Rate My Professor Robyn O’Halloran

Professor Robyn O’Halloran is a Professor and Discipline Lead in Speech Pathology within the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport at La Trobe University. She is the Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, a research centre focused on improving the lives of people living with aphasia. O’Halloran also holds an honorary role as Research Lead Speech Pathologist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Curtin University of Technology (1990), a Master of Philosophy in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Queensland (2002), and a PhD in Speech Pathology from the University of Queensland (2009).

O’Halloran’s research interests centre on environmental and psychosocial factors impacting aphasia recovery, functional communication assessment and treatment for patients with communication disabilities in hospital settings, and enhancing access and inclusion for people with aphasia in healthcare and stroke trials. She has co-authored over 48 peer-reviewed publications and four book chapters, including the book Interview: Screening, Assessment and Intervention (Plural Publishing, 2020) and highly cited papers such as ‘Diagnosis of aphasia in stroke populations: A systematic review of language tests’ (2018, cited 151 times), ‘Aphasia disrupts usual care: the stroke team’s perceptions of delivering healthcare to patients with aphasia’ (2021, cited 134 times), and ‘Environmental factors that influence communication for patients with a communication disability in acute hospital stroke units: a qualitative metasynthesis’ (2012, cited 128 times). Her scholarship has earned over 2,500 citations. O’Halloran has led or contributed to major grants, including the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Aphasia Rehabilitation and Recovery ($2.5 million, 2018-2023) as Invited Associate Investigator, and projects funded by Epworth Medical Foundation, St Vincent’s Hospital Research Endowment Fund, and others. In 2022, she received La Trobe University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Cultural Qualities Award for Accountability for spearheading Speech Pathology accreditation. She has delivered international keynotes and workshops for Speech Pathology Australia and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, co-edited Topics in Language Disorders (2017) on accessible environments for aphasia, and contributed to Australian Aphasia Rehabilitation Best Practice Recommendations.