The USF Voice Center is led by fellowship-trained laryngologist, Dr. Yael Bensoussan. A multi-specialty center of excellence, specialists at the USF Voice Center offer cutting edge treatments for patients with voice, swallowing, and airway disorders.
Led by Pioneering Voice AI Researcher
Dr. Bensoussan is a fellowship-trained laryngologist with advanced expertise in voice, swallowing and upper airway evaluation and treatment. She actively uses machine learning models to study the acoustic features of voice and detect cues that can predict conditions such as throat cancers, neurological disorders and even depression.
Bensoussan co-founded the VoiceCollab.ai, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborative of researchers interested in linking voice to various pathologies by using machine learning algorithms. Her previous work includes the application of machine learning to detect voice gender to provide gender affirming voice care to transgender patients. Bensoussan’s team is currently working on using acoustic voice signals to detect throat cancer and create accessible tools for clinicians working in lower resource settings.
TGH/USF Airway Intervention & Reconstruction Center
The TGH/USF Airway Intervention & Reconstruction Center offers a multidisciplinary team who offer comprehensive assessments and treatments for airway stenosis caused by malignant and benign tumors, congenital abnormalities, airway injury, endotracheal intubation, tracheostomy, or autoimmune disease.
A team of otolaryngologists, thoracic surgeons, and interventional pulmonologists work together to provide patients with wide-ranging treatment options, from simple in-office steroid injections to cricotracheal resections, endoscopic cryoablations, and laryngotracheal reconstruction surgeries.
TGH clinician-scientists leverage their expertise and the latest research-based medical advances to manage patients with some of the most challenging conditions.
Comprehensive Care for Patients with Speech and Swallowing Disorders
Speech pathologists at Tampa General Hospital provide world-class rehabilitative treatment to patients battling speech and swallowing disorders resulting from stroke, TBIs, birth defects, and neuromuscular disorders.
Therapeutic practices focus on strengthening the muscles associated with speech. Therapy for swallowing disorders is geared toward reducing the possibility of choking and practicing exercises that improve swallowing.
Patients are diagnosed with a combination of physical exam, a modified barium swallowing exam, and speech assessment tools designed to identify speech disorders.