Elizabeth Erickson Levendoski: ASHFoundation Award Allows for Research on the Larynx

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Elizabeth Erickson Levendoski, PhD, discusses the significance of ASHFoundation funding on her career development and her research in the area of vocal fold vibration in disease to improve voicing.

TRANSCRIPT

Elizabeth Erickson Levendoski
"In 2010 I applied for and then received funding through the ASHFoundation New Century Scholars doctoral scholarship. This money came at a great time in my program. At the time I was kind of beginning to finish up, I was getting close to [inaudible] dissertation research, and there was a couple side projects that I was interested in pursuing. So those funds were really great in helping me kind of pursue those outside interests. In addition, the Foundation Award has been a great contribution to my career. I've been actually contacted by universities saying, 'We saw that you received the ASHFoundation Award. Are you looking for faculty positions yet?' I'm currently in a post-doctoral position, but I know when I interviewed at my current facility, the ASHFoundation Award was one of the first things that numerous people that I met with at that facility noticed, and took note of when they were looking to potentially hire me for that position.

The type of research that I'm interested in is I'm interested in the vocal fold, specifically the top layer of the vocal folds, or the epithelium, and how that responds to the environment. Something that I'm particularly interested in studying more is actually there's a layer of mucus that covers the vocal fold surface, and how that impacts vibration, and both healthy vocal vibration and then vocal fold vibration in disease. And that's something that the ASHFoundation money's kind of helped me get a little time and extra money to focus on.

So what I'm hoping is that eventually that if we know how and why mucus is controlled in the larynx, we can learn to control it—either behaviorally or pharmacologically. So that being said, that if someone has too much viscous mucus that we can manipulate the system somehow into potentially thinning it out, or producing less. Or if people don't have enough, being able to kind of hydrate the larynx, and improve voicing that way.

The ASHFoundation funds have just in addition to my research really opened up a lot of career opportunities for me and networking. I continue to be contacted by the ASHFoundation for different various opportunities at the convention, as well as in other situations. The people who I've met through the ASHFoundation are fabulous, supportive. They always remember your name, and I think it's going to be just something that I carry with me from now, and into the future when I apply for—hopefully apply for—future ASHFoundation awards. So I really, really appreciate their funding and assistance."