Catriona M. Steele

Catriona M. Steele
Known forformer President of Speech-Language and Audiology Canada
Academic background
EducationM.H.Sc., Speech-Language pathology, 1991, PhD, Speech-Language pathology, 2003, University of Toronto
ThesisKinematics and coordinative dynamics in normal human swallowing. (2003)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Toronto
Main interestsDysphagia
Websitesteeleswallowinglab.ca

Catriona Margaret Steele is a Canadian clinician-scientist. She is a Senior Scientist at the KITE Research Institute of the University Health Network, Full professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Swallowing and Food Oral Processing.

Education and early career

Steele earned her Master's degree and PhD from the University of Toronto. After earning her Master's, Steele practiced as a medical speech-language pathologist before returning for her doctorate.[1]

From 1998 until 2000, Steele served as President of the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA).[1] In her role as president, she called for universities to increase their training programs for speech and hearing specialists.[2] She also began to measure pathological signals in swallowing and use surface electromyography as a way to treat Dysphagia.[3]

Career

Upon earning her PhD, Steele accepted a position at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.[4] While there, she launched an online learning education course titled An Evidence Based Approach to Dysphasia Intervention in 2004.[5] She also conducted therapy meant to retrain swallowing muscles using biofeedback.[4]

In 2010, Steele and Tom Chau began designing a new technique to detect whether someone with Dysphagia had inhaled food or liquids based on sound wave vibrations.[6] In some cases, her research team used Fluoroscopy, a diagnostic imaging tool, to determine how much food or liquid went down her throat. Using this technique on a stroke victim, Steele worked with Dorothy four times a week for six weeks to strengthen her swallowing muscles, eventually allowing her to return to solid foods.[7] As a result of her research, she was elected a fellow of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association[1] and received the Eve Kassirer Award for Outstanding Achievement.[8] By 2013, Steele was promoted to Full professor by the University of Toronto,[9] received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal,[10] and earned the CASLPA 2013 Mentorship Award.[11]

As a member of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Board, Steele helped set universal guidelines for texture-modified foods and instructions for simple methods to test food and drink consistency.[12] She also worked alongside colleagues at the University of Waterloo to published a study titled Making the Most of Mealtimes, a project focused on the nutritional value of food for seniors at 32 long-term care facilities across Canada.[12][13] In 2016, Steele received the Speech-Language and Audiology Canada Lifetime Achievement Award for "her pivotal role in the advancement of speech-language pathology, particularly as it relates to the assessment and management of dysphagia."[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Professor Catriona Steele". steeleswallowinglab.ca. 13 March 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "Speech and hearing disorders need double the number of specialists". Edmonton: Edmonton Journal. May 5, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Steele, Catorina (January 11, 2012). Applications of EMG in Clinical and Sports Medicine. Books on Demand. ISBN 9789533077987. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Weight training for the throat". Red Deer Advocate. April 7, 2004. Retrieved June 24, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "A Review of our Milestones, Highlights and Significant Achievements" (PDF). sac-oac.ca. 2004. p. 3. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "Aspiration detector" (PDF). uhn.ca. March 29, 2010. p. 42. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Stroke survivor celebrates relearning to swallow at Oliver & Bonacini". uhn.ca. June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "2011 Award Recipients" (PDF). sac-oac.ca. 2011. p. 7. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Congratulations to Drs. Elizabeth Rochon and Catriona Steele". slp.utoronto.ca. 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dr. Catriona Steele Receives Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal". sac-oac.ca. August 9, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "SLP Alumna Receives Mentorship Award". slp.utoronto.ca. 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Oldfield, Jim (April 10, 2018). "What U of T researchers are doing to help 'devastating' swallowing problems". utoronto.ca. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "MAKING THE MOST OF MEALTIMES (M3)". the-ria.ca. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  14. ^ Boafo, Jessica (May 13, 2016). "RSI Faculty Winners at the Speech-Language Audiology Canada Awards". rsi.utoronto.ca. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

Catriona M. Steele publications indexed by Google Scholar