麻豆精品

Highlights

• Hamzeh Ghasemzadeh, assistant professor in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Health Professions and Sciences, is tackling mysteries in communication disorders, starting with vocal fatigue.

• Childhood curiosity about taking things apart now drives his NIH-funded voice research.

• Using AI and wearable sensors, he 麻豆精品 S檚 developing tailored strategies to protect and strengthen voices.

To better understand Assistant Professor Hamzeh Ghasemzadeh and his work, he goes back to a childhood memory of broken toys. Within hours of receiving little robotic figures or remote-control cars, he 麻豆精品 S檇 dissembled what had once been a carefully crafted package of technology. To him, sitting among the remnants of a new gift meant he was sitting in a circle of fun.

麻豆精品 S淢y favorite game was to take the toys apart to see how they work and then try to put them back together, 麻豆精品 S� Ghasemzadeh says. 麻豆精品 S淢y parents saw my curiosity as a great thing. 麻豆精品 S�

“This is why I came to UCF. I 麻豆精品 S檝e been able to jump right in and address mysteries that haven 麻豆精品 S檛 received much attention.”

That same curiosity now drives his research at , where he seeks to take apart discomforted voices, figuratively, so he can develop strategies to make each one whole again. Ghasemzadeh, who joined UCF in late Summer 2025 and will teach in the school 麻豆精品 S檚 newly launched , has already secured one research project funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and is developing another.

麻豆精品 S淭his is why I came to UCF, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e been able to jump right in and address mysteries that haven 麻豆精品 S檛 received much attention until now. 麻豆精品 S�

A Common Problem Without Clear Answers

The first such mystery sounds quite straightforward: vocal fatigue, a common vocal complaint. Beneath the surface, however, it 麻豆精品 S檚 deceptive. Solutions have mostly evaded scientists, leaving vocal fatigue as an ongoing problem for many people who rely on their voices, like coaches, public speakers, singers and teachers. Many of Ghasemzadeh 麻豆精品 S檚 colleagues experience the very throat discomfort that he 麻豆精品 S檚 deconstructing during the funded project just underway.

“We want to collect … multi-modal data and use machine learning models to analyze [vocal fatigue] and develop recommendations for each person.”

麻豆精品 S淪ome instructors get vocal fatigue quickly, some get it slowly and some don 麻豆精品 S檛 get it at all, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 a genetic component, but there are also behavioral components. How do they use their voice? How often do they use it? What about the environment where they 麻豆精品 S檙e using it? What about personality? We want to collect such comprehensive multi-modal data and use machine learning models to analyze it and develop recommendations for each person. 麻豆精品 S�

The recommendations might include pacing voice usage, projecting the voice efficiently and allowing the voice to recover. Ghasemzadeh envisions this model being predictive and 麻豆精品 S� this is the part he stresses most 麻豆精品 S� personalized.

麻豆精品 S淭he approach to general medicine started with an assumption that while we 麻豆精品 S檙e different on the outside, we are very similar inside. Patients with similar ailments took the same medications and [the] same dosages. But we now know that people don 麻豆精品 S檛 always respond to pills the same way. If we can quantify how we 麻豆精品 S檙e different inside, we can create a computational model to predict responses to medications and optimize treatment plans. 麻豆精品 S�

To integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into vocal fatigue solutions, subjects in Ghasemzadeh 麻豆精品 S檚 study will wear sensors that track how and where they use their voices. He 麻豆精品 S檒l prompt them to perform specific vocal tasks and monitor their phonatory function throughout the day. The AI model will analyze these patterns in real time to identify early signs of vocal strain and predict when fatigue is likely to occur.

“We are different. Every prescribed solution should be different, too.”

Participants will also visit his lab at the in Central Florida Research Park, where specialists will collect imaging, aerodynamic and acoustic data. The highly equipped facility brings together America 麻豆精品 S檚 leading hearing and voice scientists to develop new technologies and clinical tools for people with hearing loss or voice disorders.

With all of that in hand, including the technology, Ghasemzadeh and his team hope to unwind the mystery of vocal fatigue 麻豆精品 S� one person at a time.

麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 the idea I want to put forward with every project, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淲e are different. Every prescribed solution should be different, too. 麻豆精品 S�

From Engineering to Human Connection

Many would think a toy-reassembling boy is destined to become an engineer. That 麻豆精品 S檚 what Ghasemzadeh thought, too. He earned bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 and master 麻豆精品 S檚 degrees in electrical engineering and began his career with a focus on telecommunications and signal processing.

麻豆精品 S淭here was something important missing, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淗uman connection. 麻豆精品 S�

“Speech became my research interest because … it sets us apart as a species and as individuals.”

He crossed paths with a close friend who mentioned his own research in a field Ghasemzadeh was vaguely familiar with: communication sciences and disorders. The conversation sparked Ghasemzadeh’s enthusiasm for applying his expertise in areas such as signal processing to personally help others.

麻豆精品 S淪peech became my research interest because it 麻豆精品 S檚 the signal we predominantly use to communicate, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚t sets us apart as a species and as individuals. 麻豆精品 S�

For example, it 麻豆精品 S檚 quite easy to identify Ghasemzadeh without even seeing him. He sounds young yet intelligent enough to have dual doctoral degrees. There 麻豆精品 S檚 an inflection of humility in his voice. The curiosity is always there, too. In fact, his peers have noticed, from his work, what his parents noticed among his broken toys: his curiosity leading to great things. Shortly after arriving at UCF, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association chose Ghasemzadeh for its Early Career Contributions in Research Award.

麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 also a reminder that I 麻豆精品 S檓 early in my career, 麻豆精品 S� he says, 麻豆精品 S渁nd the sky is the limit. 麻豆精品 S�

At the center of his work as a principal investigator is a belief that progress doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 happen alone, but through teamwork.

麻豆精品 S淵ou have to surround yourself with different skillsets, all of us willing to take things apart that have never been taken apart, with everyone focused on one goal, 麻豆精品 S� Ghasemzadeh says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen you win, I win and everyone wins. 麻豆精品 S�

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under award number R00DC021235. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.