Edie Renee Hapner PhD

Edie Hapner, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert in the behavioral treatment of disorders of voice, resonance and upper airway. Her expertise spans more than 30 years as a speech language pathologist working in collaboration with laryngologists to provide professional evaluation and treatment for voice and swallowing disorders. Her research interests include the aging voice, adherence to behavioral therapies and outcomes in the treatment of spasmodic dysphonia. In collaboration with her team, Hapner has developed and researched the impact of large-scale head and neck cancer screenings at NASCAR tracks around the country. Her efforts have provided early detection and education to more than 5,000 NASCAR participants.

She has been active in educating our future physicians and healthcare workers on identifying head and neck cancer early and providing related health care information to their patients. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. Her philosophy of care is one that embraces a model of multiple healthcare professionals working in concert to provide state of the art care within the desires and needs of our patients. She strives to be the conduit between medical professionals on behalf of her patients. Seamless, comprehensive communication between healthcare professionals, both inside and outside Keck Medicine of USC, provides patients with optimal care. She also strives to be sensitive to the outside influences that can make adherence to care plans difficult. She is committed to helping her patients navigate change within the context of their lives and their needs.