Dr. Cagla Kantarcigil is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science and the Director of the Deglutition Technologies and Digital Health (DegluTech) Laboratory at The Ohio State University. Additionally, she is the co-founder of The Ohio State University Swallowing Disorders Clinic and Support Group.  

Dr. Kantarcigil received her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Columbia University and her PhD from the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Purdue University. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University before joining the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at The Ohio State University in 2023.

Dr. Kantarcigil’s laboratory is dedicated to advancing patient outcomes and improving access to high-quality healthcare services for patients with dysphagia, especially for those who live in underserved areas. Her research interests include: 1) Investigating the feasibility and clinical efficacy of innovative digital health interventions, 2) Developing and testing new technologies for dysphagia management, and 3) Examining the cross-system interactions between swallowing and breathing in patients with pulmonary disorders.

Dr. Kantarcigil’s research has been published in prominent journals, and she has presented her work at both national and international conferences. Her contributions have received various recognitions, including the prestigious New Investigator Award from Dysphagia Research Society (2023), Michael Donovan Innovation Award from National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders (2022), Excellence in Clinical Research recognition from American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (2022), and the Editor’s Award (Speech Section) from Journal of Speech-Language, and Hearing Research (2021).

Dr. Kantarcigil is also dedicated to training the next generation of clinicians and researchers. She teaches the graduate-level Dysphagia course at The Ohio State University and mentors undergraduate and graduate research assistants and clinical researchers in the DegluTech Laboratory.

If you are a patient or a caregiver and would like to learn more about our ongoing research projects, please reach out to Dr. Kantarcigil and her team via email at swallowinglab@osu.edu or by phone at 614-292-3689. If you are interested in learning more about The Ohio State University Swallowing Disorders Clinic and Support Group, please contact Nicole Wiksten, Assistant Clinical Professor, at wiksten.1@osu.edu or 614-292-6251.