About the contributor

• JoAnne Robbins
• Allison Duke Bridges
• Andrew Taylor

JoAnne Robbins

Dr JoAnne Robbins is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her major affiliations are in the sections of Gastroenterology and Geriatrics & Gerontology. She is an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Radiology as well as in the Interdepartmental Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program. Dr. Robbins also serves as the Associate Director of Research for the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. As Director of the University of Wisconsin/VA Swallowing Program, Dr. Robbins has been studying dysphagia secondary to age-related disease such as stroke. Her more recent work had demonstrated that disease-free aging also can affect swallowing and may be associated with the high incidence of pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration, and reduced quality of life frequently found in older adults. A major focus of her work is to improve diagnostic and treatment methods in the field of dysphagia. The NIH and Department of Veterans Affairs have been funding her clinical research efforts continually since she received her PhD in 1983 from Northwestern University. Dr Robbins is inventor on two US patents issued to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation with a third US patent application pending. She is a Fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association.

Allison Duke Bridges

Dr Allison Duke Bridges is a first year gastroenterology fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University and then received a doctorate of medicine from the University of South Alabama. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin where she developed an interest in esophageal motility under the guidance of her research mentor, JoAnne Robbins, Ph.D.

Andrew Taylor

Dr Andrew Taylor is a Professor of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has 25 years of experience with GI fluoroscopy and has great research interest in the pathophysiology of swallowing through fluoroscopic examination. He also has interest in fluoroscopic imaging of the esophagus, colon cancer screening with virtual colonoscopy, and imaging of the pancreaticobiliary system. Dr Taylor has co-authored several peer-review publications and was honored with Teacher of the Year in the Department of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin for the 2004-2005 academic year.