Emily Plowman Awarded R01 Grant to Study Swallowing Impairment

BREATHE Steering Committee member Dr. Emily Plowman and her collaborator Dr. Catriona Steele from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, were awarded a $4.2 Million 5-year R01 grant from the National Institute of Aging for their proposal “Establishing Reference Values and Clinical Decision Making Points for Quantitative Videofluoroscopic Measures of Swallowing.” Dysphagia is a serious health condition seen in many age-related disease and injury processes. This study aims to use videofluoroscopic examinations to establish reference values for swallowing in healthy adults and to identify clinical decision points for differentiating healthy swallowing from disordered swallowing in high-risk populations. This represents the third R01 award Dr. Plowman has received since joining UF faculty in 2015!