Investigating the genetics of stuttering

Associate Professor
Speech Language Pathology & Audiology
Wayne State University

Dr. Kraft is both a practicing speech pathologist and associate professor in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, USA. Shelly Jo’s research focuses on the biological and behavioral genetics of stuttering and other communication disorders, autism, and hearing loss. She’s a dedicated lecturer, winning several outstanding teaching awards for her efforts in the classroom. Her research on stuttering has also been showcased at international conferences.

Assistant Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences
Vanderbilt University

Dr. Jones is an assistant professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences in the Vanderbilt University school of Medicine in Nashville, TN, USA. His primary research interests include investigating the emotional, cognitive, and linguistic contributions to childhood stuttering as well as stuttering treatments.

https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/hearing-speech/person/robin-jones/

Associate Professor
Curtin School of Allied Health

Dr. Beilby is a renowned Senior Lecturer and Clinical Educator at Curtin University in Western Australia and has been a lecturer, researcher and clinician in the field of stuttering, dementia, and virtual reality for over 30 years. Dr. Beilby has treated thousands of clients, trained hundreds of students and been awarded over half a million dollars in research funds investigating varying aspects of stuttering disorders.

Associate Professor
Genetic Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Below is an associate professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a 2020 Chancellor Faculty Fellow. She has developed innovative approaches to phenotyping and genetic discovery using large-scale data from DNA biobanks. She leads several large multi-institutional projects, with a focus on historically underrepresented populations and phenotypes, including a first-of-its-kind analysis of developmental stuttering.

Dr. Linklater is an independent speech and language therapist located in Dublin, Ireland. Jonathon works with both children and adults with a range of communication needs. He has been involved with the Irish Stammering Association since 2003 and established the Health Service Executive Dublin adult stuttering course in 2005. Jonathon, who stutters himself, frequently presents his therapy approach to stuttering at international conferences.

Graduate student in the Human Genetics program

Vanderbilt University

Ms. Polikowsky's research involves population and familial based analyses of speech and language traits. Her recent genome-wide association study of developmental stuttering reported novel genome-wide significant findings for clinically-ascertained stuttering, demonstrating that common genetic variation contributes to this complex trait. Ongoing research seeks to elucidate the full genetic architecture of developmental stuttering and other complex traits. Outside the lab, Hannah enjoys traveling, especially to explore the beautiful outdoors, and baking mouth-watering whole-food treats (medjool date bars are a favorite creation)!

Graduate Student in the Human Genetics Program

Vanderbilt University

Doug's work primarily involves utilizing statistical modeling to develop phenotyping algorithms to drive genetic discovery in large health-record linked genetic biobanks.

Emily Graham LeRose is a doctoral student at Wayne State University and practicing speech-language pathologist at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI. Her research interests include autism spectrum disorders, stuttering, and genetic traits of developmental speech and language disorders.

Emily Lowther, MSpeechPath, CCC-SLP, is a doctoral student at Wayne State University investigating the speech traits of people with Down syndrome. Specifically, her work is aimed at quantifying stuttering, intelligibility, and speech fluency norms for people with Down syndrome with the aim of developing new therapeutic guidelines to improve communication and quality-of-life.

Kathy Viljoen is a Speech Pathologist specializing in the management of stuttering. She is a Clinical Educator at Curtin University in Western Australia, supervising both undergraduate and Masters students in their stuttering placements. The Curtin Stuttering Treatment Clinic is the largest treatment facility for individuals who stutter in Western Australia. Kathy also works in private practice, working with children, their families and adults who stutter. She has received numerous awards for her work as a clinician and clinical educator.