Dr. Michelle Ciucci's Laboratory

Nicole Schaen-Heacock

Credentials: M.S., CCC-SLP

Position title: PhD Candidate

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Nicole Schaen-Heacock, MS, CCC-SLP is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017 with a B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and earned her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019; she completed her Clinical Fellowship Year at the William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in 2023. Nicole has a deep passion for working with patients diagnosed with Head and Neck Cancer. Prior research and clinical experience highlighted a dearth of critical knowledge in the underlying pathophysiology of dysphagia in this patient population, as well as optimal intervention methods, which inspired her to conduct further research at the basic science/translational level. Her primary research involves studying the relationship between chemotherapy/radiation and dysphagia in the rat model, as well as intervention methods as related to dysphagia management — with future aims of translating these findings to clinical research and implementation into clinical practice. In her free time, Nicole enjoys hiking, painting, and spending time with her family at the terrace!

Nicole's Publications