To be added to our Continuing Education mailing list for updates about courses, conferences and events at OHSU's NW Clinic for Voice & Swallowing please email Andrew Palmer

The OHSU Introductory FEES Course

Overview: The OHSU FEES course is a two day foundation course designed to provide SLPs, ENTs and other licensed medical professionals with the necessary skills to begin implementation of the FEES procedure in their institution. Combining lectures with hands-on training, the workshop is taught in a small-group seminar format. Class size is limited in order to maximize learner outcomes and to ensure adequate hands-on endoscopy training. Training occurs using the equipment in the NW Clinic for Voice & Swallowing at OHSU. The course is taught at an Advanced level and assumes proficiency with dysphagia diagnosis and management. Those with previous dysphagia experience in a medical setting will likely benefit most from the training.

Conference Faculty: The workshop is taught by Andrew Palmer, PhD, CCC-SLP, a speech pathologist and Associate Professor in the Otolaryngology Department at Oregon Health and Science University in conjunction with Donna Graville, PhD, CCC-SLP, Rachel Bolognone, MS, CCC-SLP and other Speech Pathology faculty from the NW Clinic for Voice & Swallowing. Dr. Palmer has taught hands-on FEES courses nationally at various facilities around the U.S. which have developed FEES programs and originally trained with Susan Langmore. 

More information: With questions or to be notified about future offerings, please contact Andrew Palmer at palmeran@ohsu.edu or 503-494-8885

Upcoming Courses:
Fall 2025: 10/25 & 11/1
Brochure 
Registration: link will be posted closer to the time of the course

Clinical Fellowships (CF) in Speech Language Pathology 

The NW Center for Voice and Swallowing is explicitly committed to:

• Increasing the diversity of its clinical fellows for those from rural environments, under-represented racial groups and those who have experienced significant disadvantage or adversity.
• Increasing diversity among our faculty ranks.
• Supporting learners, faculty and staff with resources and an inclusive culture.

OHSU is a member of the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) committed to advancing inclusive excellence in the higher education workforce.

The NW Center for Voice and Swallowing, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon offers two (2) full-time clinical fellowships.  The primary purpose of the program is to train professionals in the areas of voice and swallowing disorders. Training in direct patient care to adults with voice disorders, alaryngeal voice restoration, speech and swallowing disorders after head and neck cancer and adult dysphagia.

The NWCVS is a comprehensive voice and swallowing center.  Our model is collaborative and contains joint diagnostic clinics with laryngologists and Head and Neck surgeons.  The NWCVS was founded in 1998 and has grown to 11 speech language pathologists, 3 laryngologists, 2 physician assistants, 1 laryngology fellow and 2 speech pathology clinical fellows.  Over the last 26 years we have trained more than 30 clinical fellows representing graduate programs across the country.  Our mission is to continue to be leaders in quality collaborative voice and swallowing care, teaching/training and research. 

Training program description for Speech-Language Pathology 

Clinical Training:  Training experiences include interdisciplinary team assessments and treatment of adults all aspects of voice including functional dysphonia, neurologic voice disorders, inducible laryngeal obstruction, cough/laryngeal hypersensitivity, benign vocal fold lesions, dysphagia, head and neck cancer rehabilitation and alaryngeal voice restoration. Additional training opportunities include rigid and flexible laryngeal videostroboscopy, videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS), TEP management, and flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

Research Thesis: A mentored research project will be a part of the CF responsibilities. Over the course of the academic year, the CF will research the background to a clinical research project, gather and analyze data, and write up their findings as a research paper. They will also present their findings at the annual Otolaryngology Research Symposium in June 2025 and are encouraged to submit their project for presentation at a professional meeting after the completion of their CF. 

Independent study and collaborative research are part of the training program. Didactic offerings, both at the NW Center for Voice and Swallowing, Otolaryngology and throughout the greater Oregon Health & Science University augment the Fellowship experience. 

Examples of Previous CF Research Project Presentations

• Mehak Noorani (2020): Comparing DIGEST Scores in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease with and without Dysphagia Symptoms 
• Kimberly Dahl (2020): Characteristics Associated with Communicative Participation after Total Laryngectomy
• Joe Gorecki (2021): Perceptual Voice Characteristics after Supracricoid Laryngectomy and Their Association with Voice Outcomes 
• Suzanne Groth (2021): Neoglottic Function after Supracricoid Laryngectomy and its Association with Voice Outcomes   

Qualifications 

Applicants must have the minimum of a master's degree in speech-language pathology and meet all the requirements for certification except the Clinical Fellowship.  This is not a post-certification fellowship.  Applicants must meet all the requirements for the Oregon and Washington Board of Examiners Conditional/Interim License in Speech-Language Pathology.   

Once the call for applications is open, applicants should submit:

1) A personal statement regarding your background and how your life experience has shaped you as a clinician and influenced your career goals.
2) A resume/CV
3) Three letters of reference qualified to comment on the status of the applicant
4) A sample of writing (term/research paper, article, thesis, etc.). 

Application deadline for 2025-2026 is TBA

Terms 
The stipend for the fellowship year is $58, 240 in addition to health benefits and PTO. This is a 12-month appointment, August 25, 2025 to August 21, 2026.  

To Apply

Applicants must apply through the https://www.ohsu.edu/human-resources

Inquiries should be addressed to:
Donna J. Graville, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Associate Professor,
Director of the NW Center for Voice and Swallowing
Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
Oregon Health & Science University
PV01, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR  97239
Phone: (503) 494-3228 Fax: (503) 503-346-6826
E-mail: graville@ohsu.edu