. She has assumed the role of principal investigator for this CRP-RLTC funded study, in collaboration with two nurse educators: L. Bernick & T. Rivera. She is overseeing data analysis and manuscript preparation.
Oral Dynamics Laboratory, Graduate Dept. of Speech-Language Pathology, U. Toronto
Dr. Catriona Steele has continued as a collaborator with her previous doctoral supervisor, Dr. P. van Lieshout in the following projects:
- Tongue control for swallowing in Parkinson’s Disease and Normal Aging. She is co-principal investigator (50 per cent contribution) on this grant with Dr. van Lieshout and collaborator Dr. A. E. Lang (Neurology, University Health Network), who assists with recruitment of subjects with Parkinson’s disease.
- Factors governing the timing of pharyngeal-swallow onset in healthy aging. She is co-principal investigator (70 per cent contribution) for this two-year grant and direct this study. Dr. van Lieshout provides a 30 per cent contribution, including access to equipment in his laboratory for data collection. Other collaborators on this grant include Dr. C. Pelletier (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences), Dr. H. D. Goff (Food Science, University of Guelph), Dr. M. Nicosia (Mechanical Engineering, Widener University, PA) and Dr. M. Bayley (Toronto Rehab).
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