Mary J. Sandage

Mary J. Sandage, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Auburn University. She earned her M.S. degree in speech language pathology from the University of Iowa and her Ph.D. in Exercise Science at Auburn University. She has been a clinician for over 24 years, specializing in the assessment and treatment of upper airway and voice disorders, with a particular expertise in the assessment and treatment of chronic cough and paradoxical vocal fold motion. During her doctoral program in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University she was fortunate to have access to the Auburn University swim team and learn about their training practices and breathing techniques. This experience, combined with her experience treating other athletes with paradoxical vocal fold motion, expanded her clinical approach in a meaningful, functional direction.

Dr. Sandage, a singing teacher for over 20 years and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), was integral in developing the professional voice care clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Otolaryngology during her 10 years there as clinical faculty.

Her current research interests include muscle bioenergetics and voice training considerations, upper airway thermoregulation, and hormonal influences on voice production. She has taught mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for over 17 years and uses its principles regularly in clinical care for individuals with voice and upper airway disorders.