Teresa Biber LoMonte, M.S.CCC-SLP | Founder of The Biber Protocol® | International Expert in NMES & Dysphagia Rehabilitation | Innovator in Electrotherapy, Manual Therapy & Global Clinical Education | Advocate for Vulnerable Communities & Evidence-Based Care
Meet Teresa Biber LoMonte, M.S. CCC-SLP, from Pompano Beach, Florida, a master speech-language pathologist and founder of The Biber Protocol®, whose NMES innovation has delivered over one million treatments worldwide via FDA-cleared devices, restoring swallowing function for dysphagia patients from strokes, neuromuscular diseases, and head and neck cancer. From Cleveland Clinic breakthroughs to global training in Hong Kong, Greece, and Singapore, she integrates electrotherapy with the hands-on LoMonte Technique, trains thousands of clinicians, and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity in the U.S., The Global Orphan Project in Haiti, and Rotary International in Costa Rica. An award-winning clinician, author, and advocate, Teresa prioritizes evidence-based, compassionate care for the vulnerable, transforming lives across borders.
Teresa describes The Biber Protocol® as a brand synonymous with compassion, science, and excellence, a reflection of its mission to blend evidence-based innovation with human-centered care.
Roots in Education: Building a Foundation for Compassionate Care
Teresa’s story begins not in a hospital, but in the vibrant classrooms of Florida’s public education system, where her passion for helping others first took root. Born with an innate curiosity about human connection, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the University of West Florida. In just four years of teaching, she was nominated for Teacher of the Year, wrote a grant, chaired the School Improvement Committee, and revamped the reading program to better serve students and teachers. She stated: “Everyone can learn if we meet them where they are and understand what motivates them.”
It was a principle rooted in her foundational belief that every interaction shapes a person’s world. Guided by Hippocrates’ timeless wisdom, “Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity”— Teresa embarked on a lifelong journey to combine education, empathy, and science.
But Teresa’s path quickly evolved beyond the classroom. Drawn to the complexities of communication, Teresa pursued a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Nova Southeastern University, where she was honored as Student of the Year. She later attended Harvard University for advanced training in Communication Science and Marquette University for brain dissection studies. Graduates like her often enter the field with textbook knowledge, but Teresa arrived with a vision of holistic healing, blending empathy with science. Her certifications, including the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) and National Outcome Measurements System (NOMS), weren’t mere credentials; they were stepping stones to a career that would redefine rehabilitation. By the late 1990s, as she stepped into her first professional role, Teresa was ready to turn theory into tangible relief, proving that education’s true measure lies in the lives it mends.
Her moral impulse to innovate was deeply influenced by the American Medical Association’s E-9.095 code:
“A physician has the ethical responsibility not only to learn from but also to contribute to the total store of scientific knowledge… This obligation provides not merely incentive but imperative to innovate and share the ensuing advances.”
Teresa interpreted this as her moral duty to share her discovery of NMES for swallowing with the world, a responsibility to advance healing through knowledge.
First Steps in the Field: Innovation Sparks at Cleveland Clinic
Teresa’s professional odyssey launched in 1997 at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida, a hub of cutting-edge medicine where she served as a Speech Language Pathologist for seven transformative years. Here, amid the hum of acute care units and outpatient clinics, she evaluated and treated adults grappling with speech and swallowing disorders, dysphagia’s cruel grip often a fallout from strokes or trauma. Performing video fluoroscopy studies, she witnessed firsthand the terror of aspiration, the quiet desperation of patients fearing every bite. It was in these high-stakes moments that Teresa’s ingenuity ignited.
Supervising student interns and contributing to interdisciplinary committees, she honed her supervisory and interpersonal skills, but it was her development of an innovative neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) treatment protocol in 1999 that marked her as a force. This wasn’t just a tweak to existing methods; it was The Biber Protocol®, a painless, evidence-based system re-educating weakened swallowing muscles through precise electrical impulses. “True NMES stimulates the right muscle/muscles, at the right time, with the right parameters, to achieve your desired outcome,” she explains, underscoring the protocol’s precision. With no adverse events reported and outcomes backed by her early publications, like “Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Dysphagia” in Dysphagia (2005)—Teresa single-handedly shifted paradigms. Her multiple ACE Awards and Most Valuable Employee honors from this era affirmed her impact, but more importantly, they fueled her drive. By 2004, as she transitioned to Broward Health Imperial Point, Teresa had grown inpatient and outpatient speech services from a skeletal six hours weekly to a robust 40-plus, complete with full caseloads for two interns per semester. Starting a head and neck cancer support group and serving on tumor boards, she wove community into clinical care, embodying her mantra: putting the care back in healthcare.
Rising Through the Ranks: From Local Leadership to International Reach
The mid-2000s propelled Teresa into broader arenas, where her local triumphs blossomed into global influence. At Broward Health from 2005 to 2014, she expanded dysphagia management training for nursing students and collaborated on multi-modality protocols for post-cancer patients. Yet, her horizons expanded dramatically in 2011 when she joined Spectramed as International Director of Clinical Education and Research. Traveling to Asia and Europe, she spearheaded program and product development, coordinating research to equip therapists worldwide with tools for swallow restoration. During a workshop in Hong Kong, she reflected, “It’s all about caring and trying to make a difference!” a sentiment that perfectly captured the fervor driving her across continents.The commitment to improving the lives of those suffering from dysphagia is demonstrated in her quote:
“The purpose of dysphagia rehabilitation is to restore swallow function to the highest level possible in order to prevent further complications and promote optimal quality of life,”
This role honed her as an electrotherapy authority, consulting for NIH-funded trials and co-authoring reviews on electrical stimulation. Her travels, over 21 visits to Hong Kong alone, became legendary: teaching NMES at Kwong Wha Hospital, manual therapy in Athens, Greece, and evidence-based dysphagia series in Alabama. Partnerships flourished; a European firm tapped her for an EEG-based brain-computer interface system, while GSBE Global Academy sponsored intimate classes where she emphasized,
“NMES works if you understand it and use it correctly!”
By 2017, launching The Biber Protocol® as her independent venture, Teresa had trained thousands, with three FDA-cleared devices (a fourth pending) bearing her protocol’s imprint. Her Lomonte Technique emerged from 20-plus years of cross-disciplinary work with physical therapists, targeting fibrosis, tension, and postural strain in speech and voice deficits, backed by 100 hours of continuing education. Publications like “Clinical Acceptance of Electrical Stimulation” (2006) and honors such as VIP Woman of the Year solidified her stature, but Teresa’s true currency was connection: meta-analyses she championed showed NMES’s large effect sizes, validating her life’s work. She also produced a short film on head and neck cancer, further bridging education and empathy through visual storytelling.
Current Impact: A Legacy of Healing and Advocacy
Today, from her Pompano Beach base, Teresa Biber LoMonte orchestrates a symphony of innovation, education, and advocacy as International Dysphagia and Electrotherapy Clinical Consultant. Through thebiberprotocol.com, she offers live online consultations, CEUs, and therapeutic packages, empowering patients with self-administered NMES for dysphagia, Bell’s palsy, or vocal fold weakness. Financial aid ensures accessibility, reflecting her pro-bono ethos. Recent ventures include ambassadorship for Nutrioz Oral Spray, easing vitamin intake for dysphagia sufferers, and collaborations like Shanghai’s Syrebo for robotics-electrotherapy hybrids. “Putting the Care back in HealthCare!” she declares on her site, a creed echoed in her 2025 Médica Trade Fair appearance with TensCare, showcasing the BiberPlus+ device.
Yet Teresa’s reach extends beyond clinics. A passionate volunteer, she’s hammered nails with Habitat in the US, brought much needed supplies and love to Haiti orphanages via the Global Orphan Project, and assisted in providing hundreds of Costa Rican children with much needed eyeglasses via Rotary International. Her advocacy burns bright: speaking at Deerfield Beach’s HandsOff protests against tyranny, cheering her sister-in-law’s Special Olympics bocce gold, and producing theater with The Playgroup LLC,
“Laughter is the best medicine so come and get your dose!”
These threads weave her philosophy: disease’s toll on social and psychological well-being demands holistic response. As she hikes Hong Kong’s Dragon’s Back or savors Singapore’s fusion cuisine, Teresa reminds us:
“Healing hearts and hands across the globe. Rehabilitation restores function and improves quality of life.”
With over 700 Hong Kong therapists trained and well over a million treatments tallied, her path from Florida classrooms to global stages proves one truth: true transformation starts with touch, be it electrical impulse or human hand.
Anatomy of the Biber Protocol®
Discover the anatomy driving The Biber Protocol®—targeting hyoid and larynx for NMES-based swallowing restoration. This website visual showcases Teresa’s innovative approach to dysphagia care.
Teresa’s Professional Spotlight
See Teresa Biber LoMonte’s LinkedIn profile, highlighting her as a global dysphagia expert and Biber Protocol® founder. Her Nova Southeastern roots fuel her worldwide clinical education mission.
Timeless Wisdom on Rehabilitation
Teresa’s quote; A beacon of hope for patients, shared via @thebiberprotocol.
The Nectar of Wisdom from Teresa Biber LoMonte’s Journey
- Compassionate Innovation Drives Change: Teresa emphasizes evidence-based care that restores lives, stating, “Putting the Care back in HealthCare!” as the core philosophy behind her Biber Protocol®.
- Understanding NMES for Effective Outcomes: She highlights the precision of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, noting, “NMES works if you understand it and use it correctly!” to achieve true muscle re-education.
- The Power of Human Touch in Healing: Drawing from global experiences, Teresa believes, “The human touch is the most powerful tool we have to help others.”, advocating for manual therapy alongside technology.
- Advocacy for the Vulnerable: Committed to social justice, she urges action, saying, “All good and decent people need to stand up, speak up and protect the vulnerable.” in protests and community service.
- Restoring Quality of Life Through Rehabilitation: Her life’s mission focuses on holistic recovery, as she defines, “The purpose of dysphagia rehabilitation is to restore swallow function to the highest level possible in order to prevent further complications and promote optimal quality of life.”
Editorial note
Teresa Biber LoMonte exemplifies clinical expertise fused with compassion, transforming dysphagia despair into global hope via her Biber Protocol® and advocacy. From Florida classrooms to Hong Kong hospitals, her leadership prioritizes human impact over accolades. In impersonal healthcare, she proves true executives heal bodies and lives alike. Executives Diary salutes her transformative legacy, explore at thebiberprotocol.com/
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