Jaimie Anderson is a medical speech-language pathologist (SLP), board certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (BC-ANCDS). She currently evaluates and treats complex multiphase swallowing, voice, upper airway and motor speech disorders in a multidisciplinary team at the University of South Florida Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders in Tampa, Florida. Jaimie earned a Master of Science at Florida State University. Her clinical experience includes UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida and Memorial Regional Hospital. Jaimie serves on committees for ANCDS, Dysphagia Research Society and ASHA Special Interest Group 2 Neurogenic Communication Disorders.

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.

Dr. DuCoin, a board-certified general surgeon with advanced training in esophageal surgery, performs minimally invasive procedures including laparoscopic, robotic and incisionless endoscopic surgery. His training spans the U.S., Argentina and Germany. At Tulane Medical School, he developed a Regional Esophageal Center and held the Honorary Henderson Chair of Surgery. Currently, he is the division chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery, interim division director of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, vice chair of Surgery and fellowship director of Advanced GI & Bariatric Surgery at USF Health. He is also the director of Tampa General Hospital’s Digestive Diseases Institute. Active in national societies, he holds high-ranking positions, has numerous publications and has been awarded Top Doctor in Tampa and the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.

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. 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. Sujka is a board-certified general surgeon at USF Health, specializing in gastroparesis, foregut, and intestinal malrotation. As part of the region’s only academic medical center, he utilizes advanced technology, including robotic-assisted surgery, to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Dr. Sujka is also an Assistant Professor at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Born in Buffalo but raised in Florida, he earned his medical degree from St. George’s University and completed his residency at Orlando Health, followed by a fellowship in bariatrics and foregut at USF Health. He has over 27 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to eight book chapters and is active in several professional societies.

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.