Rate My Professor Deborah Hersh

Deborah Hersh is Professor of Speech Pathology in the Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. She holds a PhD, along with professional qualifications FSPA and CPSP. Her career commenced as a speech pathologist in the UK National Health Service, followed by a move to Australia where she provided services in acute care, rehabilitation, and community settings, focusing on patients with aphasia resulting from stroke or head injury. Drawing from 15 years of clinical experience and community advocacy, she established the Talkback Association for Aphasia, the first registered charity in Australia supporting individuals with aphasia. Her PhD examined the discharge experiences of people with aphasia post-stroke during therapy transition to home and clinicians' management of discharge planning. She also holds an adjunct professorship at the University of Queensland and serves as Discipline Lead for Speech Pathology at Curtin, with over 35 years in clinical practice, research, and teaching.

Professor Hersh's research centers on the lived experiences of individuals with aphasia and their families across assessment, goal setting, rehabilitation, and discharge processes; therapeutic interactions between clinicians and patients with communication disorders; services for primary progressive aphasia in dementia contexts; and post-acquired brain injury care for Aboriginal communities. She currently volunteers as Chairperson of the Australian Aphasia Association, promoting advocacy, awareness, and community involvement in research. Notable publications include 'What people with aphasia want: Their goals according to the ICF' (2011, cited 652 times), 'A core outcome set for aphasia treatment research: The ROMA consensus statement' (2019, cited 266 times), 'SMARTER goal setting in aphasia rehabilitation' (2012, cited 200 times), and 'You needed to rehab… families as well: family members’ own goals for aphasia rehabilitation' (2012, cited 226 times). She received a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the Australian Awards for University Teaching. Recent funding includes an NHMRC Ideas Grant for improving feedback in brain injury recovery. Her contributions advance person-centred practices and amplify voices in aphasia research and services.