Her research areas of interest include swallowing, voice and complex airway disorders. She is actively involved in basic, translational, and clinical research focused on how the voice can be used to indicate the competence of the larynx in airway protection and investigating the role of lingual pressures in swallowing disorders. Dr. Kelchner is affiliated with the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center where she is part of an interdisciplinary team dedicated to the clinical care and research of voice outcomes in children who post airway reconstruction. Dr. Kelchner’s research has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institutes of Health.