Cara Stepp, PhD
Professor
Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

PhD, Harvard University
SB/ScB, Smith College



Dr. Stepp is the director of the STEPP LAB for Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering at Boston University. Her research uses engineering tools to rehabilitate disordered sensorimotor function of voice and speech. Her long-term research goal is to extend current and novel therapeutic advances to the speech system, improving current treatment alternatives.

Dr. Stepp specializes in voice and speech disorders, integrating speech science, computer science, and engineering to improve diagnosis and rehabilitation of communication-based challenges. She is a past NSF CAREER Award and PECASE recipient, with multiple active federal grants supporting her research, and is a past Peter Paul Career Development Professor. She has published 2 book chapters and more than 100 articles in science and health journals.

Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery




Comprehensive Assessment of Speech Physiology and Acoustics in Parkinson's Disease Progression
02/02/2023 - 01/31/2028 (PI)
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
1R01DC020867-01

Effects of exogenous testosterone therapy on communication in gender diverse speakers
12/01/2021 - 11/30/2026 (PI)
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
5R01DC020061-02

Advance Research Training in Communication Sciences Disorders
07/01/2021 - 06/30/2026 (Multi-PI)
PI: Cara Stepp, PhD
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
5T32DC013017-07

Objective Measures for Clinical Assessment of Voice Disorders
08/05/2021 - 05/31/2026 (PI)
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
5R01DC015570-07

Articulatory and prosodic sensorimotor adaptation in speaker-listener interactions
04/01/2023 - 03/31/2026 (Key Person / Mentor)
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
1F31DC021080-01

Effect of producing a desired fundamental frequency on measures of vocal hyperfunction in transgender speakers
09/01/2022 - 08/31/2024 (Key Person / Mentor)
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
1F32DC020627-01A1

Validation of an Automated Acoustic Outcome Measure for Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia
08/10/2022 - 08/09/2024 (Key Person / Mentor)
PI: Katherine L. Marks Hartigan, PhD
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
1F32DC020349-01A1

Voice and Speech Sensorimotor Control in Parkinsons Disease
03/16/2018 - 02/28/2024 (Multi-PI)
PI: Cara Stepp, PhD
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
5R01DC016270-05

An RCT of a telemedicine intervention for hypokinetic dysarthria in PD
02/15/2021 - 02/14/2024 (PI)
VA Boston Healthcare System


Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium
01/01/2019 - 12/31/2023 (PI)
NIH/National Institute on Deafness & Communication Disorders
5R13DC017674-05

Showing 10 of 28 results. Show All Results


Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2023 Comprehensive assessment of speech physiology and acoustics in Parkinson's disease progression 1R01DC020867-01
2023 Effects of exogenous testosterone therapy on communication in gender diverse speakers 5R01DC020061-02
2023 Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium 5R13DC017674-05
2023 Sensorimotor mechanisms of vocal hyperfunction 2P50DC015446-06A1-6213
2022 Effects of exogenous testosterone therapy on communication in gender diverse speakers 1R01DC020061-01
2022 Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium 5R13DC017674-04
2022 Voice and Speech Sensorimotor Control in Parkinsons Disease 5R01DC016270-05
2022 Objective Measures for Clinical Assessment of Voice Disorders 5R01DC015570-07
2022 Advanced Research Training in Communication Sciences and Disorders 5T32DC013017-07
2021 Boston Speech Motor Control Symposium 5R13DC017674-03
Showing 10 of 26 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Aaron AS, Abur D, Volk KP, Noordzij JP, Tracy LF, Stepp CE. The Relationship Between Pitch Discrimination and Fundamental Frequency Variation: Effects of Singing Status and Vocal Hyperfunction. J Voice. 2023 Feb 06.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36754684
     
  2. Marks KL, Díaz Cádiz ME, Toles LE, Buckley DP, Tracy LF, Noordzji JP, Grillone GA, Stepp CE. Automated Creak Differentiates Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia and Muscle Tension Dysphonia. Laryngoscope. 2023 Jan 30.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36715109
     
  3. Dahl KL, Stepp CE. Effects of Cognitive Stress on Voice Acoustics in Individuals With Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2023 Jan 11; 32(1):264-274. PMID: 36516470; PMCID: PMC10023146; DOI: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00204;
     
  4. Frankford SA, Marks KL, Feaster TF, Doyle PC, Stepp CE. Symptom Expression Across Voiced Speech Sounds in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia. J Voice. 2022 Nov 21.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36424240; DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.10.002;
     
  5. Serry MA, Stepp CE, Peterson SD. Exploring the mechanics of fundamental frequency variation during phonation onset. Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2023 Feb; 22(1):339-356. PMID: 36370231
     
  6. Groll MD, Peterson SD, Zañartu M, Vojtech JM, Stepp CE. Empirical Evaluation of the Role of Vocal Fold Collision on Relative Fundamental Frequency in Voicing Offset. J Voice. 2022 Nov 03. PMID: 36336485
     
  7. Marks KL, Feaster TF, Baker S, Díaz-Cádiz ME, Doyle PC, Stepp CE. Spectral Aggregate of the High-Passed Fundamental Frequency and Its Relationship to the Primary Acoustic Features of Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022 Nov 17; 65(11):4085-4095.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36198059; PMCID: PMC9940896; DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00157;
     
  8. Castro C, Prado P, Espinoza VM, Testart A, Marfull D, Manriquez R, Stepp CE, Mehta DD, Hillman RE, Zañartu M. Lombard Effect in Individuals With Nonphonotraumatic Vocal Hyperfunction: Impact on Acoustic, Aerodynamic, and Vocal Fold Vibratory Parameters. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022 Aug 17; 65(8):2881-2895. PMID: 35930680; PMCID: PMC9913286; DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00508;
     
  9. Groll MD, Dahl KL, Cádiz MD, Welch B, Tracy LF, Stepp CE. Resynthesis of Transmasculine Voices to Assess Gender Perception as a Function of Testosterone Therapy. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022 Jul 18; 65(7):2474-2489.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35749662; PMCID: PMC9584127; DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00482;
     
  10. Weerathunge HR, Alzamendi GA, Cler GJ, Guenther FH, Stepp CE, Zañartu M. LaDIVA: A neurocomputational model providing laryngeal motor control for speech acquisition and production. PLoS Comput Biol. 2022 06; 18(6):e1010159.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35737706; PMCID: PMC9258861; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010159;
     
Showing 10 of 132 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 132 publications over 18 distinct years, with a maximum of 17 publications in 2020 and 2021

YearPublications
20051
20071
20081
20092
20107
20118
20126
20139
201411
20155
20166
20179
20185
201913
202017
202117
202212
20232

2015-2020 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award
2014-2017 Boston University: Junior Faculty Fellow, Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering
2013-2013 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Research Mentoring-Pair Travel Award
2013-2013 Boston University: Clinical and Translational Science Institute K-L2 Fellowship
2012-2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Award for Early Career Contributions in Research
2012-2015 Boston University: Peter Paul Career Development Professorship
2011-2011 NSF Neural Engineering Travel Award
2009-2009 American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR) Presidential Award
Contact for Mentoring:

635 Commonwealth Ave
Boston MA 02215
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