Our Story
STEP is an all-in-one online learning solution for swallowing and swallowing disorders.
Swallowing Training and Education Portal (STEP) was created with the mission to make evidence-based swallowing training and education affordable and accessible to all. Since 2018, we have supported hundreds of instructors, empowered thousands of students and clinicians to advance their knowledge and skills in dysphagia management, and helped them all ultimately improve the lives of countless individuals living with dysphagia around the world.
STEP was born out of frustration and has been meticulously molded by experience.
In 2017, swallowing scientist Dr. Ianessa Humbert and speech-language pathologist Rinki Varindani Desai met and shared common experiences and frustrations about the lack of resources to support swallowing training and education needs among SLP students and clinicians. For decades, swallowing education was solely being provided in classrooms via textbooks in a limited amount of time. With an ever-increasing number of students and clinicians feeling under-prepared and under-competent in the area of dysphagia management, while being expected to serve as “swallowing experts” at their workplace – they recognized we need to do better. The stakes are higher when our swallowing expertise directly dictates an individual’s ability to eat and drink and impacts their quality of life. This led to the creation of what was first Dysphagia Grand Rounds and then grew into what STEP is today.
STEP was created to meet students’ and clinicians’ ongoing swallowing training and education needs - allowing them to learn any time, any place, at their own pace.
It's almost impossible for even the best instructors to cover everything related to swallowing in one or two semesters. Swallowing training and education needs to be more detailed, dynamic, engaging, evidence-based, accessible, and learner-focused. It should include adequate exposure to normal swallow function, and include real-world visuals, research, clinical experience, and critical thinking. This is where STEP comes in - to meet your swallowing training and education needs - all in one place!
We aim to make high-quality, low-cost, evidence-based swallowing training and education accessible to all.
Our vision is to live in a world where no SLP feels like they do not have access to adequate swallowing training and education, before treating a patient. STEP offers unlimited access to 75+ hours of low-cost, high-quality, engaging coursework created by experts - to support clinicians, students, and instructors around the world. Learn at your own pace, build your dysphagia knowledge base and advance your skills at any stage with our courses - from basics to clinics. We love to teach, learn, collaborate, and create. We value integrity, authenticity, passion, and a commitment to learning. We want to foster critical thinking, competence, and confidence in dysphagia management globally.
Come join our growing community and let us help you along your journey - one STEP at a time.
Founders
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CEO | Ianessa Humbert, Ph.D.
Dr. Ianessa Humbert is a world-renowned scientist, researcher, educator, and highly sought-after speaker with expertise in swallowing and swallowing disorders. With over 300 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. Dr. Humbert’s innovative training style has been funded by ASHFoundation and extends to non-traditional learning formats. She is the co-creator of the popular Down the Hatch podcast, CEO and co-founder of STEP and the CEO of Swallowing Wellness Center. Dr. Humbert also does important work to help promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of speech-language pathology and beyond.
Dr. Humbert has been on faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Florida, and the University of Iowa. She has demonstrated her gift for creating images that depict the dynamism of swallowing via her Swallowing Pocket Guide and Swallowing Neuro Anatomy and Physiology Shorts (SNAPS) tutorials on STEP.
The content from Dr. Humbert’s courses are supported by scientific evidence from her laboratory, from the larger body of research literature, and of course, common sense! Her education is driven by evidence and the patients we treat. Learn more at www.ianessahumbert.com. -
COO | Rinki Varindani Desai, M.S., SLP, BCS-S
Rinki Varindani Desai is a medical speech-language pathologist, board certified specialist in swallowing disorders, certified brain injury specialist and dementia practitioner; specializing in the assessment and treatment of swallowing disorders in adults across since over a decade.
In addition to being the co-founder and COO of STEP, Rinki is also the founder of the Medical SLP Forum and co-creator of the Dysphagia Therapy mobile app. She has served as Associate Coordinator of ASHA’s SIG 13 Committee and Co-Chair of the Dysphagia Research Society's COVID-19 Task Force. She is currently on ASHA's Scientific and Professional Education Board and a committee member of ASHA's South Asian Caucus. Rinki was one among thirty clinicians in the US selected for ASHA’s Leadership Development Program and Faculty Development Institute and has won multiple ASHA awards for her leadership, advocacy, and commitment to continuing education. She was awarded ASHA's Media Outreach Champion award in 2022 and 2023 for promoting the role of SLPs in dysphagia management. She has written about and presented on topics related to dysphagia management at conferences around the world.
Originally an SLP from Mumbai, India, Rinki is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital's Institute of Health Professions. She enjoys reading, writing, teaching, traveling with her husband around the world, and doing what she can to help advance the profession by paying it forward. Reach out to Rinki on Facebook or Instagram.
Executive Assistants
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Madeline Williams, MS., CCC-SLP, CBIS, CDP
Madeline Williams is an executive assistant for STEP. She is an ASHA-certified medical speech-language pathologist, certified brain injury specialist, and certified dementia practitioner. She has worked in the inpatient hospital, skilled nursing, and outpatient hospital settings.
Madeline is passionate about working with patients with dysphagia and cognitive- communication disorders. She first subscribed to STEP in May 2019 at the start of her clinical fellowship year in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital. She has used STEP education across all clinical settings she has been in and most recently in learning how to perform and interpret modified barium swallow studies independently in her outpatient hospital position. She loves sharing resources for medical speech-language pathologists and graduate students on her Instagram, @madelinewilliams.slp. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her fur babies. -
Abby Toppe
Abby Toppe is an executive assistant for STEP. She graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs, majoring in Non-Profit Management.
Prior to working with STEP, Abby worked at United Way of Central Indiana, managing a youth literacy program and then at the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) supporting their online learning center. These combined experiences have helped her become an adaptable, collaborative and detail-oriented professional, with an interest in creative learning opportunities. Abby enjoys being active and travelling with her husband and their 8-month-old son.
Meet the Founders
Ianessa Humbert, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Ianessa Humbert is a world-renowned scientist, educator, and highly sought-after speaker with expertise in swallowing and swallowing disorders. With over 100 speaking invitations 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. Dr. Humbert’s innovative training style has been funded by ASHFoundation and extends to non-traditional learning formats. She is the co-creator of the popular Down the Hatch podcast and has co-founded STEP. She has also co-founded interVESTED to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of speech-language pathology and beyond.
Dr. Humbert has demonstrated her gift for creating images that depict the dynamism of swallowing via her Swallowing Pocket Guide and SNAPS on STEP. Dr. Humbert has been on faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Florida, and the University of Iowa.
The content from Dr. Humbert’s courses are supported by scientific evidence from her laboratory, from the larger body of research literature, and of course, common sense! Learn more at www.ianessahumbert.com.
Rinki Varindani Desai, M.S., CCC-SLP
Rinki Varindani Desai is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, certified brain injury specialist and certified dementia practitioner; specializing in the assessment and treatment of cognitive-linguistic and swallowing disorders in adults for over a decade. In addition to being the co-founder of STEP, Rinki is also the founder of the Medical SLP Forum and co-creator of the Dysphagia Therapy mobile app. She is Associate Coordinator of ASHA’s SIG 13 and Co-Chair of the Dysphagia Research Society's COVID-19 Task Force. She is an invited member of ASHA’s Alternative Payment Models Committee, DRS 2021 and ASHA 2021 Program Planning Committees and MSHA Membership and Healthcare Committees. Rinki was one among thirty clinicians in the US selected for ASHA’s Leadership Development Program and Faculty Development Institute. Originally an SLP from Mumbai, India, Rinki is currently the adult outpatient lead and a clinical instructor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She enjoys reading, writing, teaching, traveling with her husband around the world, and doing what she can to help advance the profession by paying it forward. Reach out to Rinki to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Ianessa Humbert, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Ianessa Humbert is a world-renowned scientist, researcher, educator, and highly sought-after speaker with expertise in swallowing and swallowing disorders. With over 100 speaking invitations 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. Dr. Humbert’s innovative training style has been funded by ASHFoundation and extends to non-traditional learning formats. She is the co-creator of the popular Down the Hatch podcast and has co-founded STEP. She also does important work to help promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of speech-language pathology and beyond.
Dr. Humbert has been on faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Florida, and the University of Iowa. She has demonstrated her gift for creating images that depict the dynamism of swallowing via her Swallowing Pocket Guide and Swallowing Neuro Anatomy and Physiology Shorts (SNAPS) tutorials on STEP.
The content from Dr. Humbert’s courses are supported by scientific evidence from her laboratory, from the larger body of research literature, and of course, common sense! Learn more at www.ianessahumbert.com.
Rinki Varindani Desai, M.S., CCC-SLP
Rinki Varindani Desai is an ASHA-certified medical speech-language pathologist, certified brain injury specialist and certified dementia practitioner; specializing in the assessment and treatment of swallowing disorders in adults since over a decade.
In addition to being the co-founder of STEP, Rinki is also the founder of the Medical SLP Forum and co-creator of the Dysphagia Therapy mobile app. She is on ASHA's Scientific and Professional Education Board and is currently the President-Elect of MSHA. She has served a Associate Coordinator of ASHA’s SIG 13 and Co-Chair of the Dysphagia Research Society's COVID-19 Task Force. Rinki was one among thirty clinicians in the US selected for ASHA’s Leadership Development Program and Faculty Development Institute and has won 9 ASHA ACE awards for her commitment to lifelong learning in speech-language pathology. She was awarded ASHA's Media Outreach Champion award in 2022 for promoting the role of SLPs in dysphagia management during COVID-19. She has written about and presented on topics related to adult dysphagia management at conferences around the world.
Originally an SLP from Mumbai, India, Rinki is currently the adult outpatient lead and a clinical instructor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She enjoys reading, writing, teaching, traveling with her husband around the world, and doing what she can to help advance the profession by paying it forward. Reach out to Rinki to Facebook or Instagram.