2026 Swallowing Disorders Awareness Virtual Symposium
This course is an intermediate course designed to provide foundational information in evaluation and treatment of dysphagia. Intended audience includes SLPs, MDs, Nurses and other interested health care providers.
June is National Dysphagia Awareness month. Swallowing difficulties can occur to people of all ages and impacts one in twenty-five Americans annually. Dysphagia has the potential to dramatically impact the health and well-being of patients and their caregivers. Join the Stanford Department of Otolaryngology in an evening of lectures and discussion about swallowing and swallowing disorders
Learner outcomes
- Participants describe evidenced-based use of thickeners in the management of dysphagia.
- Participants are able to discuss strategies to increase patient adherence to dysphagia recommendations.
- Participants identify strategies to minimize aspiration risk and complications in patients with dysphagia.
Target Audience
- Speech pathologists
- Otolaryngologists
- Gastroenterologists
- Individuals with or caregivers of patients with dysphagia.
CEUs
- CEUs will only be available to in-person attendees. Virtual attendees are not eligible.
- Each attendee must register individually. Do not reserve tickets for others—accurate registration is required due to limited capacity.
Agenda
5:30-5:40pm | Heather Starmer PhD, CCC-SLP; BCS-S: Introduction to dysphagia awareness month |
5:40-6:00 pm | Lisa Evangelista CScD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S- Aspiration: “Disordered swallowing or a normal variance?” |
6:00-6:20pm | John Clarke, MD – Testing the esophagus: An evidence-based guide to esophageal dysphagia workup |
6:20-6:40pm | Maggie Kuhn, MD – “They truly are hard to swallow: a look into pill dysphagia” |
6:40-7:00pm | Theresa Yao SLPD, CCC-SLP, Claire Hettinger M.S., CCC-SLP– Building a Dysphagia Support Community |
7:00-7:20pm | Alyssa Smith, MD – Laryngeal clefts: Diagnostic and management strategies |
7:20-7:40pm | David Despotakis CCC-SLP , Wendy La, Heather Nilsson – Dysphagia management in post liver transplant patients |
7:40-8:00pm | Stories of challenges and resilience: the lived experience of patients with dysphagia and their caregivers |