Justine is a PhD student in Rehabilitation Science & Disorders at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Plowman. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Florida and her Master of Science at Teachers College, Columbia University. While at Columbia, she received her advanced certificate in bilingual speech-language pathology to further her goal of providing better clinical care for multicultural and linguistically diverse populations.
Justine completed her clinical fellowship at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and acute care hospital at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, primarily focusing on voice and swallowing dysfunction. She practiced within the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Health System, specializing in the diagnosis and management of swallowing and communication disorders in the setting of head and neck cancer and progressive neurodegenerative disease. She also served as the primary Speech Pathologist for the multidisciplinary UM Kessenich Family ALS Clinic and Research Center. She continues to work clinically with critically ill populations with dysphagia at the University of Florida Health System.
Inspired by the high need for efficacious clinical tools for resilient patients living with swallowing difficulty, she quickly became committed to a research career. She remains tremendously excited to serve as an active team member of the Aerodigestive Research Core.