Jenny Vojtech - Research

Journal Publications

Kapsner-Smith, M.R., Gill, A., Muzila, A., Polyakova, T., Rubeski, A., Kline, J., Stepp, C.E., Vojtech, J. “Validation of a Python-Based Graphical User Interface for Calculation of Relative Fundamental Frequency.” Journal of Voice, In Press.
Buckley, D. P., Stepp, C. E., & Vojtech, J. “Normative Thresholds for Acoustic Estimates of Relative Fundamental Frequency.” Journal of Voice, In Press.
Raiff, L., Turashvili, D., Heaton, J. T., De Luca, G., Kline, J. C., & Vojtech, J. “Prosodic Preferences of Surface Electromyography-based Subvocal Speech for People With Laryngectomy.” Journal of Voice, S0892-1997(24)00373-4, In Press.
Vojtech, J., Toles, L. E., Buckley, D. P., & Stepp, C. E. “Capturing the intraspeaker heterogeneity of vocal hyperfunction using spatiotemporal indices of relative fundamental frequency.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 68(1), 1–16, 2025.
Madoule, M. D., Marks, K. L., Nagle, K. F., Kirchgessner, E., Gill, A., Kline, J. C., Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C. E. “Qualitative Analysis of Speech-Language Pathologists’ Voice Evaluation Practices and Perspectives. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology,” 1–16, 2025.
Weerathunge, H. R., Vojtech, J., Dunsmuir, C. J., Cocroft, S. J., Díaz-Cádiz, M. E., McKenna, V., & Stepp, C. E. “Characterization of Vocal Motor Control Using Laryngeal Kinematics in Individuals with Hyperfunctional Voice Disorder.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 1-15, 2025.
Groll, M.D., Peterson, S.D., Zañartu, M., Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C.E. “Empirical Evaluation of the Role of Vocal Fold Collision on Relative Fundamental Frequency in Voicing Offset,” Journal of Voice, 39(2), 345-352, 2025.
Vogel, A.P., Spencer, C., Burke, K. de Bruyn, D., Gibilisco, P, Blackman, S., Vojtech, J.M., & Kathiresan, T. “Optimizing Communication in Ataxia: A Multifaceted Approach to Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC).” Cerebellum, 1–10, 2024.
Al-Mfarej, D., Vojtech, J.M., Roy, S. H., Townsend, E., Keysor, J. J., Kuntz, N., Rao, V., Kline, J. C., & Shiwani, B. “A Virtual Reality Exergame: Clinician-Guided Breathing and Relaxation for Children with Muscular Dystrophy.” In Proceedings - 2023 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops, 270–276. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 2024.
Buckley, D.P., Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C.E. “Relative fundamental frequency in individuals with globus syndrome and muscle tension dysphagia,” Journal of Voice, 38(3), 612–8, 2024.
Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C.E. “Effects of Age and Parkinson’s disease on the Relationship between Vocal Fold Abductory Kinematics and Relative Fundamental Frequency,” Journal of Voice, 38(5), 1008–22, 2024.
Vojtech, J.M., Mitchell, C.L., Raiff, L. Kline, J.C., & De Luca, G. “Prediction of Voice Fundamental Frequency and Intensity from Surface Electromyographic Signals of the Face and Neck,” Vibration, 5(4), 692–710, 2023.
McKenna, V.S., Vojtech, J.M., Previtera, M., Kendall, C.L., & Carraro, K.E. “A Scoping Literature Review of Relative Fundamental Frequency (RFF) in Individuals with and without Voice Disorders,” Applied Sciences, 12, 8121, 2022.
Mitchell, C.L., Cler, G.J., Fager, S.K., Contessa, P., Roy, S.H., De Luca, G., Kline, J.C., & Vojtech, J.M. “Ability-Based Methods for Personalized Keyboard Generation,” Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 6, 67, 2022.
Mitchell, C.M., Cler, G.J., Fager, S.K., Contessa, P., Roy, S.H., De Luca, G., Kline, J.C., & Vojtech, J.M. “Ability-based Keyboards for Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Understanding How Individuals’ Movement Patterns Translate to More Efficient Keyboards,” In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts (CHI EA '22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 412, 1–7, 2022.
Kapsner-Smith, M.R., Díaz Cádiz, M.E., Vojtech, J.M., Buckley, D.P., Mehta, D.D., Hillman, R.E., Tracy, L.F., Noordzij, J.P., Eadie, T.L., & Stepp, C.E. “Clinical Cutoff Scores for Acoustic Indices of Vocal Hyperfunction that Combine Relative Fundamental Frequency and Cepstral Peak Prominence,” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(4), 1349–69, 2022.
Groll, M. D., Vojtech, J.M., Hablani, S., Mehta, D. D., Buckley, D. P., Noordzij, J. P., & Stepp, C. E. “Automated relative fundamental frequency algorithms for use with neck-surface accelerometer signals,” Journal of Voice, 36(2), 156–169, 2022.
Vojtech, J.M., Cilento, D.D., Luong, A.T., Noordzij, Jr., J.P., Diaz-Cadiz, M.C., Groll, M.D., Buckley, D.P., McKenna, V.S., Noordzij, J.P., & Stepp, C.E. “Acoustic identification of the voicing boundary during intervocalic offsets and onsets based on vocal fold vibratory measures,” Applied Sciences, 11(9), 3816, 2021.
Vojtech, J.M., Chan, M.D., Shiwani, B., Roy, S.H., Heaton, J.T., Meltzner, G.S., Contessa, P., De Luca, G., Patel, R., & Kline, J.C. “Surface EMG-based recognition, synthesis and perception of prosodic subvocal speech,” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64(6S), 2134–53, 2021.
Park, Y., Wang, F., Diaz-Cadiz, M., Vojtech, J.M., Groll, M.D., & Stepp, C.E. “Vocal fold kinematics and relative fundamental frequency as a function of obstruent type and speaker age,” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 149(4), 2189–99, 2021.
Groll, M. D., Hablani, S., Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C. E. “Cursor click modality in an accelerometer-based computer access device,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 28(7), 1566–72, 2020.
Vojtech, J.M., Hablani, S., Cler, G.J., & Stepp, C.E. “Integrated head-tilt and electromyographic cursor control,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 28(6), 1442–51, 2019.
Vojtech, J.M., Segina, R. K., Buckley, D. P., Kolin, K. R., Tardif, M. C., Noordzij, J. P., & Stepp, C. E. “Refining algorithmic estimation of relative fundamental frequency: Accounting for sample characteristics and fundamental frequency estimation method,” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 146(5), 3184, 2019.
Cler, G.J., Kolin, K.R., Noordzij Jr., J.P., Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C.E. “Optimized and predictive phonemic interfaces for augmentative and alternative communication,” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(7), 2065–81, 2019.
Diaz-Cadiz, M., McKenna, V.S., Vojtech, J.M., & Stepp, C.E. “Adductory vocal fold kinematic trajectories during conventional speed versus high-speed videoendoscopy,” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(6), 1687–1706, 2019.
Vojtech, J.M., Noordzij Jr., J.P., Cler, G.J., & Stepp, C.E. “The effects of modulating fundamental frequency and speech rate on the intelligibility, communication efficiency, and perceived naturalness of synthetic speech,” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 28(2S), 875–86, 2019.
Vojtech, J.M., Cler, G.J., & Stepp, C.E. “Prediction of optimal facial electromyographic sensor configurations for human-machine interface control,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 26(8), 1566–76, 2018.
Vojtech, J.M., Cano-Mejia, J., Dumont, M.F., Sze, R.W., Fernandes, R. “Biofunctionalized Prussian Blue Nanoparticles for Multimodal Molecular Imaging Applications,” Journal of Visualized Experiments, (98), e52621, 2015.

Featured Conference Presentations

Vojtech_AQL_2023.pdf

Validation of an automated relative fundamental frequency analysis for clinical voice evaluation

The pattern of change in voice fundamental frequency during intervocalic syllables can be a biomarker for dysregulated laryngeal muscle tension. Methods to identify this pattern—termed relative fundamental frequency (RFF)—require manual intervention, which poses a challenge for clinical translation. We show that acoustic-driven machine learning and signal processing techniques can be used to automate RFF estimation with preserved accuracy.

Gill, A., Raiff, L., Kirchgessner, E., Stepp, C.E., Kline, J.C., & Vojtech, J.M. “Validation of an automated relative fundamental frequency analysis for clinical voice evaluation,” The 15th International Conference on Advances in Quantitative Laryngology, Voice and Speech Research, Phoenix, AZ, USA, March 30–April 1, 2023. [poster presentation]

Vojtech_CHI_2022.pdf

Ability-based keyboards for augmentative and alternative communication: Understanding how individuals’ movement patterns translate to more efficient keyboards

This study presents an evaluation of ability-based methods extended to keyboard generation for alternative communication in people with dexterity impairments due to motor disabilities. We highlight key observations relating to the heterogeneity of the manifestation of motor disabilities, perceived importance of communication technology, and quantitative improvements in communication performance when characterizing an individual's movement abilities to design personalized AAC interfaces.

Mitchell, C.M., Cler, G.J., Fager, S.K., Contessa, P., Roy, S.H., De Luca, G., Kline, J.C., & Vojtech, J.M. “Ability-based Keyboards for Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Understanding How Individuals’ Movement Patterns Translate to More Efficient Keyboards,” In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts (CHI EA '22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 412, 1–7, 2022. doi: 10.1145/3491101.3519845

Vojtech_CMS_2020_1.pdf

Integrated head-tilt & surface electromyographic cursor control for augmentative and alternative communication

This study evaluated two head control-based access methods that could be used for 2-D cursor control of an augmentative and alternative communication system: one based on surface electromyographic and acclerometry, and one based on computer vision technology.

Vojtech, J.M., Hablani, S., Cler, G.J., & Stepp, C.E., “Integrated head-tilt & surface electromyographic cursor control for augmentative and alternative communication,” Conference on Motor Speech, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, February 19–23, 2020.

Vojtech_CMS_2018_2.pdf

Effects of prosody on the intelligibility, communication efficiency, and perceived naturalness of synthetic speech in augmentative and alternative communication

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a promising computer access method for individuals with motor impairments. However, optimal sensor placement is a tedious task requiring trial-and-error by an expert, particularly when recording from facial musculature likely to be spared in individuals with neurological impairments. Here, we demonstrate that non-experts can place sEMG sensors in the vicinity of usable muscle sites for computer access and healthy individuals will learn to efficiently control a human–machine interface.

Vojtech, J.M., Noordzij Jr., J.P., Cler, G.J., & Stepp, C.E. “Effects of prosody on the intelligibility, communication efficiency, and perceived naturalness of synthetic speech in augmentative and alternative communication,” Conference on Motor Speech, Savannah, GA, USA, February 22–25, 2018.

Vojtech_CMS_2018_1.pdf

Predicting optimal surface electromyographic control of communication devices in individuals with motor speech disorders

We sought to improve the clinical applicability of using surface electromyography as a computer access method for individuals with motor speech disorders by reducing the complexity of sensor placement. We describe difficulties in predicting user performance, likely as a result of the diverse manifestation of motor speech disorders.

Vojtech, J.M., Cler, G.J., Fager, S., & Stepp, C.E. “Predicting optimal surface electromyographic control of communication devices in individuals with motor speech disorders,” Conference on Motor Speech, Savannah, GA, USA, February 22–25, 2018.

Vojtech_BSMCS_2018.pdf

Evaluation of facial electromyographic sensor configuration for optimizing human-machine interface control

This work describes the identification of quantitative features to predict sensor configurations on the face for improved electromyographic cursor control.

Vojtech, J.M., Cler, G.J., Noordzij, Jr., J.P., & Stepp, C.E., “Evaluation of facial electromyographic sensor configuration for optimizing human-machine interface control,” Boston Speech Motor Control Mini Symposium, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, March 31, 2017.