Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs

Why is understanding the brain-gut connection important for SLPs?
Guest: Dr. Camille Thélin, MD, MSc, and Jaimie Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS
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Emerging evidence continues to highlight the complex, bidirectional relationship between the brain and the gastrointestinal system, with important implications for speech-language pathology practice.
In this episode of Brainstorms, Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Dr. Camille Thélin, MD, MSc, and Jaimie Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, to explore disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) through the lens of hypervigilance and sensory processing.
About the Guests:
Jaimie Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, is a medical speech-language pathologist (SLP) board-certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (BC-ANCDS). She currently evaluates and treats complex, multiphase swallowing, voice, upper airway, and motor speech disorders as part of a multidisciplinary team at the University of South Florida Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders in Tampa, Florida.
Dr. Camille Thélin, MD, MSc, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF), where she has served on the faculty since 2019. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the USF Neurogastroenterology & Motility Center, launched in 2024 to expand coordinated, multidisciplinary care for complex lower GI motility disorders. As part of this effort, she also helped establish USF’s in-house anorectal manometry program to improve access and continuity of care across the region.
Show Notes:
3rd Annual Swallowing Symposium in honor of Dysphagia Awareness Month (June 2026)

What happens between therapy sessions often determines whether progress carries over or fades.
Guest: Zach Smith, MS, CCC-SLP
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In this episode of Brainstorms: Functional Neurorehab for SLPs, Zach Smith, MS, CCC-SLP, and Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, take a closer look at how app-enabled neurorehabilitation is reshaping the way clinicians support patients beyond the therapy room. As digital tools become more integrated into care, they are helping shift intervention from episodic sessions to more continuous, real-world practice.
About the Guest: Zachary “Zach” Smith, MS, CCC-SLP, received training from both Boston University and the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for the past decade. He specializes in the evaluation and treatment of neurologically based communication and swallowing disorders and has experience across the medical continuity of care.
Show Notes:
Constant Therapy
Mentioned in this episode:
Register for the Aphasia Discourse Conference on June 7

Guests: Rebecca Klam, PsyD, and Jaimie Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS
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Functional dysphagia is often treated as a physical issue, but for many patients, swallowing is shaped just as much by the brain as it is by the body. In this episode, host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Rebecca Klam, PsyD, and Jaimie Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, to explore the psychological side of dysphagia and why perception, not just physiology, matters.
About the Guests:
Jaimie Anderson, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS, is a medical speech-language pathologist (SLP) board-certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (BC-ANCDS). She currently evaluates and treats complex, multiphase swallowing, voice, upper airway, and motor speech disorders as part of a multidisciplinary team at the University of South Florida Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders in Tampa, Florida.
Rebecca Klam, PsyD, serves as Section Chief of Psychology and the founder and Director of the Digestive Disease Behavioral Medicine Program at Tampa General Hospital, a leading academic medical center in Florida. A Clinical Health Psychologist by training, she specializes in eating disorders, obesity medicine, and complex digestive diseases, with advanced expertise in gastrointestinal (GI) psychology.
Mentioned in this episode:
Register for the Aphasia Discourse Conference on June 7

Guest: Lisa Thornburg, MS, CCC-SLP
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In this episode of Brainstorms, Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is joined by Lisa Thornburg, MS, CCC-SLP, to explore how rehabilitation can extend beyond the clinic to support connection, identity, and meaningful participation for individuals living with aphasia.
About the Guest: Lisa Thornburg, MS., CCC-SLP, has been a speech-language pathologist for over 30 years, working at every level of care in adult neurorehabilitation, including acute care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, and home health care. Lisa is the Director of the Snyder Center for Aphasia Life Enhancement (SCALE) and the Multiple Sclerosis Day Program at the League for People with Disabilities
Mentioned in this episode:
Register for the Aphasia Discourse Conference on June 7

*****Originally Aired: October 16, 2025*****
How do emotional well-being and psychological safety influence communication recovery?
Guest: Jaime Bauer Malandraki, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

In this episode of Brainstorms, we look at the often-overlooked role of mental health in education and rehabilitation. Guest Jaime Bauer Malandraki, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, and host Renee Garrett, MSEd, CCC-SLP, CBIS, explore the emotional toll of mental health challenges faced by students and patients, as well as the role of SLPs and teachers in creating trauma-informed, empathetic environments.
About the Guest: Jaime Bauer Malandraki, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Purdue University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her primary clinical and research interests lie in the evaluation and management of swallowing disorders across the lifespan, with a special emphasis on neurodegenerative conditions and head and neck cancer.
Mentioned in this episode:
Register for the Aphasia Discourse Conference on June 7