LOUD for LIFE® Coaches
Heather Hodges M.A., CCC-SLP
Ms. Hodges received her master’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the University of Colorado. She has been part of Dr. Ramig’s research team since 2004. Ms. Hodges is a consultant, expert clinician, training and certification faculty and CE Administrator with LSVT Global. She also enjoys her role within LSVT Global collaborating and presenting on Google’s Project Euphonia, which aims to improve voice recognition software for those with dysarthria and dysphonia. In addition to specializing in neurogenic voice and speech disorders, Ms. Hodges worked for 13 years at an outpatient hospital specializing in diagnosing and treating dysphagia, dysphonia, and upper airway disorders. She has presented nationally and internationally on LSVT LOUD, Parkinson’s disease, PVFM/VCD, cough, and dysphagia. Ms. Hodges has published articles and a book chapter on speech treatments for upper airway disorders. Educating others on the diagnosing and treatment of upper airway disorders remains a focus and passion for her.
Angela Halpern M.S., CCC-SLP
Ms. Halpern is in charge of facilitating national and international training and certification courses for LSVT LOUD and LSVT BIG. She assists the team in the research and development of new courses and products, and she has worked to develop and advance LOUD for LIFE exercise maintenance classes for LSVT LOUD graduates. Ms. Halpern serves as national and international faculty for LSVT LOUD training and certification courses. She has been a part of Dr. Ramig’s research team at the National Center for Voice and Speech in Denver since 2000, where she has played an integral role in the randomized control trial research for LSVT LOUD. Ms. Halpern received her Masters degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh, PA. Ms. Halpern was born and raised in Kansas and currently resides in Golden, Colorado.
Elizabeth Peterson M.A., CCC-SLP
Ms. Peterson received her master’s degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She began working with Dr. Lorraine Ramig’s research team while completing her master’s thesis. She has worked as a research associate at the National Center for Voice and Speech-Denver and the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio and primarily delivers LSVT LOUD in a research setting. Ms. Peterson is currently involved in Dr. Ramig’s research investigating the short and long-term impact of LSVT LOUD on neural underpinnings of speech in Parkinson disease.
BIG for LIFE® Coaches
Heather Cianci, PT, MS, GCS
Ms. Cianci is the Geriatric Team Leader and founding therapist of the Dan Aaron Parkinson’s Rehab Center at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. She received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Scranton, and her MS in gerontology from Saint Joseph’s University, both in Pennsylvania. Heather received her Geriatric Clinical Specialist Certification in 1999 and was certified in LSVT BIG in 2007. She is a 2004 graduate of the Parkinson’s Foundation’s (formerly the NPF and PDF) Allied Team Training for PD, and became a faculty member for the program in 2017. Ms. Cianci has written and lectured for several national PD organizations, online CEU providers, and PT programs at Philadephia area universities. Her research is on falls and bed mobility in PD, and she is also a board member for CurePSP.
Jenny Tuccitto, MPT, GCS
Ms. Tuccitto received her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota in 2001 & received her Geriatric Clinical Specialist Certification in 2015. As a physical therapist, she has over 20 years of experience in treating a wide variety of clients with neurological diagnoses with a focus in Parkinson Disease. Ms. Tuccitto has been certified in LSVT BIG since 2009 and part of the LSVT BIG Training and Certification Faculty with LSVT Global since 2011. She now serves as the Director of Innovation and Communications for LSVT Global as well as the LSVT BIG Clinical Expert. She has assisted with the development of many LSVT BIG treatment tools & courses including the LSVT BIG Homework Helper videos, BIG for LIFE training, webinars & LSVT for LIFE. She has presented for the National Parkinson Foundation, the Minnesota Physical Therapy Association, Combined Sections for the American Physical Therapy Association and at the American Speech and Hearing Association on LSVT BIG & Parkinson Disease.
Julia Wood, MOT, OTR/L
Julia Wood, MOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist who specializes in the treatment of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and neurological movement disorders. She is the Director of Professional and Community Education for the Lewy Body Dementia Association and contracts with the University of Pennsylvania’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Excellence to develop community engagement programming. Julia has served as faculty for the Parkinson Foundation’s Team Training for Parkinson program since 2016 and is certification and training faculty for the LSVT BIG® program. She serves on the Parkinson Foundation Rehabilitation Medicine Task Force and on the World Parkinson Congress Comprehensive Care Subcommittee for Barcelona 2023. She co-authored the first American Occupational Therapy Association Practice Guideline for Parkinson’s Disease in 2022.
Laura Gusé, MPT
Ms. Gusé received her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota. She has over 15 years of experience working with adults with neurological disorders with a special focus on Parkinson disease and Multiple Sclerosis. She has been certified in LSVT BIG® since 2009, and is a Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist. She is an LSVT BIG faculty member and Clinical Expert, and has helped to develop many of the current LSVT BIG treatment tools and videos, webinars and curriculum. She now serves as the Chief Clinical Officer of LSVT BIG.
Leadership
Learn more about LSVT Global, Inc.’s Leadership team at the LSVT Global website.