Notable graduates: Leann Barden — Research leads to help for dysphagia sufferers

UW-Madison food science graduate Leann Barden made a commitment to the field when she began researching and developing beverages suitable for people diagnosed with dysphagia, a swallowing disorder that affects nearly 18 million adults and children and is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

As a research assistant to Rich Hartel in the Department of Food Science, Barden worked with others at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in developing dysphagia-suitable beverages that would meet the barium standard while improving their overall taste.

"We came up with a strawberry-based beverage and we liked the way it tastes and we are assuming others will, so now we're working on making this beverage thick enough to meet the barium standards," says Barden. "There's a lot of debate as to how we even assess what the thickness is, but bottom line, the commercial products don't meet the same thickness as the barium standard."

The beverage prototype has yet to endure a series of sensory trials in order to ensure its safety and effectiveness, but the Galloway Company, located in Neenah, WI, has agreed to manufacture the product. Marketed thickened liquids are currently a $5.25 billion business and although Barden is graduating this August, her research will continue by upcoming students trained by Barden herself.

A former intern for General Mills in 2007, Barden will be attending graduate school at the North Carolina State University to continue researching processed food. She'd ultimately like to return to working with products that benefit others.

"The idea of helping people really appeals to me," says Barden. "Satisfying need versus satisfying want are very different and I can see myself getting involved in government regulations or working with a medical-related project down the road."