Meet the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center Team
Mark S. Courey, MD
Professor and Chief of Laryngology, Director of the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center of Mount Sinai
As the first otolaryngologist in the United States to complete formal fellowship training in Laryngology, Dr. Courey has focused his practice on the management of patients with voice and swallowing difficulties since 1992. A pioneer in the interdisciplinary approach for patients, Dr. Courey is recognized nationally and internationally for his leadership in the Laryngology subspecialty. He collaborates with patients, speech-language pathologists, voice scientists and other physicians to determine the optimal treatment solution for each patient. Dr. Courey has been instrumental in training more than 50 national and international laryngologists, and has cared for numerous classically trained and commercial vocal performers. He has extensive experience in voice science and the requirements of professional and performance voice. At the Belmont School of Music, Dr. Courey taught Anatomy and Physiology of Voice to vocal performance majors and graduate students in voice pedagogy. While at Vanderbilt, he directed the Vanderbilt Voice Center and served as the physician to the Nashville Opera and the San Francisco Opera. In addition to pioneering and promoting modern techniques of endoscopic laryngeal microsurgery, Dr. Courey has developed novel larynx-sparing techniques for patients with laryngeal chondrosarcoma. More recently, Dr. Courey has advanced voice care for transgender people, combining voice therapy with pitch-elevation surgeries (Wendler glottoplasty). This approach produces reliable outcomes and improves patient satisfaction in aligning voice with gender more rapidly and with greater stamina than previous approaches. Dr. Courey continues to promote the interdisciplinary team approach for patients in an effort to help patients avoid surgery whenever possible.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Diana N. Kirke, MD, MPhil
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Laryngologist, Head and Neck Surgeon
Diana N. Kirke, MD, MPhil, specializes in the treatment of airway, voice and swallowing disorders. After completing her Otolaryngology Residency via the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Adelaide, Australia, she relocated to the U.S. to complete a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Masters in Neurolaryngology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This was followed by a Head and Neck Microvascular Fellowship at Boston University, and then a Laryngology Fellowship at both the New York Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders and the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Benjamin M. Laitman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Laryngologist
A physician at the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center of Mount Sinai, Benjamin M. Laitman, MD, PhD, is also a member of the Institute for Airway Sciences. He received his medical degree and PhD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and completed his Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery residency and Laryngology in the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Laitman believes strongly in a multidisciplinary approach, working hand-in-hand with speech language pathologists to provide comprehensive care for all voice, breathing, and swallowing conditions. His primary clinical and research focus is in the medical and surgical management of complex airway stenosis (airway scarring or narrowing) and vocal fold paralysis, and he has received funding from the American Laryngological Association and American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery to investigate novel approaches to prevent or reverse airway scarring, regenerate tissue, and reconstruct the larynx and trachea. In addition, Dr. Laitman has extensive experience in managing laryngeal cancer, benign vocal fold lesions, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), voice problems in musicians and professional speakers, and neurologic conditions such as spasmodic dysphonia (SD), and swallowing disorders such as Zenker’s Diverticulum.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Matthew C. Mori, MD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Laryngologist
Dr. Mori specializes in the treatment of airway, voice, and swallowing disorders. He received his MD from Stanford University and completed his residency in the Harvard combined program in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Subsequently he completed a fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice at the Vanderbilt Voice Center in Nashville, TN, training with some of the preeminent leaders in the field. Prior to medical school, he worked in the University of California of San Francisco Department of Neurosurgery investigating treatment of movement disorders with deep brain stimulation. Dr. Mori also worked extensively as a professional singer, performing as a soloist in musical theatre and opera, including singing in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Vancouver Opera Chorus.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Leanne Goldberg, MS, CCC-SLP
Director of Speech-Language Pathology, Department of Otolaryngology
Speech-Language Pathologist
Clinical Specialist
Ms. Goldberg is an accomplished and highly skilled clinician who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of the full range of voice, swallowing, and upper airway disorders. She earned her MS at Columbia University in 2005, and completed her fellowship at Mount Sinai. Her years of experience have informed her extensive and ongoing work with performers, professional voice users, and gender aligning voice modification. She continues to be an adept clinician and leader in the evaluation and management of patients with swallowing disorders arising from varied etiologies. Ms. Goldberg developed a novel behavioral program to treat patients with a hypersensitive, chronic cough, which can yield successful outcomes after only a few visits. Her work is presented nationally and internationally, and her research in the field is ongoing. Additionally, her passion for mentoring early career speech-language pathologists has resulted in the development of a competitive clinical fellowship program.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Olivia Boddicker, BM, MA, CCC-SLP
Bilingual Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. Boddicker specializes in the evaluation and treatment of voice, swallowing, and upper airway disorders in both English and Spanish. She is adept at working with a wide variety of voice and swallowing disorders, as well as chronic cough with associated breathing difficulties. She uses a diverse set of treatment modalities to meet each patient’s individual needs. She received her Bachelor of Music at University North Carolina, and her MA in Speech-Language Pathology from George Washington University. Upon completion of her fellowship in 2022, she joined the team at the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center. Ms. Boddicker is a trained operatic singer, who is passionate about helping singers and professional voice users return to their optimal vocal function without the need for surgical intervention. She is also experienced working with transgender and gender diverse individuals to achieve a voice that aligns with their gender identity. Additionally, Ms. Boddicker is skilled in administering and interpreting modified barium swallow studies (MBSS), fiberoptic and static endoscopic evaluations of swallow (FEES/SEES), and laryngeal videostroboscopy.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Ümit Daşdöğen, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor at Icahn School of Medicine
Research Director of Speech-Language Pathology
Dr. Daşdöğen began his career in acting in Turkey, earning an acting diploma from Müjdat Gezen Art Center Conservatory in Istanbul. He then obtained a BA in opera performance from Istanbul University State Conservatory and a postgraduate degree in singing from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. His professional experience includes working as a singer at the Vienna State Opera and as an actor at Istanbul Municipal Theatres. Transitioning from performance to speech and voice science, he pursued an MS in Speech-Language Pathology at West Virginia University. His practicum included providing services at WVU's Ruby Memorial Hospital and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Delaware. His doctoral research focused on the influence of multisensory input on voice, the use of Virtual Reality technology in clinical and training practices, professional vocal performance, voice training, voice acoustics, neural structures and functions of voice, and motor control and learning of voice production. Upon completing his Ph.D., Dr. Daşdöğen finished his clinical fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and serves as the Speech and Language Pathology Research Director of the Mount Sinai Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center.
Tel: 212-241-9425
Amanda C. Hembree MA CCC-SLP
Supervisor, Speech Language Pathologist
Voice & Swallowing Specialist
Ms. Amanda C Hembree specializes in the evaluation and treatment of various voice, swallowing, respiratory and adult language disorders. She received her master’s degree from New York University in 1990 and completed her clinical fellowship at a NYC Health and Hospital Corporation facility and continued her adult experience at St. Lukes/Roosevelt Hospital since 1994. In 2001, she opened Westside Voice and Swallowing Disorders and in 2018 joined the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center team at Mount Sinai West. She has extensive experience with professional voice users, chronic cough and dysphagia (swallowing disorders) patients, along with her proficiency performing Modified Barium Swallow studies, rigid and flexible stroboscopy, She is LSVT certified and developed the Neuromuscular Taping Technique. Ms. Hembree has presented research at Fall Voice and the Voice Foundation meetings. She has been published in Journal of Speech, language and Hearing research, Operative techniques in Otolaryngology and the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. She remains active in learning and investigating future techniques for evidenced based practices for the treatment of voice and swallowing disorders.
Tel: 212-262-4444
Bradley Hoff, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Bradley received his BFA in Musical Theater from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and his MA in Speech-Language Pathology from Queens College. He completed a voice specialized clinical fellowship and joined the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center at the Mount Sinai Downtown Union Square location in 2020. Mr. Hoff has a passion for working with performers and professional voice users to assist in recovery from vocal injury that ameliorates the need for surgery. He also treats people with chronic cough. Mr. Hoff relies heavily on researched-based treatment methods and holistic approaches in his work with performers, as well as people desiring gender aligning voice modification. His goal is to help individuals achieve a reliable and efficient voice. In addition, Mr. Hoff works closely with the Movement Disorders Neurology Department downtown, and is known for helping people with degenerative neurological diseases maintain functional communication. Mr. Hoff is certified in Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT).
Tel: 212-844-8430
Sarah Kervin, MM, MS, CCC-SLP
Bilingual Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. Kervin is passionate about helping patients across the spectrum of voice, swallowing, and upper airway disorders. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of South Carolina and her Master of Music degree in vocal jazz performance from the University of North Texas. She spent eight years as an Assistant Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music, and nearly a decade moving between NYC and Boston as a singer/songwriter. Sarah received her MS degree in Speech -Language pathology from New York University and continues to perform. Ms. Kervin focuses on a functional, real-world approach to vocal rehabilitation. She works with amateur singers to recording artists and everyone in between. Sarah provides patient care in English and Spanish. She is actively involved in research in the field.
Tel: 212-614-8379
Tamar Kotz, MS CCC-SLP
Head and Neck Cancer Speech Pathologist
Ms. Kotz is a Senior Head and Neck Cancer Speech Pathologist at the Mount Sinai’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Practice. She is a nationally recognized expert in the evaluation and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders associated with head and neck cancers. This includes patients who have undergone total laryngectomy, transoral robotic surgery or chemoradiation as primary cancer treatment. Ms. Kotz specializes in the area of alaryngeal voice restoration and heads Mount Sinai’s Tracheoesophageal Puncture (TEP) Voice Restoration Program. She is a vital member of a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists who provide comprehensive and patient-centered care to head and neck cancer patients. Her research has focused on changes in swallowing function after chemoradiation in advanced stage head and neck cancer, the effects of intensive prophylactic swallowing exercises on swallowing outcomes for patients undergoing chemoradiation and the preservation of long-term swallowing function using leading-edge surgical approaches, such as transoral robotic surgery. She is also conducting a prospective study examining the viability and safety of initiating an oral diet two days after oral cavity reconstructive surgery. Ms. Kotz also participates in the education and mentoring of early and midcareer speech pathologists, as well as residents and fellows in the Otolaryngology Fellowship Program at Mount Sinai. She regularly lectures on voice and swallowing rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients at the local and national levels and is a member of the American Speech Language Association and the Dysphagia Research Society.
Tel: 212-241-8452
Beth Kraus, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist, Senior Clinical Specialist
Ms. Kraus specializes in the evaluation and treatment of feeding, swallowing, and upper airway disorders across the lifespan. She is skilled in administering and interpreting modified barium swallow studies (MBS) and flexible endoscopic evaluations of the swallow (FEES) in patients of all ages. Ms. Kraus also maintains a keen focus on opportunities to improve patient care through her participation in innovative clinical research and quality improvement projects. She earned her MS from Boston University in 2005, and began practicing at Mount Sinai upon completion of her clinical fellowship. Her approach to patient care is evidenced based and multidisciplinary. In 2019, Ms. Kraus established a novel FEES program in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and then successfully expanded it to the entire pediatric population of the Kravis Children's Hospital. Ms. Kraus is also a founding member of Mount Sinai's Pediatric Aerodigestive Clinic, which was established in January 2021. As part of this clinic, she collaborates with Gastroenterology, Pulmonology, Otolaryngology, and the complex care pediatricians. In 2023, Ms. Kraus joined the outpatient Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, where she works closely with children and their caregivers to establish and implement personalized therapy plans to meet each child's and family's feeding goals, while mitigating risk of respiratory infections and maximizing growth and development.
Vera Leyko, MS, CCC-SLP
Senior Bilingual Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. Leyko specializes in the evaluation and treatment of voice and swallowing disorders. She has extensive experience treating professional voice. Ms. Leyko also works with voice restoration following management of head and neck cancer, providing training and support for use of alaryngeal communication. Ms. Leyko is fluent in Russian and provides evaluation and treatment in both English and Russian. Ms. Leyko is trained in fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallow (FEES), modified barium swallow (MBS), videostroboscopy, LSVT®, and Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy (LMRVT). Ms. Leyko received a BS in Speech Language Pathology from Hofstra University and MS in Speech Language Pathology from Hunter College, CUNY. She holds a certificate of clinical competency from the American Speech and Hearing Association. Ms. Leyko has been practicing at Mount Sinai since 2005, where she continues to train, collaborate, and work closely with leading speech-language pathologists, voice scientists, and laryngologists in the field.
Tel: 212-614-8379
Brittany Palmer Carbone, MM, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. Palmer specializes in the evaluation and treatment of voice and swallowing disorders. She has extensive experience as a classical singer (soprano) and enjoys working with professional voice users of all disciplines. Additionally, Ms. Palmer provides gender affirming voice modification services and is trained in LSVT®, Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy (LMRVT), circumlaryngeal massage, and Neuromuscular Electro-Stimulation dysphagia treatment. Ms. Palmer received a BM in Vocal Performance from Florida State University, a MM in vocal performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Kentucky University. In addition to being an active clinician and performer, Ms. Palmer has been teaching and supervising graduate speech pathology students for five years. She maintains a certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association and greatly appreciates working alongside a collaborative, supportive, and dynamic group of health professionals.