Speech & Voice Laboratory (SVL)

The mission of the Speech and Voice Laboratory (SVL) explores is to contribute to our understanding of how we can provide the best care for individuals with Parkinson’s disease who have communication difficulties.

Everyone with Parkinson’s disease experiences their own unique journey. In our interprofessional research we are looking to understand patterns in how speech can change over time.

Some people with Parkinson’s disease may choose to do speech therapy. Different treatment options are available and are chosen to best meet an individual’s needs. In our research we are trying to better understand how a person’s individual characteristics influence a person’s speech therapy outcomes.

Meet the Team

Ciara Leydon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Dr. Ciara Leydon serves as the principal investigator of the SVL. Dr. Leydon earned her MA from George Washington University and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Dr. Leydon is a practicing speech-language pathologist whose research and teaching focuses on voice and voice disorders. Her current research focuses on how to provide the best care for people with voice disorders.

Rui Liu, Ph.D., MPH

Dr. Rui Liu serves as a co-investigator in the SVL. Dr. Liu earned her MPH from Southern Connecticut State University and Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of South Carolina. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in aging and neuroepidemiology at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Her current research focuses on studying environmental and modifiable lifestyle factors that influence neurodegeneration, particularly Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Erin Ring 

Erin Ring is a sophomore in Sacred Heart University’s 3+2 Speech-Language Pathology program. She looks forward to working with adult and pediatric populations and is particularly interested in learning about communication disorders in adults with Parkinson’s disease. In the SVL, she researches how  factors such as cognition predict voice outcomes following speech therapy in people with Parkinson’s disease. 

Riley Collins, BA 

Riley Collins received her BA from the University of Connecticut and is a graduate student in the speech-language pathology program at Sacred Heart University. She enjoys working with adult and pediatric populations. She currently is working with individuals in gender-affirming voice care. In the SVL lab, she assists with a project predicting treatment outcomes for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. 

More Information

Interested in participating in research or learning about the work conducted in the lab? Email Ciara Leydon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP at leydonc@sacredheart.edu.