The New York City Dysphagia Study Group (NYCDSG) is a small, unique group of medical speech-language and swallowing pathologists from the NYC metro area. The group meets once a month for a specialized conference to discuss various clinical care topics and research related to medical speech pathology.
The mission of the NYCDSG is to provide clinicians with an interprofessional forum to learn, teach, share, and collaborate to ultimately provide exceptional patient care.
The group was originally founded in the mid-1990s by VA SLP Latimer Kells with original members Lonnie Burke Aresse, Andrea Leone, Keri Danzinger, Shoana Scribner, Luis Riquelme, Marta Kazandjian, Cathy Lazarus, Michelle Graham and Deborah Guida.
In 2015, group leadership was assumed by VA SLP Monica Marks, who was instrumental in the transformation of NYCDSG from a small journal club to a robust professional development organization. As the sole organizer of the group for nearly a decade, she recruited esteemed speakers across NYC, created a website and social media channels to promote events, and fostered tremendous growth in group membership. Thanks to her dedication, NYCDSG has grown not only in reach, but also in reputation, to become the highly-respected professional community it is today. She has always been thoughtful about the mission of the group and unwavering in her commitment to keep events free and open to all SLPs.
After an extended hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, NYCDSG resumed meetings in September 2023 in a new, upgraded meeting space. Our diverse membership includes clinicians, clinical fellows, graduate students, and academic researchers working across the continuum of care.
NYCDSG PLANNING COMMITTEE
Matthew Vespertino
Event Coordinator
Matthew is a Speech-Language Pathologist at the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, Manhattan Campus. He received his Bachelor’s in SLP from SUNY New Paltz and completed his graduate training in SLP at LIU Post. He began his career at Stony Brook Southampton hospital and has since worked in many areas of medical SLP, including acute inpatient, outpatient, subacute rehab, and homecare. He works primarily with the geriatric population in both the acute inpatient and outpatient settings at the VA, diagnosing and treating a variety of communication and swallowing disorders. He provides thoughtful mentorship to SLP graduate students at the Manhattan VA. He has guest lectured on gender affirming voice care at LIU Post and has been involved with SAGE Vets, a group providing advocacy and services for LGBTQ+ elder Veterans. His clinical interests include voice rehabilitation and the assessment/treatment of dysphagia. Off the clock, Matthew enjoys interior design, yoga, and gardening.
Stephanie Bonowicz
Membership
Stephanie Bonowicz, M.S. CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist at the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn Campus, since joining in 2019. She completed her graduate studies at Brooklyn College. She got her start in the field as an SLP in skilled nursing facilities for three years prior to joining the VA team. Stephanie has a passion for mentoring both current graduate students and new SLPs completing their clinical fellowships. Each semester she trains graduate students completing their externship placements and serves as a CF supervisor in the SNF setting with the goal of supporting the future of our field. In addition to working full-time at the VA, Stephanie continues to work per-diem in the SNF setting to maintain a broad clinical experience. She is a member of the Cancer Coalition at the NY Harbor focusing on improving the quality of the treatment course for head and neck cancer patients. Her clinical interests include swallowing rehabilitation for patients with head and neck cancer, voice therapy for patients with Parkinson’s Disease, and fluency training for patients who stutter. Being able to serve veterans has been a highlight of her career.
