Lab News
New Beginnings and Warm Welcomes at the OTO-COATI Lab
Summer is bringing exciting transitions to the OTO-COATI Lab! We’re thrilled to welcome two new medical students to our research team and to celebrate the next chapters for three of our outstanding lab members who are moving on to graduate and medical school.
We’re excited to welcome Nikhita Santebennur, a third-year medical student at Boston University, who has joined the lab to coordinate our studies using spectroscopy to detect head and neck cancer. We’re also pleased to have Varun Gopal, a rising second-year medical student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who will be pursuing new research on clinical outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer.
At the same time, we’re saying heartfelt goodbyes (for now!) to three incredible team members:
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Lalita Sabat, OTO-COATI Lab fellow, has completed her research fellowship and will begin medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
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Grace Chow, clinical research coordinator, is off to study medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
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Gabriele Spokas, research specialist, is heading to the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Public Health to pursue a Master’s of Health Administration.
We are so grateful to Lalita, Grace, and Gabriele for the energy, dedication, and insight they brought to our work. While we’ll miss having them in the lab day-to-day, we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and excited for what’s ahead. And though they may be leaving Boston, we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them as they embark on their next adventures.
Congratulations to all, and welcome to our new team members!
Grace Chow Presents Research at COSM 2025 in New Orleans
Grace Chow, an OTO-COATI Lab clinical research coordinator, recently presented her work at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) 2025 research conference, held in New Orleans, LA from May 14–18, 2025.
COSM is the premier annual conference in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, bringing together physicians, researchers, residents, medical students, and allied health professionals from across the country. The conference serves as a leading forum for sharing innovative clinical and scientific research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care.
Grace presented a poster on her project titled "Language Matters: Contraception Requirement Phrasing Influences Equitable Enrollment in Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Trials." Her presentation highlighted how subtle differences in language used in clinical trial protocols can impact participant diversity and equitable enrollment. This project was a collaborative effort with Dr. Heather Edwards, Melani Zuckerman, and Dr. Gintas Krisciunas.
Congratulations to Grace on this exciting achievement and contribution to the field!
Winston Liu Presents at 2025 Dysphagia Research Society Conference
OTO-COATI Lab member and Boston University undergraduate student Winston Liu recently presented at the 2025 Dysphagia Research Society (DRS) Annual Conference held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 25-28, 2025. His poster, titled "Python-Powered Expert-Driven Anatomic Delineation for BRACS Rating," describes his research project co-authored by Winston, Lucas Berry, and Dr. Gintas Krisciunas.
The DRS conference, known for gathering clinicians and scientists from around the world, serves as a key platform for advancing the study and treatment of swallowing disorders. Winston's presentation was an appreciated contribution to the ongoing dialogue on innovative solutions in dysphagia research. Asked about his experience attending the conference, Winston offered the following reflection:
"DRS was my first time presenting an original piece of scientific research, and I thought it was a great introduction to doing rigid science in a supportive environment. The scientific sessions were very interesting, and getting to see professional researchers and students alike engaging in scientific discourse was eye-opening. Truth be told, I was a little worried when heading to the conference that my poster presentation would involve me justifying and defending the validity of my work. After day 2 of the conference, though, my apprehensions were replaced mostly with excitement. I received many good questions from experienced researchers and clinicians, which have provided me with several future directions that I could take my work. I’m truly thankful to everyone at the lab for being so supportive, and I’m really grateful to Dr. Krisciunas and our senior research specialist, Lucas, for his help in conducting and preparing my research for DRS!"
Congratulations to Winston and the team for this achievement!
You can learn more about the OTO-COATI Lab's research on dysphagia outcomes and assessment here.
New Research Publication: Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy for Intraoperative Oral Cancer Mucosal Margin Guidance
We are excited to announce the publication of a new article titled "Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy for Intraoperative Oral Cancer Mucosal Margin Guidance: Initial Results from a 104-Patient Cohort" in the American Journal of Otolaryngology. The paper was made available online on March 5, 2025.
This innovative paper highlights the promising role of elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) as a real-time, non-invasive tool to guide head and neck surgeons during mouth cancer resections. The study builds upon previous pilot research conducted by our interdisciplinary team and includes novel artificial intelligence (AI) analysis techniques to further validate ESS's potential in surgical practice.
The study involved a collaboration between several esteemed institutions and experts, including OTO-COATI lab faculty Drs. Krisciunas and Grillone, along with staff Lucas Berry, Gabriele Spokas, Devin Lucas, and student Mitali Sakharkar. In addition, the paper includes contributions from engineers at Boston University's BMO lab (Drs. Rodriguez-Diaz, A'Amar, and Bigio), as well as head and neck surgeons from Boston Medical Center, the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, and Tufts Medical Center (Drs. Couey, Edwards, Sayre, Gooey, Hanks, O'Leary, and Tracy), and pathologists from Boston University (Drs. Lu, Pistey, and Zhao).
The research was made possible by a grant from the NIH. The results presented in this paper are a key part of the ongoing investigation into ESS's potential as an adjunct tool to guide surgical margins in oral cancer resection, which could possibly reduce downstream patient morbidity.
You can read the full paper here. If you're interested in learning more about the OTO-COATI lab's research in this area, you can do so from our site's research page.
We are excited to continue advancing this innovative technology, and we look forward to sharing more updates in the future.
Devin Lucas’s Art Featured in BUMC Art Days 2025
If you're familiar with the OTO-COATI lab, then you probably know that Devin Lucas is a stellar study coordinator. But did you know that she's also an amazing artist? Devin's art was recently featured at Boston University Medical Campus's (BUMC) Art Days 2025 exhibition. Started by Boston University President Emeritus Aram Chobanian, Art Days is meant to foster the support of the creative arts at BUMC. Shout out to Devin for contributing!
New Review of Multilingual PROMs for Dysphonia Published in the Journal of Voice
We are excited to announce that our lab’s latest study, titled "Comprehensive Review of Multilingual Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Dysphonia", will be published in the Journal of Voice and is available online as of January 16, 2025.
Authored by Grace Chow, Dr. Maxwell Sher, Dr. Gintas Krisciunas, and Dr. Lauren Tracy, this study addresses a critical gap in the evaluation of dysphonia (voice disorders) by exploring the limitations of multilingual Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). While PROMs are vital tools for laryngologists assessing dysphonia, their translation into languages other than English is limited and often insufficiently validated, risking a loss of meaning. This comprehensive review closely examines this problem, highlighting the potential for translation and cross-cultural validation of PROMs to allow for more diverse assessment of patients with dysphonia.
You can access the full text of the study at ScienceDirect.
To learn more about our lab's ongoing research in voice disorders, visit here.
New Study on Non-Invasive Screening for Laryngeal Cancer Published in American Journal of Otolaryngology
We are excited to announce that our lab's latest study, "Non-invasive screening for laryngeal cancer using the oral cavity as a proxy for differentiation of laryngeal cancer versus leukoplakia: A novel application of ESS technology and artificial intelligence supported statistical modeling," has been published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery, available online as of December 24, 2024.
Laryngeal leukoplakia - a precursor to laryngeal cancer - presently requires patients to frequently visit ENT specialists for examination and biopsy. The study, authored by Mitali Sakharkar, Gabriele Spokas, Lucas Berry, Kadesh Daniels, Pravarut Nithagon, Eladio Rodriguez-Diaz, Ph.D., Lauren Tracy, M.D., Jacob Pieter Noordzij, M.D., Irving Bigio, Ph.D., Gregory Grillone, M.D., and Gintas Krisciunas, MPH, MA, Ph.D., explores a novel approach to laryngeal cancer screening that utilizes elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS). ESS - a novel technology developed by the Boston University Biomedical Optics Lab - uses light refraction patterns and artificial intelligence to distinguish between human tissue types. The technology is advantageous because it's non-invasive, produces results in real-time, and can be built into devices that are easily operable by non-specialists. For example, ESS lies at the core of DermaSensor devices used by primary care physicians to screen for skin cancer.
You can read the full study at ScienceDirect. To learn more about our lab’s ongoing research in this area, visit here.
The Lab Builds Gingerbread Houses
The OTO-COATI Lab celebrated the 2024 holiday season by building gingerbread houses together. With a mansion, a party house, and a porch in the neighborhood, should these researchers should go into (gingerbread) real estate? Probably depends on when they're hungry.
Happy holidays!
Devin Lucas Receives 2nd Place Award for Best Oral Presentation at the ESSD 2024 Annual Congress
We are proud to announce that Devin Lucas, a research coordinator in the OTO-COATI lab, has received the 2nd Place Award for Best Oral Presentation at the prestigious European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) 14th Annual Congress. The event took place from September 23-27, 2024, and brought together leading researchers and clinicians from around the world to share innovative research in the field of swallowing disorders.
Devin presented her project entitled “Identifying the Association between Post-Extubation Laryngeal Edema and Aspiration in Acute Respiratory Failure Patients,” which was co-authored by Dr. Ryan Peterson, Mitali Sakharkar, Winston Liu, Alix Rubio, Dr. Marc Moss, and Dr. Gintas Krisciunas. This award recognizes the quality and impact of their research, which is poised to meaningfully contribute to the understanding of post-extubation complications in critically ill patients.
Congratulations to Devin and the team for this outstanding achievement!
You can learn more about the OTO-COATI lab's research on acute respiratory failure here.
Grace Chow Presents at the 2024 Fall Voice Conference
Last October, OTO-COATI research coordinator Grace Chow represented the lab at the 2024 Fall Voice Conference. The focus of the Fall Voice Conference is the clinical care of patients with voice-related difficulties and how clinical and basic science research guide clinical care. At the conference, hosted in Charlotte, NC, Grace presented the project, "Comprehensive Review of Multilingual Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for Dysphonia." Grace carried out the project with co-authors Drs. Maxwell Sher, Gintas Krisciunas, and Lauren Tracy. Asked about her experience presenting at the conference, Grace offered the following reflection:
“Attending Fall Voice was a great experience! I had the opportunity to present a poster and share my research with experts and peers in the field of voice. It was great to engage in thoughtful discussions about the challenges of working with multilingual populations in dysphonia assessment, and I received valuable feedback that will help refine my work moving forward. The conference provided an excellent platform for connecting with other researchers and clinicians, exchanging ideas, and staying up to date with the latest advancements in voice science. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such an important conversation and excited to continue exploring ways to improve PROMs for diverse populations.”