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Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Sana Smaoui

sana headshot

Sana Smaoui

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Full-time

School: Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Contact:

Email: Sana Smaoui
700 21st St NW, Room 213 Washington DC 20052

Sana Smaoui, Ph.D., SLP(C), CCC-SLP, Reg. CASLPO, is an Assistant
Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
at The George Washington University. Her clinical expertise and research
focus on the area of swallowing physiology and clinical interventions for
dysphagia in the acute care and rehabilitation settings.

Professional Activities

  • Member, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • ASHA Certified SLP (CCC-SLP)
  • Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S), American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
  • SAC Certified Member (S-LP(C)), Speech-Language and Audiology Canada
  • Licensure in speech-language pathology in Ontario, Canada
  • Member, Dysphagia Research Society
  • Peer reviewer for the Dysphagia journal

Expertise

  • Dysphagia
  • Tongue pressure in swallowing
  • Hyoid bone kinematics
  • Diagnostic and Treatment studies

Research

  • Dr. Smaoui leads the GWU Swallowing Lab. Her research interests include utilizing quantitative videofluoroscopic analyses to delineate swallowing physiology and function in healthy and neurogenic patient populations, and to determine which treatment programs can target these physiologic impairments.

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Valenzano TJ, Smaoui S, Peladeau-Pigeon M, Barbon CEA, Craven BC, Steele CM. Using Reference Values to Identify Profiles of Swallowing Impairment in a Case Series of Individuals With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2023 Mar 9;32(2):688-700. doi: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00298. Epub 2023 Feb 22. PMID: 36812476; PMCID: PMC10171848.
  2. Smaoui S, Mancopes R, Simmons MM, Peladeau-Pigeon M, Steele CM. The Influence of Sex, Age, and Repeated Measurement on Pixel-Based Measures of Pharyngeal Area at Rest. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2023 Mar 7;66(3):863-871. doi: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00465. Epub 2023 Feb 13. PMID: 36780312; PMCID: PMC10205107.
  3. Bandini, A, Smaoui, S, Steele, CM. Automated pharyngeal phase detection and bolus localization in videofluoroscopic swallowing study: Killing two birds with one stone?. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2022;225 :107058. doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2022.107058. PubMed PMID:35961072 .
  4. Smaoui, S, Peladeau-Pigeon, M, Mancopes, R, Sutton, D, Richardson, D, Steele, CM et al.. Profiles of Swallowing Impairment in a Cohort of Patients With Reduced Tongue Strength Within 3 Months of Cerebral Ischemic Stroke. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022;65 (7):2399-2411. doi: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00586. PubMed PMID:35731684 PubMed Central PMC9584135.
  5. Smaoui, S, Peladeau-Pigeon, M, Steele, CM. Determining the Relationship Between Hyoid Bone Kinematics and Airway Protection in Swallowing. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022;65 (2):419-430. doi: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00238. PubMed PMID:34982956 PubMed Central PMC9132158.
  6. Mancopes, R, Gandhi, P, Smaoui, S, Steele, CM. Which Physiological Swallowing Parameters Change with Healthy Aging?. OBM Geriat. 2021;5 (1):. doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2101153. PubMed PMID:34350402 PubMed Central PMC8330408.
  7. Smaoui, S, Peladeau-Pigeon, M, Steele, CM. Variations in Hyoid Kinematics Across Liquid Consistencies in Healthy Swallowing. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021;64 (1):51-58. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00508. PubMed PMID:33270468 PubMed Central PMC8608144.
  8. Mancopes, R, Peladeau-Pigeon, M, Barrett, E, Guran, A, Smaoui, S, Pasqualoto, AS et al.. Quantitative Videofluoroscopic Analysis of Swallowing Physiology and Function in Individuals With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2020;63 (11):3643-3658. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00154. PubMed PMID:33105085 PubMed Central PMC8582841.
  9. Mancopes, R, Smaoui, S, Steele, CM. Effects of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training on Videofluoroscopic Measures of Swallowing: A Systematic Review. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2020;29 (1):335-356. doi: 10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-00107. PubMed PMID:31999193 .
  10. Smaoui, S, Langridge, A, Steele, CM. The Effect of Lingual Resistance Training Interventions on Adult Swallow Function: A Systematic Review. Dysphagia. 2020;35 (5):745-761. doi: 10.1007/s00455-019-10066-1. PubMed PMID:31612288 PubMed Central PMC7522100.
  11. Steele, CM, Peladeau-Pigeon, M, Barbon, CAE, Guida, BT, Namasivayam-MacDonald, AM, Nascimento, WV et al.. Reference Values for Healthy Swallowing Across the Range From Thin to Extremely Thick Liquids. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2019;62 (5):1338-1363. doi: 10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-18-0448. PubMed PMID:31021676 PubMed Central PMC6808317.

Education

Ph.D. and Collaborative Specialization in Neurosciences, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

M.H.Sc., Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

M.A., Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Education, Concordia University

B.A., Linguistics and Biology(minor), Faculty of Arts and Science, Concordia University

Conference awards

People’s Choice Awards – Poster, Dysphagia Research Society 30th Virtual Annual Meeting March 15 – 18 2022

Best Abstract with an Oral Presentation, 11th European Society for Swallowing Disorders Congress, Online Virtual Congress. November 4 – 6, 2021

Rehabilitation Science Institute Research Day Best Poster Award, University of Toronto, May 29, 2020

Poster Presentation with Merit, 8th European Society for Swallowing Disorders Congress, Dysphagia: Shaping the Future, Dublin, Ireland September 24 - 29, 2018