Denis Michael Rudisch, M.M., Dipl. Univ., received the Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association (WSHA) 2026 Vicki Lord Larson and James R. Larson Research Grant.
Denis is a dissertator in Dr. Michelle Ciucci’s laboratory at the University of Wisconsin Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. His doctoral research focuses on the impacts of cardiovascular exercise and targeted vocal exercise on early-stage voice deficits and laryngeal muscle pathology in Alzheimer’s disease.
This research grant is offered in honor and memory of the late Vicki Lord Larson, Ph.D. and in memory of her husband James R. Larson. Both Vicki and James were born and raised in rural northern Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin Madison. Dr. Larson received her bachelors, masters, and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Madison in communication sciences and disorders. She worked for 2 years as a Wisconsin public school speech-language pathologist and then 30 years in the University of Wisconsin System at Whitewater, Eau Claire, and Oshkosh as a faculty member, Dean of Graduate School and Research, and Provost and Vice Chancellor. The intent of this research grant is to support scientific inquiry that will advance the discipline of communication sciences and disorder.
Congratulations Denis!