People

Kelsey's clinical interests include: modified barium swallow studies; FEES; flexible and rigid endoscopic laryngeal imaging and videostroboscopy; swallowing and voice restoration for people who have had head and neck cancer related surgeries; fitting and management of tracheo-esophageal voice prosthesis; and use of the electrolarynx.

"I am thrilled to join the WashU community and begin my career in otolaryngology! It is an honor to be able to train at a program that balances an incredible clinical and surgical training with limitless research opportunities, all in a collaborative and supportive environment."

Electrical and chemical signaling across membranes, neural temporal code, spike generation, molecular anatomy of synapses, membrane excitability disorders, auditory and vestibular systems, synaptic electrophysiology, sensory hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, ribbon synapses, ion channel organization and function, nano-scale microscopy, Ca2+ and voltage imaging, mutational analysis, computational modeling, cochlear implants, structure-function relationships, synaptic development and heterogeneity, genetics of hearing and deafness, optogenetics, mitochondria, network and synaptic plasticity, efferent neuromodulation of sensory processing, prevention of hearing loss.

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of sound, motion, and spatial orientation. Exposure to excessively loud noise or certain drugs can permanently damage hair cells and their connections to nerve fibers. My lab investigates the cellular mechanisms of noise-induced and chemical hair-cell damage using zebrafish as a model for human hearing and deafness.