Congratulations to Susan Thibeault, Ph.D., CCC-SLP on receiving a 2026 Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) Named Professorship.
Eight faculty were awarded the WARF Named Professorships this year, which come with $100,000 and honor faculty who have made major contributions to the advancement of knowledge, primarily through their research endeavors, but also because of their teaching and service activities. Award recipients choose the names associated with their professorships.
Dr. Thibeault is the Steven D. Gray Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and holds the Endowed Diane Bless Chair at UW–Madison. She earned her Ph.D. from UW–Madison and served on the faculty at the University of Utah before returning to UW–Madison in 2006, where she holds joint appointments in the Departments of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Thibeault’s translational research career has centered on advancing the biological understanding of the vocal folds and their vibration, with particular emphasis on vocal fold injury and wound healing. Her work has opened new avenues toward cellular therapies and tissue replacements for voice disorders that affect millions of Americans. She directs the NIDCD-sponsored T32 Training Grant in Voice Science at UW–Madison and has mentored generations of junior faculty, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students. Her research has been continuously funded by the NIH for 25 years. Among her honors, Thibeault is a past recipient of the de Roaldes Medal from the American Laryngological Association and received Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2017—the organization’s highest distinction. She has also served as a member of the NIDCD Advisory Council.
Congratulations, Dr. Thibeault!