The Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences has welcomed three faculty members who bring unique expertise and innovative research to the SLP program. Carolyn Novaleski, Sallie Nowell, and Molly Beiting are poised to make significant contributions to their respective fields, enhancing the division’s commitment to advancing knowledge and practice in speech and hearing sciences.
Carolyn Novaleski, PhD, CCC-SLP: Advancing Research in Chronic Cough
Dr. Carolyn Novaleski focuses her research on chronic cough in adults, an area she transitioned to after recognizing the unmet needs of patients suffering from this condition.
“My work initially centered on chemically-induced cough methodologies in healthy individuals,” she said. “Over time, I recognized the substantial unmet needs of patients suffering from chronic cough and wanted to pivot the direction of my work to patient-oriented research.”
Recently awarded a prestigious 5-year NIH K23 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Novaleski aims to explore whether cough symptomology can predict responses to various treatments for chronic cough. Her research includes plans for a pilot randomized control trial to evaluate a behavioral intervention, reflecting her dedication to improving clinical outcomes for patients.
Novaleski is enthusiastic about her collaboration with physician colleagues at UNC and the Research Triangle, valuing the mentorship and support she receives as she aims to transition into an independent investigator.
“I feel privileged that I will continue receiving excellent research mentoring throughout the 5-year grant to eventually transition to an independent investigator in chronic cough clinical trials.”
Novaleski hopes this work continues to progress the field of chronic cough forward and inspire new ways of optimizing the treatment of this condition across various medical specialties.
Sallie Nowell, PhD, CCC-SLP: Championing Autism and Developmental Disorders
Dr. Sallie Nowell’s research centers on autism and developmental disorders. As a teenager, Nowell babysat a child with Down syndrome and autism with whom she became very close. Experiencing the disability purely from a family perspective ignited her interest in speech-language pathology, driving her to seek solutions that enhance communication outcomes for children with developmental disabilities.
Currently, Nowell is involved in the EAT Study, funded by the Eagles Autism Foundation, with Clare Harrop here at UNC and Anna Wallisch at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This study examines the trajectories of challenging eating behaviors in 4–8-year-old children with autism as compared to non-autistic children and investigates sex differences in challenging eating behavior symptom presentation and trajectories. The long-term aim of this project is to develop personalized treatment approaches for subtypes of eating behaviors that consider assigned sex at birth to ultimately prevent long-term health issues like eating disorders, obesity, and nutritional deficits.
Additionally, Nowell is an investigator on a new project, EMERGE: Early Markers of Expressive and Receptive (language) Growth in Ethnically diverse autistic toddlers; funded by National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (PIs: Connie Kasari at UCLA and Brian Boyd at UNC). She’s “very excited to begin to elucidate the language trajectories of autistic children growing up in poverty.”
Nowell also collaborates with the Samantha Pflum at the UNC Gender Equity and Wellness Initiative and Corey Shaw at the TEACCH Autism Program called the Gender and Autism Project (GAP), which seeks to support youth at the intersection of autism and gender diverse identities. Funded by the UNC Autism Research Center, the group spent the last year surveying and interviewing community members to develop a support group guide and resources for youth, families, and healthcare providers.
Nowell is committed to closing the research-to-practice gap in her field. By collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and engaging in community-based research, she aims to effect meaningful change in the lives of children with autism and their families.
“I have really enjoyed interacting with master’s and doctoral students more as a faculty member,” said Nowell. “The students in our programs are so talented and having them involved in my work makes me a stronger researcher and clinician. Teaching the Hearing Loss and Developmental Disorders course with SLP and AuD students has been a highlight of my first semester on faculty.”
Molly Beiting, PhD CCC-SLP: Innovating Pediatric Speech Sound Disorders
Dr. Molly Beiting specializes in pediatric speech sound disorders, particularly childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), a relatively rare speech disorder that can have long-lasting impacts on multiple domains. Her clinical experience as a speech-language pathologist has shaped her research focus, as she aims to enhance assessment practices for children with diverse and challenging profiles.
“In my clinical practice, children with CAS were some of the most interesting cases. The children I encountered in the clinical world were also more complex than those generally reflected in the research literature, presenting challenges for carrying out appropriate assessment and treatment,” said Beiting. “As a researcher, my goal is to improve speech assessment and treatment for children with complex profiles due to factors such as multiple comorbidities, as well as those who are generally at risk of long-term adverse impacts due to the nature of their disorder(s).”
This semester, Beiting is teaching a course on Pediatric Speech Sound Disorders, which incorporates real clinical cases to foster student learning and engagement. She is also establishing her research lab at UNC, including a current project investigating oral and speech motor skills among preverbal toddlers with autism in collaboration with colleagues from Washington State University.
Beiting’s goal is to support students in becoming knowledgeable clinicians, empowered to implement evidence-based practices, and equipped with the know-how to continually expand their skillset and tackle new clinical challenges with excellent critical thinking skills. “I hope that my research improves clinical practice, helping clinicians to deliver more effective, precision treatments, and supporting children and their families in their communication journey,” she said.
Novaleski, Nowell, and Beiting each bring a unique perspective and a commitment to addressing critical issues in their fields, promising to make lasting contributions to the understanding and treatment of speech and hearing disorders in the Speech and Hearing Division.