On this episode of the Swall Your Pride
podcast, we have two wonderful guests. We have
Ross Dunbar. He is CEO and cofounder of
Progea Medical, and he's here with a new
product to help patients with swallowing disorders.
Ross is a global multidiscipline
leader for over thirty years with experience in
the medical device, biopharmaceutical,
and stem cell and various industrial segments,
including COO and vice president of operation roles
with several startups as well as various managerial
positions at Boston Scientific,
Guidance, Advanced Technology
Materials,
Arctic Cat, Textron, Honeywell Electronic Materials, and additional
fractional roles at startups and Anderson Consulting.
Ross is also a business adviser for several
early stage startups and has m and a
experience. Ross earned a bachelor's degree in management
from Luther College, a mini MBA in industrial
engineering at Saint Thomas University,
and an executive supply chain management certification from
the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Ross has been certified in Lean six Sigma,
GMP ISO, and project management methodology.
And Ross is joined by George Barnes, who
we all know and love, and George has
taken on the role of chief dysphagia officer
for Progym Medical. George is a board certified
specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders.
He brings dysphagia knowledge to those who need
it, helping to change lives. George is passionate
about making education useful and providing accessible quality
care.
With a deep appreciation for the joy and
connection that food brings to our lives, he
has dedicated his life to helping others experience
this simple yet deeply rooted pleasure.
Welcome to the Swall Your Pride podcast. I'm
your host, Teresa Richard. I'm a board certified
specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders,
a mobile thieves business owner, and founder of
the MedSLP Collective.
This podcast is all about delivering the latest
evidence based practice to medical SLPs everywhere.
Whether you're a new clinician seeking tangible tools
for treatment or a seasoned vet stuck in
a rut, my goal is to help ditch
the old school ways of the past that
no longer serve you or your patients, to
reinvigorate your passion for our field, to broaden
your knowledge about our scope of practice, and
to inspire you to practice at the top
of your license. So if you're listening, I
encourage you to swallow your pride, be open
and willing to learn because let's face it,
your patients deserve that kind of care. With
that, let's dive right in.
Just a quick disclaimer that all statements and
opinions expressed in this episode do not reflect
on the organizations
associated with the speakers and are their own
opinions solely. Alright. Thank you so so much
for joining me. I'm I'm really, really excited
about this episode.
I've met Ross recently in the last few
months. George brought him into
our dysphasia world, and and you all know
George. He's wonderful, wonderful. He's been on the
show a few times before. And so I'm
really excited to have this conversation today. A
lot of good stuff happening, and I love
when
people interesting people from other fields or just
have a a knack for technology
bring this stuff into our field. And I
I wish more people would do this, and
and perhaps this is a a call for
more people to do it. But, anyways, excited
for this conversation. So let's let's dive into
it. So, George, I'll let you everybody knows
who George is, but I'll let you introduce
yourself a little bit, and then I'll have
you introduce Ross.
Sure. Sure. So,
so George Barnes,
speech pathologist, board certified swallowing specialist.
I've been in the field for about thirteen
years now.
I worked in pretty much every clinical setting
with adults, that you can imagine.
And,
quite recently, have had the pleasure of being
introduced to Ross because my focus has been
sort of on the education side
of things, which,
I'm really excited about. And so I've been
doing a lot of, you know, research, writing
articles, continuing education.
And,
Ross,
needed someone to basically filter out some of
that complex
information
that comes in through different,
device related
companies and and the the data that comes
out of those companies and, and the research
in order to kinda filter it and communicate
it to SLPs.
So so I'll let Ross kinda talk a
little bit about, himself. Thanks, George. Thanks, Theresa,
too, for having us on. We're excited to
be here and and, appreciate all the work
that you're you're doing. And as I've gotten
more involved in this space and understanding dysphagia
and and the technology and the research and
the clinicians,
you know, what what you're doing is is
critical to
to the the ecosystem. So thanks thanks for
having us. Yeah. Just a little bit on
my background. I I've been in the med
tech and biopharma,
stem and gene therapy space for
coming up on on, thirty five years.
So I've I've been in large and small
companies
across,
across the nation.
This this technology in particular,
really centered around my my background in electronics
and and sensors. And so
coupling that with with MedTech and the interest
in the Desphasia space, it it, all all
made sense. So share a little bit about
about your company, about your product. Yeah. So
so Purdue Medical
is a systems designer and producer of devices
for people with dysphagia.
And, our core product that's in the market
today is called the Swallow Therapy System. Swallow
Therapy System is a lingual strengthening
device
that is using four sensors and a secure
byte locator
to establish a pressure reading in in kilopascals.
That,
kilopascals or that that maximum
pressure
reading
establishes a baseline
and allows the clinician,
to create a a therapy protocol
that is focused on both pressure and and
endurance,
has biofeedback
and a tracking mechanism that looks at,
the the performance and
and historical
perspective and and charts,
the improvement or the need for alteration in
the therapy cycle. So
that's our core product.
Later on this year at at ASHA, we
we plan to introduce a couple of new
products. One called the,
STS modular,
and the other is called the Insta.
So the STS or the swallow therapy system
modular
is a device
that is,
obviously focused on lingual strengthening,
but it uses the core
aspects of the STS,
system, which is the tablet and the handle.
And that tablet and handling can be used
across multiple patients, but we can switch out
the mouthpiece.
So it addresses,
efficiency
and cost
related issues as as a product offering. And
then the the Insta product
is,
an additional
system that is
a single sensor,
with multiple byte locators
that is used in earlier parts of the
the intervention planning cycle. So it it establishes
a measurement in kilopascals
again with that sensor
that is able to measure the anterior and
posterior part of of of your tongue. So
all all this technology, I I should mention,
is is based off of a core technology,
that doctor Joanne Robbins invented at the University
of Wisconsin Madison.
And so our research and our continuation and
development of our product and our solutions is
is all based on on that. Doctor Robbins
is also continuing on with us as an
adviser and and a mentor, and so we're
excited to keep evolving her system and and
the ecosystem and and really look forward to
getting to our core values, which is is
listening to to speech language pathologists
and trying to make sure that we're merging
technologies
with the the the industry and the ecosystem.
These devices also are all FDA class one,
and they are,
all built in The United States. So, Ross,
let let me ask you. How did you
stumble upon this field? How did you decide
swallowing tongue strengthening exercises were were your jam?
Yeah. Great great question.
Yeah. So I was introduced to the technology
about three years ago by a friend and
a colleague,
Mike Mike Brissot here in Minneapolis, Minnesota area.
Mike was,
engaged with the previous ownership,
of the product,
and, they were developing and evolving the system,
and and they were needing some help.
So Mike reached out,
and I've I've known Mike for many years.
He didn't really know any of my family,
issues or,
some of the challenges we'd had. And so
he introduced that, hey. There's this this stage
of advice,
that that needs some help. Would you be
interested in in, help pull it along?
And so as I learned that it was
about dystagia,
it pulled me in both technically,
and my and because of my background,
you know, at at larger cardiac rhythm management,
groups like like Boston Scientific and and others,
it it kinda pulled me in technically.
But I think what's more important is it
also pulled me in because of some of
the family challenges,
that we've had around swallowing and and,
some some dysphagia related issues. So I've had,
family with ALS and Parkinson's and and GERD.
And so, between the technology
and the family,
aspects, it it really made a lot of
sense for me to get more involved. Then
once I started to get more involved actually,
before we we acquired the technology about three
years ago,
I went out to DRS,
in in San Francisco and tried to understand,
you know, the the the working group, the
research,
before I I jumped in,
to acquire the technology.
And so, it was great to engage there.
I I had been working with doctor Robbins
and talking to her and a number of
other folks from from her lab or or
the ecosystem. And so it was it was
nice to understand
the the people
and and the ecosystem. And and that was,
frankly, another key aspect that really excited me
because of the desire to pull in technology,
the the need, and, quite frankly, the the
working relationships that had already started to develop.
I love that. I love that. That's you
know, I I think most of us, if
I it's pretty broad statement,
stumbled upon this field just because of, you
know, family and and things like that. You
know, it's I don't know of many people
that have gotten into this field
just because they found it fascinating. You know,
most people, unfortunately, have had a situation or
a scenario that it was turned into, oh,
gosh. You know, I I have experienced that
or I have someone in my family to
experience that. And it just shows how much
more awareness we need to get out into
the world about what we do and and
the problem that it really is. So It's
exciting because, you know, pulling in my background
in in in the med tech space in
particular
and then, you know, working with my business
partner, Gary Gary Graham. We Gary and I
met twenty five,
years ago
at Boston Scientific,
and, you know, we've just continued our relationship
and with what he was bringing to the
table and what I was interested in in
terms of, an operating
model and and a company.
It just all made made a lot of
sense to us.
Awesome. Awesome. Love that. Alright. So where where
do we wanna go from here? I can
get into how, you know, my role with
the company and kinda how I started, if
that works for you, Ross. Yeah. So so
I mentioned, you know, big focus of mine
has been continuing education.
My my mission is to take complex topics,
complex research,
break them down, filter them out,
and get those valuable tidbits that SLPs can
use to make,
their lives better and and the lives of
the people,
who they serve better,
which which is not very different from your
goals, Teresa.
And I think that's why we've gotten along
so well over the years.
And so I was I was actually at
a conference,
recently, the New York City Dysphasia Symposium,
which was absolutely fantastic, by the way, if
anyone is interested in going next year. It
was my first time going,
and it was it was spectacular.
And, and doctor Georgia Melendrachi
gave this great talk, actually, two great talks,
where
she talked about all the amazing technology
that is innovating our field and all of
these fantastic
tools that are,
are and and will be at our disposal
because really a lot of it is is
continuously
coming out and and Perjia is playing a
big part in that.
And and she emphasized
the most important
tool
first. It's a tool that we always have
on us. Our own clinical expertise.
Right? Our own our own knowledge.
There is there is nothing that can come
if we don't have our clinical expertise or
education, our knowledge down pat first.
Without that technology is, you know, it's it's
just a piece of dull equipment. Right? It's
it's just a brick. We we can't do
anything with it.
And so that really resonated with me
and, and and it resonated with my goal,
which is,
to educate SLPs
on not only what what our tools can
do with Progya,
but why they're important, why they should be
used, and really how much of a difference
they can make in the lives of of
the people who we serve. So so I
joined the company about a year ago, and
more recently, Ross asked me to be
his chief dysphagia officer. And, yes, that is
my official title with the company, which puts
me as, I believe, the one and only
person to hold such a title that I
know of at least.
And and so we can thank Ross for
his creativity with that title,
but but I think the title choice is
interesting. And and, honestly,
I've never actually talked to Ross about this,
but I think he's using that title chief
dysphasia officer is is a true testament to
his respect
of SLPs
in general and and what we do,
because,
you know, he wanted an SLP to be
in his, quote, unquote, C suite. Right? Right
up there with the CEO,
helping to guide the trajectory of the company.
And and the decision itself, I think, speaks
volumes on,
what Ross believes in, what what he stands
for, and what the company values,
and and what we're trying to accomplish for
the SLP community. So getting back to education,
Ross needed
someone to help educate SLPs and customers on
the value
of these technologies that he's creating. And and
since education is something that I've been focusing
on for many years,
I've I've felt at home with this role,
and and we actually have plans to start
a continuing education branch
of ProGea
and begin offering,
courses.
So so so stay tuned on that as
well. And so so I'll I'll talk a
little bit more about Progea and then, Ross
or Teresa, please interject if if I'm going
on and on here and if you guys
wanna wanna chime in. But If I could,
George, this is, you know, for for for
me, and I think
this is important for for the the audience
to understand. You know? I come to the
table with technology
understandings and and the med tech space understanding
it along along with Gary and our team,
our internal team. So we've got a fantastic
team that that understands how to commercialize
product and and manage the the rigorous quality
standards and,
assure we're we're testing and validating product to
the proper levels. What we don't have,
initially, anyway,
on our internal team is we didn't have
speech language pathologists. We were getting all of
our knowledge from from research,
from engaging with hundreds of different speech language
pathologists over the last year or so, bringing
into the fold somebody like like George,
to help navigate that and and make sure
that we're on a proper path,
was really critical to who we are and
who we want to be because we're all
about listening to to customers
and and the opinion leaders and researchers to
make sure we're bringing products that are meeting
those unmet needs. And so, you know, to
to George's point, that that was a key
key reason why we wanted to have that
in our c suite, if you will. Yeah.
And, and it and it really is a
testament to to what the company values and
what we're what we're trying to accomplish.
There there are a few things that I
think set Pergia apart,
and a few reasons why SLPs should remember
the company
in the coming years.
And and Ross Ross won't tell you this,
so I have to. Number one is that
Ross as the CEO
works tirelessly,
literally around the clock to connect with SLPs,
which which he he was just talking about
a bit.
For example, just this morning, I had a
call with him at 5AM
his time, and I'll get emails from him
at, like, two in the morning. I'll
be like, does this man sleep?
And the answer is no. No. He he
does not sleep.
Well, maybe he does a little bit, but
but not much.
And that that's because he cares deeply about
what we're trying to achieve at Progya.
I actually I call him an honorary SLP
because there are few people,
SLPs included,
who care
so much about what the SLP does
and what the SLP
needs to do in order
to to to do their job successfully.
Simply put, he he puts his ear to
the ground. He pushes grassroots efforts
to really understand what's needed in our field.
You know, Ross has this incredible curiosity for
what SLPs do and what our pain points
are and how to address those pain points
with, with technology.
And so in that sense,
Progya's purpose of selling technological devices to SLPs
and patients is not this one way street.
It's it's more like a two way channel,
that creates the cycle where we obtain information
from SLPs on the front lines, in the
clinic, You know, SLPs with feet on the
ground, and we use that information to improve
the device
and then go back to the SLP to
see what else is needed
and, and so on and so forth. It's
kind of around and around we go. Even
before I was with the company, Ross has
talked to a lot of people
for years. And I joke now that he's
better connected
in the SLP world than I am, and,
and I think that's true. And every now
and then, he'll he'll name drop without knowing
he's name dropping.
He'll say, oh, I was talking to this
guy, Jim, the other day. I don't know
if you know him. His his last name
is Coyle. I'll be like, oh, yeah. No.
I know. Doctor James Coyle. Yeah. I've heard
of him.
But but it is it's that kind of
dedication to understanding what's needed,
that has put together a slew of devices
that that we should all be really excited
about.
And, and I can talk about some of
that technology now unless, Teresa, you have a
question or, for us, you want me to
interject.
Yeah. No. I I I love that, Ross,
and and thank you. I I guess, for
lack lack of
a better term, I mean, thank you for
wanting to learn so much about our field.
I I know there's
so many of us that care so deeply
about what we do, and and we know
the impact of
the on
patients
and their families. And it's nice to bring
people from
other fields into our world or, you know,
you you've always been in in med tech,
but to to really immerse yourself into our
field is so respectable. And I love to
hear that you're reaching out to so many
different,
you know, researchers and and clinicians. And and
this is, you know, how we grow the
field. This is how we improve awareness of
what we do, and and this is how
we as SLPs get more respect. So thank
you for I'm sure you had no idea
that that was on your agenda at at
being a CEO of this company, but but
thank you from all of us. Yeah. Well,
I you know, and I wanna encourage that.
You know?
We we can't further the the the field
and the effort and, you know, helping those
people that are dealing with this condition. So
it's it's important to keep the conversation going.
And
I just wanna give a kind of a
small example. So, you know, we we launched
the product based off of doctor Robin's original
Swallow Strong device and the research there that
had been done. But about a year into
the development of the product and, you know,
engaging with all these SLPs,
some of them came and said, hey. You
know, we don't have anything, in
acute
kind of early stage
cycle after they've been diagnosed. And today, we
use our our finger and tongue depressor to
establish that initial
baseline measurement of a of a tongue, which
isn't very objective. Right? So so they're like,
if you got any ideas on how to,
you know, address that particular
shortcoming or unmet need. And so that's where
the Insta actually was born from. And so,
you know, it's those kinds of really important
discussions and dialogues that need to continue.
And we wanna help support that and and
create this suite and toolbox of products because,
you know, in in a perfect world, you
know, you'd have one device that deals with
everything, but we recognize that that's not the
case. And so it's important for us to
continue to listen and evolve and and try
to,
develop a road map that allows allows more.
And we'll talk a little bit more about
that, but, you know, we we have a
vision,
but it's it's ever evolving and and continuously,
changing. So Awesome. Yeah. Let let's dive into
I'd love to learn more about the product
itself, dive into the technology. I'm sure, you
know, George, you can probably speak to answers
that the clinicians might have about, you know,
what does it look like in terms of
obtaining one of these devices, or is there
disposables or cost? And and I'm gonna throw
a million things at you. So I'll let
you choose your own adventure here. So so
I'll I'll talk about the the devices themselves,
to begin with. So one of the main
reasons I decided to join Purge is that,
you know, our field desperately
needs new innovative technologies,
that are practical and useful.
I think that's important. Practicality
and usefulness.
And I think we can all agree that
we're we're lacking
options in that domain right now. It's getting
better, but, but we but we can do
a lot better. We we don't just need
technology for the sake of it. Right? We
need to improve outcomes.
So it has to be research based, and
it has to be practical and easy to
use.
And that's where, number one, the swallow therapy
system comes in. So its acronym is STS.
STS is it's a super cool device from
a clinical perspective.
It has huge advantages
that haven't,
really been incorporated into a lingual strengthening tool
before.
And,
and for one, it it doesn't use bulk
technology. It has a flat sensor
so that it's not moving around in the
mouth,
to create more of an accurate measurement.
And, to keep things even more secure, it
has this bite locator.
So picture yourself actually biting into something as
you're as you're moving your tongue so you
have leverage and proper positioning to work on
those lingual strengthening tasks.
And,
and it it's a biofeedback device as well,
and and the biofeedback on it is beautiful.
It it develops charts and graphs for you
in in real time using a device,
so,
or a tablet, I should say.
And so you can see how the patient
is doing objectively and with quantifiable
data that you can track and trend over
time.
Oh, and it it does the math for
you too, so you don't have to keep
a calculator or a piece of paper nearby
to do that math,
and anything that empowers us to not do
math is is a plus in my book.
And and I should mention, of course,
STS
and and really all devices in general,
like all technology, it it's not a panacea.
We're not gonna claim that it's for everyone
or that it fixes everything, but
it is a really great tool to add
to the toolbox,
and, it it can be extremely effective for
for the right patients.
So so another device
that, I'm I'm really excited about actually is
is the it's called the Insta. So Ross
mentioned that a couple of times and and,
yeah, I'm I'm still working clinically. I work
in acute care, and I could immediately see
the value of this as soon as Ross
told me about it.
So it has a similar mouthpiece to the
STS,
with that bite locator that we're talking about
that you can bite down on,
to help leverage and and position the tongue.
And,
this one has one single sensor, whereas the
STS has four sensors. So those four sensors
can be used to,
exercise the anterior, posterior, and and lateral
sides of, the lingual surface and the tongue
itself. So,
the Insta
has only one single sensor, and and that's
used for primarily for measurements,
of the anterior and posterior tongue.
And now, you know, before I go on,
think about how this might be useful, the
Insta.
If you're working
clinically, especially in acute care,
let me put it this way.
How are we doing our oral motor exams,
for example?
How are we assessing lingual function at the
bedside? And if you're like me,
you're probably using your finger on the outside
of the cheek, you know, a gloved finger
or,
using a tongue depressor.
And and I I'm I'm doing that too,
and and that's that's really the only thing
to do.
But it's not exactly
an objective approach. Right? It's it's not very
scientific.
The Insta changes all that. It's it's a
device that can give you an objective measurement
of lingual function in kilopascals
immediately.
And it's it provides you with hard cold
data right at bedside.
It's low cost and it's disposable.
And we can use that data in all
sorts of ways. We can use it to
assess risk, to monitor progress over time, to
support us in our clinical decision making,
to justify
a recommendation for an instrumental swallowing evaluation
or to justify any recommendation period.
It's it's exactly what this setting needs to
make more informed judgments with objective
quantifiable
information,
which we are,
you know, right
now, be to be honest, we're we're lacking
that right now. So the most exciting part
is that it's brand new.
So
if you're gonna be at ASHA in I'm
not exactly sure whether this is gonna air,
but I know it'll be before ASHA. So
if you're gonna be at ASHA,
and you're interested in learning more about the
STS or the Insta or Pro g in
general,
come to Booth 3327,
so we can show you what we have
and we can chat. I love it. I
and I think yeah. Thanks, George. You you
nailed pretty much most of my points.
You know, I think that's really where we
are in a as not just as a
field, but in in med tech as a
whole, you know, and so many patients are
really desiring
these tools and technologies because they wanna see
for themselves the results that they're getting. And
I think that's been a really hard part
of where we are in dysphagia is, you
know, the the proof is in the pudding
for lack of a better term. You know,
if they can eat, it's successful. Right? But
they also it's nice to see some progress
along the way. It's nice to have a
quantifiable way to say,
yes. It may not feel like you're making
tons of progress, but we promise you are
making these small, you know, incremental steps. And
and and that's, you know, we we all
know the, you know, the principles of George
helped me out. Exercise science? Yes. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We we,
you know, we all know those. And so
so this is great. So, George, can you
talk a little bit about is it,
is it disposables? Is it do you purchase
the device and then purchase tone bulbs? Or
what what does this look like in terms
of what SLPs need to do? So the,
yeah, the Insta is disposable.
Okay.
You know, Ross compares it to, like, a
thermometer.
So,
it can be used for for one patient
or single use. And the STS is is
a a device that would stay with the
patients and would be used over and over
throughout the the therapy cycle.
But there are, Ross had mentioned briefly kind
of a number
of approaches
to,
you know, the the cost of the device
depending on what's needed for each individual clinic.
So, Ross, if you wanna expand on that.
Sure. Also, to to further about the the
Insta, the the sensor part of the,
system is is disposable. The the handle is
rechargeable
and
lightweight and can be, you know, carried around,
the clinician when they're when they're moving from
from floor to floor. So it's meant to
support that, you know, high paced, really, really
kind of intense schedule,
and and give them a tool to be
to be efficient, give give them an objective
measurement tool. So, so the sensor itself is
what's disposable. In
that's our most comprehensive
system, and so some some
clinics and,
hospital systems,
they they want it to be comprehensive.
You know? It's it's
secure. It's not connecting to the,
Internet, so has a lot of advantages
and can be taken home as as as
George mentioned.
So the the other piece of that, though,
is is be because, you know, we we
recognize that costs are important. We we've actually
got a couple of studies in in in
motion,
and we're gonna do further studies to, pursue
having this covered,
by by insurance. But right now, it's not.
So,
we've come out with this modular system that
helps address some of that cost related concern.
And so you're gonna have the same core
pieces of the STS system, though, so the
tablet and the handle.
But then you're gonna have a mouthpiece that
can be
switched out. That mouthpiece is all that is
required to be purchased,
independently
at the at the patient level. There's there's
ways to manage it, and we we've tried
to come up with a way that is
flexible
and can be managed by the the clinic.
Can you talk a little bit about price
or cost, or is it covered by insurance
or Medicare or any of that stuff for
us? So today, yeah, it it is not
covered at a,
level of of insurance. So it's not not
doesn't have a HITPIC code. So,
it would have to fall under either,
a return on investment by by the clinic
and the the hospital system, or the the
patient would have to bear some of that
that cost. And so the way we we
structured it was to be high technology,
very cost competitive compared to some of the
other technologies that are out there.
And the reason I'm not giving a outright
price is it,
it it it depends on volumes and those
kinds of things, but it's competitively priced. They'll
put it that way,
especially when you get into the disposable portions
of the of the system. Our our objective
is to
pursue these studies, work with with clinicians to
establish those,
protocols and and research parameters to, pursue and
and obtain that HCPCS code. So Thank you
for your honesty and your transparency.
You know, cost obviously is important. Right? So
it's one thing to develop technologies that cost,
you know, a lot of money, but who
who can buy them, right, and who can
use them. So we have to get practical.
And our road map is focused,
on on not only the technology and the
needs, but also the the cost. And just
give you one example. So we're,
working with,
just to kinda move forward into the the
future products, if you will,
and and what what our vision is. So,
obviously, we've been working and engaging with with
a a broad based group of of speech
language pathologists. We we have then our advisory
team, obviously, doctor doctor Robbins, but other people
from the the industry like doctor Melendrache,
doctor Nicole Ullia, doctor Mark Nicosia,
not number of others,
coincidentally out of Johan's lab,
that are part of our advisory team. And
so one of the core technologies that we're,
beginning to help commercialize
and bring into our portfolio is,
doctor Mallendrocchi's
product.
That's, an SEMG system
that is a a system that will be
integrated with ours at at
at some point in the future. So
those are the kinds of things through the
that that we're trying to pursue and engage.
But what is important there is is cost
is a continuing part of our conversation.
And so trying to come up with these
solutions that are are good, they do the
job, They're they're high quality, but yet they're
cost cost efficient.
Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much. This
has been an awesome conversation. Like I said,
Ross, thank you so much for coming into
our into our Dysphagia world, and I thank
you for being here. So for those of
you that are interested,
they we have the Met SLP collective live
event is coming up on November 19. It
is the day before ASHA in Washington, DC,
and they are gonna be there demonstrating their
product at our skills fair. What we do
at our skills fair is different from just
normal vendor booths. We you know, SLPs can
play with the equipment and really practice things
on each other and and really just get
some time, a few, you know, hours to
actually
play with this technology and get their hands
on these tools and ask questions. And so
we're really excited to have,
George will be there on behalf of Prigia.
So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for
that. And then, like George also mentioned, they
will be at the ASHA convention as well.
So they will have a booth there if
you wanna catch up with them and ask
any questions. And, you know, George is always
approachable, and it sounds like Ross is immersing
himself in our field, you know, much more
than any of us knew he would. So
so thank you again, Ross and George, and
and this has been an awesome conversation. I
I appreciate you guys so so much. Thank
you, Teresa. We we appreciate you bringing us
on and having a chance to talk about
some of these things.
And, yeah, I'm looking forward to to seeing
everyone at the live event and at ASHA.
And and just a reminder, we're we're gonna
be at Booth 3327
if you wanna swing by and say hi.
And we we we welcome the the conversations
and helping drive the the technology
needs and making sure we're addressing those unmet
needs as we move forward. So, we welcome
the conversation. So thanks again, Theresa, for having
us on.
And that's a wrap for this episode.
As always, thank you so much for listening.
And if you'd like to download the show
notes from this episode, please visit swallowyourpridepodcast.com.
There, you can also sign up for our
email list so that you'll never miss another
episode.
If you do like what you hear, then
please subscribe and leave a review on iTunes
or share it on social media with your
friends and colleagues because that is what keeps
these episodes coming.
If you'd like to be a guest, share
feedback, or request a topic to be discussed
on the show, please email podcast@TeresaRichard.com.
Thank you so much for listening, and we'll
catch you next week.