# Rehabilitation of Airway Protection in Parkinson's Disease: Comparing In-Person and Telehealth Service Delivery Models

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE · 2024 · $143,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Progressive disorders of airway protection, such as swallowing disorders (dysphagia) and cough
disorders (dystussia), are highly prevalent in PD and have significant negative implications for health and quality
of life. In fact, aspiration pneumonia, commonly associated with dysphagia/dystussia, is a leading cause of death
in PD. Despite this, there is currently no established standard of care for the treatment of airway protective
disorders in this population. Even more critically, approximately 40% of individuals with PD in the United States
do not access rehabilitation services or receive specialized care for these potentially life-threatening airway
protective deficits. Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) and Cough Skill Training (CST) have been found
to improve airway protective disorders in PD and be feasible via telehealth. However, a significant clinical-
research gap remains in that no one has demonstrated that clinical outcomes are comparable (non-inferior)
when these treatments are delivered via telehealth versus in-person – a gap that we are currently working to fill
with our ongoing parent R01(R01 NS126319-01). Furthermore, it is important to assess the impact of patient
burden on treatment adherence and clinical outcomes in the short- and long-term in both modalities. This gap
limits access to these important services with detrimental effects to health, quality of life, and healthcare
disparities. An additional significant gap that impacts the advancement of this important work is a major lack in
doctoral level scholars with strong training and mentorship in the area of clinical-translational work in airway
protection (i.e., swallowing and cough) and its rehabilitation. This challenge is compounded by an especially low
number of trainees from underrepresented backgrounds. Our long-term goal is to improve the health outcomes
of individuals with PD and other neurodegenerative diseases, specifically as they relate to airway protective
dysfunction. This long-term goal will be achieved through validating and improving access to efficacious
interventions and through the effective training and mentorship of a diverse workforce of scholars with expertise
in airway protection and its rehabilitation. The objective of this Landis Mentorship award supplement is to provide
key support to enrich the training experiences of current and future trainees in airway protection. Our current
parent R01 will serve as a living classroom from and through which research and enriching training opportunities
will be developed.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11123644
- **Project number:** 3R01NS126319-03S2
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHELLE S TROCHE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $143,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11123644

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11123644, Rehabilitation of Airway Protection in Parkinson's Disease: Comparing In-Person and Telehealth Service Delivery Models (3R01NS126319-03S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11123644. Licensed CC0.

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