West Chester University professor Elizabeth Grillo has been using her research as a speech-language pathologist to help teachers regulate their voices to avoid straining, writes Susan Snyder for the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Grillo, whose students make her research possible by assisting her, has been awarded $797,000 in funds from the National Institutes of Health for her work — the only WCU professor to receive two grants from the institute. 

These grants have allowed her to create her first smartphone app, VoiceEvalU8, which helps speech pathologists diagnose voice problems through recordings. She can also continue developing her second app called VoicePractice, which helps teachers safely practice using their voices. 

Through her research, Grillo has found that teachers are most at risk for developing voice problems, meaning more than half will experience these issues in their careers. 

“We need to do a better job of preparing our future generation of teachers so that their voice can be effective in the classroom,” she said. “That’s my goal.” 

Read more about Elizabeth Grillo in the Philadelphia Inquirer.