Our Staff

Robert J. Shprintzen,
Ph.D.

Director: Robert J. Shprintzen, Ph.D.—Generally acknowledged as the person who “discovered” VCFS, first describing it in publications in 1978, he has the world’s largest and longest experience with VCFS. He has lectured on VCFS around the world. He is also widely credited for introducing fiberoptic endoscopy to the United States to study speech disorders in 1973.

Anne Marie Higgins,
R.N., F.N.P.

Clinical and Research Coordinator: Anne Marie Higgins, M.A., R.N., F.N.P. —Ms Higgins has been at the center of all clinical and research activities for the Center and is the manager of the Distance Care program. She has been the major liaison between the professionals at the Center and its large patient population. She is also a family therapist and a Nurse Practitioner with special expertise in immune disorders.

Eileen Marrinan,
M.S., M.P.H.

Speech Pathologist and Outomes Studies Coordinator: Eileen Marrinan, M.S., M.P.H. —A true expert in the field of speech disorders associated with cleft palate in general and VCFS specifically, she has been the primary resource for guiding the treatment of speech disorders in VCFS and managing care of patients through the Distance Care program. She is also an expert at multiview videofluoroscopy, a state-of-the-art diagnostic procedure first developed at Upstate Medical University.

Kelvin Ringold, B.S.

Office Administrator: Kelvin Ringold, B.S. —The complexities of managing the many computer systems and administrative programs needed for a large interdisciplinary program has been Kelvin's specialty for eight years, and he has become the friendly voice at the other end of the phone for hundreds of patients calling in to the Center.

Other Key Personnel

The Center’s team of behavioral scientists, all members of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, have been extremely active on both the clinical and research fronts.

The team has won several National Institutes of Health grants under Principal Investigator Wendy Kates, Ph.D. An expert in Neural Imaging, Dr. Kates has been studying the interrelationship of brain structure, brain function, cognitive performance, and mental illness in VCFS.

Also on the team are Wanda Fremont, M.D., child psychiatrist, Kevin Antshel, Ph.D., neuropsychologist, and many students and research assistants. Using quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) scanning and functional MR scanning (fMR), the team continues to engage in important cutting edge research.

Program Focus

The Center’s program in communicative disorders focuses on speech production, language, feeding, hearing acuity, and the processing of what is heard.

• Eileen Marrinan, M.S., M.P.H. is a true expert at resolving the complex articulation disorders associated with VCFS and she prescribes therapy programs for patients who come to the Center from a distance while communicating with local professionals to assure positive outcomes.
• Jill Merrow, M.A. is the team’s feeding expert, performing state-of-the-art procedures in both diagnosis and treatment for the feeding problems found in VCFS.
• Debbie Lightfoot, M.A., Andy Giraud, Au.D., Jeff van Tassel, Au.D., and Kathy Burch, M.S. are the team’s audiologists who have extensive experience in assessing the hearing disorders in VCFS. Ms Lightfoot is also an expert in the field of Central Auditory Processing (CAP), a significant problem in children with VCFS. Analysis of CAP can often yield important treatment options for inattentiveness, learning disabilities, and related educational problems.

Surgical Specialists:

The treatment of speech disorders in VCFS typically involves surgical management of velopharyngeal insufficiency. 

The Center’s head facial plastic surgeon, Sherard A. Tatum III, M.D. has become the world’s leading authority on the surgical management of hypernasal speech in VCFS. His innovative approach to pharyngeal flap surgery has maximized speech outcomes while minimizing unwanted complications. He has published and presented his exceptional results internationally and he continues to acquire more evidence validating the Center’s approach. 

Joining Dr. Tatum on the facial plastic team is Sydney Butts, M.D. whose interest in VCFS led her to complete a Craniofacial Fellowship at Upstate. Pediatric otolaryngologist Anthony J. Mortelliti, M.D. is an expert in pediatric airway problems that often affect individuals with VCFS.

Inquiries:

Contact the Center by telephone at 315-464-6597, by fax at 315-464-6598, or by email at vcfs@upstate.edu