University Ear, Nose, & Throat Audiologists
and Speech-Language Pathologists
Audiologists
Maria Abel, MA
Ms. Abel is the audiologist at our UPMC St. Margaret location. She joined our group in 2008. Ms. Abel received her master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Her special interests include diagnostic testing and hearing aid fittings. Ms. Abel is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Debra S. Eisner, MS
Ms. Eisner has worked as an audiologist at UPMC since 1979. She received her bachelor's degree in hearing and speech from the University of Maryland and her master's degree in audiology from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Her special areas of interest include diagnostic testing and hearing aid fittings. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Kathleen Gilmartin, PhD
Dr. Gilmartin joined the staff of audiologists at the UPMC Eye & Ear Institute in 1980. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, and received her doctorate in audiology from the University of Florida. Dr. Gilmartin’s clinical duties include audiologic evaluations of adults and children, special tests, hearing aid dispensing, and cochlear implant assessment and programming. Dr. Gilmartin is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology. She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Rick Hyre, MA
Mr. Hyre has been an audiologist with UPMC since 1981. He received his bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his master's degree in audiology from the University of Pittsburgh. His special interests include diagnostic testing, hearing aid fitting, electrophysiology, and intraoperative monitoring. He is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Randall Kesterson, MA
Mr. Kesterson is the senior audiologist at the UPMC Center for Audiology and Hearing Aids. He joined the group in 1972. He completed both his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Iowa, and is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Auditory Society. His special interests are tinnitus treatment, diagnostic testing, and amplification.
Susan R. Klein, MA
Ms. Klein has worked as an audiologist at UPMC since 1981. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, and holds a license to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Her special interests include diagnostic testing, hearing aid fitting, and facial nerve testing. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, the Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Catherine V. Palmer, PhD
Dr. Palmer joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 and became director of Audiology and Hearing Aids in the Department of Otolaryngology in 1998. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her master's degree and doctorate at Northwestern University. She worked as a clinical and research audiologist in the Veterans Administration for two years. Dr. Palmer specializes in rehabilitative audiology including the use of hearing aids and other assistive devices to improve communication for individuals with hearing loss, and hearing protection for specialized situations. Dr. Palmer also manages a research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh where her research focuses on matching technology to individual needs and examining adaptation in the human auditory system.
Melissa Ruscetta, PhD
Dr. Ruscetta completed her undergraduate and graduate work at the the University of Pittsburgh. She joined UPMC in 2008 at our UPMC St. Margaret location. Dr. Ruscetta currently provides clinical services and also teaches in the audiology graduate program at the University of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in the School of Audiology. Her research focus is on auditory rehabilitation and she has a primary clinical interest in amplification and other assistive listening strategies. Dr. Ruscetta is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Laurel Steele, MS
Ms. Steele has worked as an audiologist at UPMC since 1997 at the Indiana, Pa. office. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University. Her special interests include diagnostic audiology, treatment of vestibular disorders, and tinnitus treatment. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Sharon Tiesi, MS
Ms. Tiesi has been an audiologist at UPMC since 1978. She received a bachelor's degree in speech pathology and audiology from Clarion University, and a master's degree in audiology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her special interests include cochlear implants, diagnostic testing, and hearing aid fitting. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Kim Uccellini, MA
Ms. Uccellini received her master's degree in audiology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Center at the University of Pittsburgh and various private otolaryngology offices. Ms. Uccellini joined UPMC in 1996 as a clinical audiologist. Her specialties include tinnitus retraining therapy, assistive technology, and cell phone solutions for hearing aids. She also developed and oversees the Consumer Education Series, which focuses on educating the public regarding hearing loss, hearing aid technology, and assistive technology. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Calvin Wilson III, MS
Mr. Wilson is the audiologist at our Cranberry location. He joined UPMC in 2006. Mr. Wilson received his bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University. His special interests include diagnostic testing and hearing aid fittings. He is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, the Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Speech-Language Pathologists
Bethany Anke, MA, CCC-SLP
Ms. Anke is the lead speech-language pathologist in the Department of Otolaryngology at UPMC. She received a bachelor's degree in history and communications from John Carroll University and a master's degree in speech pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Anke specializes in medical speech-language pathology with a focus on head and neck cancer rehabilitation and dysphagia. She is certified in laryngectomy voice restoration and guest lectures on the topic at local universities and colleges. Ms. Anke is involved in a project to develop a swallowing screening tool for stroke patients that will be instituted throughout UPMC. Ms. Anke is certified by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association and is licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Joan Bucholtz, MS, CCC-SLP
Ms. Bucholtz is a speech-language pathologist at UPMC St. Margaret. She received her master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. She has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals in acute care, rehabilitation, and outpatient care settings. She specializes in working with children and adults with a wide range of swallowing, speech, and language disorders including dysphagia, aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia, dementia, neurological disorders, and developmental disorders. She is involved with interdisciplinary hospital activities and is a member of UPMC St. Margaret’s Stroke Team, Interdisciplinary Plan of Care Team, and Education Team.
Danielle Columbe, MA, CCC-SLP
Ms. Columbe is one of the clinical practice managers in the Division of Speech Pathology in the Department of Otolaryngology. She graduated from Penn State University and earned her master’s Degree from the University of Akron. Ms. Columbe completed her fellowship at UPMC in the Department of Otolaryngology. She is experienced in evaluating and treating speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders in the acute care setting and is a member of the UPMC Swallowing Disorders Center team. She works closely with the ear, nose, and throat physicians performing fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) studies to diagnose swallowing disorders, and often sees these patients for swallowing therapy.
Jackie Gartner-Schmidt, PhD
Jackie Gartner-Schmidt is the associate director of the UPMC Voice Center and assistant professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Gartner-Schmidt received her undergraduate degree in psychology and voice performance from Queen’s University in Canada and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Michigan State University. She then joined the Vanderbilt Voice Center in Nashville, Tenn., where she specialized in care of the professional voice before earning her doctorate from the University of Maryland in hearing and speech sciences. Dr. Gartner-Schmidt specializes in care of the professional voice and in psychological issues in the assessment and management of patients with voice disorders.
Roxann Diez Gross, PhD
Dr. Gross is the director of the UPMC Swallowing Disorders Center and assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders. She received a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology from Duquesne University and a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her doctoral studies focused primarily on swallowing disorders and were completed at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Gross has more than 22 years of clinical experience, is an active researcher, lectures extensively, and gives workshops on tracheostomy, ventilators, and swallowing rehabilitation. She is a member of the American Physiological Society, the Dysphagia Research Society, the Geriatric Otolaryngology Society, and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
Rita Hersan, MS, CCC-SLP
Ms. Hersan received her master's degree in Speech pathology in Brazil in 1978. Her work dedicated to patients with voice disorders has inspired a special interest in serving children and adolescents. She has presented at several schools in Pennsylvania and recently lectured to the Children's Festival Chorus in Pittsburgh at their summer residency workshop. She is the co-author of Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy for Kids. Ms. Hersan has worked at the UPMC Voice Center since its inception in 1995.
Ellen Lettrich, MS, CCC-SLP
Ellen Lettrich is a voice clinician and the Educational Outreach Coordinator for the UPMC Voice Center. She completed her master's degree in speech-language pathology at Duquesne University. Prior to that, she was an award-winning drama and social studies teacher at Canfield High School in Canfield, Ohio. She also has an extensive background in musical theater performance, directing, and vocal coaching. In her private vocal coaching studios (located in New York City and Pittsburgh), she heads a team of expert teaching artists who prepare high school students for BFA musical theater college program auditions.
Andrea C. Malone, MA, CCC-SLP
Ms. Malone received both her bachelor's and master's degrees in speech-language pathology from Saint Louis University. Her areas of interest in the field of speech pathology are foreign accent modification, dysphagia related to head and neck cancer, dysphagia and communication difficulties in persons with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and speech and swallowing assessment and treatment in the acute care setting. She is a certified in Compton – Pronouncing English as a Second Language (PESL) and participated in the development of the UPMC Foreign Accent Modification Program. She also participates in the UPMC ALS clinic monthly. She is a member of AccentLink, a professional organization for corporate speech pathologists.
Deanna Pasekoff, MS, CCC-SLP
Ms. Pasekoff earned her master’s degree from the University of Miami. She works with adults in the areas of neurogenic speech, language, cognitive-linguistic, and swallowing disorders in the acute care, acute inpatient rehab, and outpatient rehab settings. She is certified in brain injury rehabilitation by the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists. She is qualified to assess and treat patients with traumatic brain injuries and acquired brain injuries in the areas of speech, language, cognitive-linguistic, and swallowing.
Brooke Paull, MA, CCC-SLP
Ms. Paull received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Duquesne University and completed her fellowship training with the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Ms. Paull has experience in evaluating and treating swallowing disorders in the acute care setting, which includes work with tracheostomized and ventilator-dependent patients, patients with neurologic diseases, geriatric disorders, cardiothoracic surgeries, and head and neck diseases. Other experience includes evaluating and treating voice, motor, speech, language, and cognitive disorders. Ms. Paull also specializes in providing acute augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies for critically ill non-speaking patients. She has participated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing in the Study of Patient-Nurse Effectiveness with Assisted Communication Strategies (SPEACS). She has also participated in several conference presentations to promote patient-provider communication.
Douglas F. Roth, MA, MM, CCC-SLP
Douglas Roth holds music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Arizona State University and a degree in speech pathology from Indiana University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in speech pathology at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to serving as a voice clinician and singing voice specialist at the UPMC Voice Center, he continues to sing professionally in the Pittsburgh area and maintains an active private voice studio. His current research interests are with the laryngeal effects of allergy and how people learn skilled vocal behaviors. In particular, he is interested in how instructions and directed attention can be used to facilitate improved and expedited learning.
Denise Vargas-Stump, MA, CCC-SLP
Ms. Vargas-Stump received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Akron. Her experience includes treating and evaluating speech, language, and swallowing disorders. She is interested in complex cases that result from trauma, degenerative disease, and respiratory complications. She is Lee Silverman Voice Therapy® certified, which focuses on improving voice and swallowing in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Tracey L. Thomas, MS, CCC-SLP
Ms. Thomas has been a speech-language pathologist for 15 years. She spent six years devoted to adult brain injury rehabilitation before joining the UPMC Voice Center staff. Ms. Thomas has experience in graduate level course instruction and clinical supervision. Her background in music provides a creative foundation for an integrated approach to voice therapy. She has been at the Voice Center for nine years.
Nicole Veydt, MA, CCC-SLP
Ms. Veydt received a Master’s degree in speech pathology at Ohio University. Her experience focuses on the acute rehabilitation setting, which includes treating patients with a variety of speech, language and cognitive disorders. She is the primary therapist in the Select Specialty Hospital of UPMC Montefiore, where she evaluates and treats patients with dysphagia.
Tamara Wasserman-Wincko, MS, CCC-SLP
Ms. Wasserman-Wincko is one of the clinical practice managers of the Speech Pathology Division and a clinical instructor in the Department of Otolaryngology. She earned her master's degree at Nova Southeastern University in speech pathology and completed her fellowship at UPMC. She also serves as the coordinator of the UPMC Swallowing Disorders Center. Ms. Wasserman-Wincko has co-authored a text book chapter on the management of swallowing disorders in patients with tracheostomy tubes and has participated in conference presentations. Her area of expertise is in evaluating and treating patients with all types of swallowing difficulties in the outpatient and acute care setting, including patients with head and neck cancer.