Rate My Professor Victoria McKenna

Victoria McKenna, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders within the University of Central Florida's College of Health Professions and Sciences. She is also faculty in the Communication Technologies Research Center and Director of the Voice and Swallow Mechanics Lab. McKenna obtained her Ph.D. in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences from Boston University, M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of New Hampshire, B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Syracuse University, and B.A. in Psychology from Syracuse University. She completed postdoctoral training at Purdue University and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. As a certified speech-language pathologist, her clinical experience guides her research to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis and treatment for voice and swallowing disorders.

McKenna's research interests encompass voice, dysphagia, speech science, and technology, with a focus on sensorimotor function related to voice, swallowing, and respiration. Her work emphasizes translational research that connects physiological presentations of disease to patient-centered clinical applications incorporating technology and health education. She is Principal Investigator for the grant 'The Impact of daily electronic cigarette use on voice and cough in young adults,' funded internally by the UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences for $12,000 from July 2025 to June 2026. In 2022, she received the Early Career Contributions in Research Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Notable publications include 'A systematic review of isometric lingual strength-training programs in adults with and without dysphagia' (American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2017), 'The relationship between acoustical and perceptual measures of vocal effort' (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2018), and 'Longitudinal case study of transgender voice changes under testosterone hormone therapy' (Journal of Voice, 2020). The Voice and Swallow Mechanics Lab develops quantifiable methods and engineering tools to enhance clinical care for voice and swallowing disorders and disseminates findings through educational outreach.