The Swallow Treat Retreat

The 2026 focus is bolus-driven swallowing rehabilitation. The goal of this two-day course is to reframe the Speech-Language Pathology swallowing therapy toolbox. Dr. Humbert emphasizes restoring swallowing function over compensation, as well as innovation and practicality in healthcare.

Each attendee is given the opportunity to image, record, and analyze their own swallowing behavior—Swallow Selfies—using MBS and/or FEES during natural swallows, postures and maneuvers, and device-driven treatment options such as expiratory muscle strength training, electrical stimulation, lingual strengthening, and visual biofeedback.

Pre-recorded abnormal swallowing is integrated into the curriculum to provide a complete understanding of the immediate and long-term underlying physiological changes to expect in dysphagia therapy across various patient profiles. The course accepts only 10 attendees and is held at the Swallowing Wellness Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Traditional SLP management of dysphagia was based on symptom management—reducing cough, aspiration, and similar signs. In recent years, the profession has tried to transition away from simply reducing a disability through compensation and toward restoring swallowing function through neuroplasticity, motor learning, rehabilitation, and patient-centered practices.

That transition has proven difficult because SLPs originally established themselves in medical settings as professionals who sacrifice certain patient and professional needs to conform to the healthcare system. This includes assessing and treating swallowing with no imaging to confirm the presence or characteristics of dysphagia. We are now at a crossroads as we try to reconcile what the body needs to recover from dysphagia within healthcare systems that do not prioritize comprehensive dysphagia management.

Ianessa Humbert, Ph.D., SLP is a world-renowned scientist, researcher, educator, and highly sought-after speaker with expertise in swallowing and swallowing disorders. With over 400 speaking invitations from around the world, the most common feedback from attendees continues to be, “This is the first time a course has really forced me to think about what I’m doing.”

Dr. Humbert’s teaching philosophy requires attendees to question everything they think they know before learning can begin. Her innovative training style has been funded by ASHFoundation and extends to non-traditional learning formats. She is the co-creator of the Down the Hatch podcast, CEO and co-founder of STEP, and CEO of Swallowing Wellness, the world’s first outpatient clinic for people with swallowing difficulty.