Rosemary A. Lester-Smith, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and the Director of the UT Voice Lab. She received a B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of New Mexico, M.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Indiana University, M.S. in Clinical Investigation from Northwestern University, and Ph.D. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Arizona. She completed postdoctoral training at Mayo Clinic, Boston University, Northwestern University, and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago). She is a certified speech-language pathologist and has worked in a variety of clinical settings, primarily evaluating and treating adults with voice and swallowing disorders.
Dr. Lester-Smith’s research aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurogenic voice disorders including vocal tremor. She studies voice production in individuals with neurological disorders, healthy speakers, and singers to understand factors that impair or improve vocal control. She uses acoustical, perceptual, and physiological methods in her research. In addition, she uses computational models to simulate vocal tremor and vibrato, perturbation of voice auditory feedback to study auditory-motor control, and single-case experimental designs to evaluate the effectiveness of voice therapy. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
