Swallowing Training Education Portal

Dr. Ianessa Humbert is a world-renowned scientist, researcher, educator, and highly sought-after speaker with expertise in swallowing and swallowing disorders. With over 100 speaking invitations around the world, the most common feedback from attendees continues to be “This is the first time a course has really forced me to think about what I’m doing”.

Dr. Humbert’s teaching philosophy requires attendees to question everything they think they know before learning can begin. Dr. Humbert’s innovative training style has been funded by ASHFoundation and extends to non-traditional learning formats. She is the co-creator of the popular Down the Hatch podcast and has co-founded STEP. She also does important work to help promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of speech-language pathology and beyond.

Dr. Humbert has been on faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Florida, and the University of Iowa. She has demonstrated her gift for creating images that depict the dynamism of swallowing via her Swallowing Pocket Guide and Swallowing Neuro Anatomy and Physiology Shorts (SNAPS) tutorials on STEP.

The content from Dr. Humbert’s courses are supported by scientific evidence from her laboratory, from the larger body of research literature, and of course, common sense! Learn more at www.ianessahumbert.com.

Rinki Varindani Desai is an ASHA-certified medical speech-language pathologist, certified brain injury specialist and certified dementia practitioner; specializing in the assessment and treatment of swallowing disorders in adults since over a decade

In addition to being the co-founder of STEP, Rinki is also the founder of the Medical SLP Forum and co-creator of the Dysphagia Therapy mobile app. She is Associate Coordinator of ASHA’s SIG 13 and Co-Chair of the Dysphagia Research Society's COVID-19 Task Force. She has been an invited member of ASHA’s Alternative Payment Models Committee, DRS 2021 and ASHA 2021 Program Planning Committees, MSHA Membership and Healthcare Committees, and starts her three-year term on ASHA's Scientific and Professional Education Board in January 2022. Rinki was one among thirty clinicians in the US selected for ASHA’s Leadership Development Program and Faculty Development Institute and has won multiple ASHA ACE awards for her commitment to lifelong learning in speech-language pathology. She has written about and presented on topics related to adult dysphagia management at conferences around the world.

Originally an SLP from Mumbai, India, Rinki is currently the adult outpatient lead and a clinical instructor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgeryat the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She enjoys reading, writing, teaching, traveling with her husband around the world, and doing what she can to help advance the profession by paying it forward. Reach out to Rinki to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.