Jaimie Anderson is a speech-language pathologist (SLP), board-certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (BC-ANCDS). She evaluates and treats complex multiphase swallowing, voice, upper airway, and motor speech disorders at the University of South Florida Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders. Jaimie earned a Master of Science from Florida State University. Her clinical experience includes UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Florida. She founded the USF TGH Annual Swallowing Symposium, serves on committees for ANCDS and the Dysphagia Research Society, and has active research in P-HRM metrics and motor speech disorders in neurodegenerative disease.

Dr. Yassmeen Abdel-Aty is a Head and Neck Surgeon who received her training at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She then received additional training at a joint Columbia/Cornell program in voice, swallowing, and airway disorders. She is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

Johnathan Brown is a fellowship-trained laryngologist. He completed his ENT - Head and Neck residency at the University of Cincinnati. Following, Dr. Brown completed his fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has a special interest in dysphagia in addition to voice and airway.

Joy Gaziano is a medical speech-pathologist (SLP) and board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders (BCS-S) from ASHA. She has served the USF Center for Swallowing Disorders for over 30 years focusing on management of complex upper-aerodigestive disorders. She has an active clinical practice, teaches graduate SLP students at USF and mentors practicing clinicians seeking BCS-S. Her research interests include assessing efficacy of swallowing interventions and esophageal dysphagia. Joy has authored several publications; most recently, as the only SLP author in The Esophagus, 6th Ed., the most comprehensive reference on evaluation and management of esophageal disorders.

Dr. Jacobs is an Associate Professor and Director of the Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders at the University of South Florida, where he has been since 2014. He graduated medical school from the University of Miami, completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Southwestern and his gastroenterology fellowship at Indiana University. Named among the Best Doctors in America for gastroenterology, he focuses on esophagology, particularly gastroesophageal reflux disease and complex esophageal disorders. Dr. Jacobs has authored numerous papers and textbook chapters, with research interests in achalasia, esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction and eosinophilic esophagitis.

Rebecca Klam is a clinical health psychologist who specializes in eating disorders, obesity medicine and complex digestive diseases. Her treatment method largely focuses on the biopsychosocial model with a whole-person approach. Over the past five years with Tampa General Hospital (TGH), Dr. Klam has worked on expanding the depth and breadth of psychological intervention in bariatric surgery, and more recently, GI disorders. As section chief of Psychology at TGH, her current focus is on improving the access to and the impact of psychological intervention on these populations and the benefit these interventions have, not just on the patient, but in support of the interdisciplinary treatment team and hospital utilization. Dr. Klam is well published and has presented internationally on the topics of adolescent and adult disordered eating and obesity treatment.

Dr. Olafson is a minimally invasive and foregut surgery fellow at the University of South Florida. He completed his medical school and residency training in general surgery at the University of South Florida as well. He has a special interest in gastric and esophageal pathology.

Dr. Slone is an Assistant Professor at USF Health and a board certified gastroenterologist who specializes in esophageal diseases and swallowing disorders with particular interest in eosinophilic esophagitis and achalasia. He completed undergraduate training at the University of Florida and all of his medical training (medical school, residency and fellowship) at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, where he served as both the chief resident and chief fellow.

Dr. Farnaz Tabatabaian has extensive training in clinical immunology, with a focus on neutrophils, chemotaxis, and inflammation. Her research on cell signaling in fellowship training focused on the effects of nicotine and cigarette smoke on airway cells via G-protein-coupled receptors. She practices at the Morsani USF Health Allergy and Clinical Immunology Clinic. She has been recognized as a Top Tampa Doctor for 7 years and has multiple patient satisfaction awards. She contributed to clinical trials in chronic urticaria, asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergies, and mast cell disease. In 2023, she became the Allergy and Immunology fellowship program director and secured multiple educational grants to help promote learning opportunities.

Emily Worth, MS, CCC-SLP, is a Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in evaluation and treatment of swallowing, speech, language, and cognitive-communication disorders in medically complex patients in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings in the Tampa Bay region. Her clinical focus includes dysphagia management, instrumental swallow assessments, and interdisciplinary care coordination to improve patient outcomes and support safe transitions of care. Emily has contributed to research through the University of South Florida and Parkinson Voice Project, volunteered with International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI), and presented on topics related to acute care swallowing management. This is her third year assisting with the Swallowing Symposium.