Rate My Professor Sarah Perry

Dr. Sarah Perry is a Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, where she is affiliated with the New Zealand Brain Research Institute and the UC Rose Centre for Stroke Recovery & Research. She holds a PhD and CCC-SLP certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her research expertise encompasses dysphagia (disordered swallowing), dystussia (disordered coughing), and dysarthria (disordered speech) in adults with neurological diseases, with a particular emphasis on Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Perry's work aims to improve identification of individuals at risk for airway protective dysfunction—encompassing swallowing and cough impairments—to enhance clinical outcomes for affected patients. She has contributed significantly to the field through studies on sensory innervation density, caregiver burden associated with dysphagia, and rehabilitative interventions for cough and swallowing dysfunction.

In addition to her research, Perry teaches a course on Dysphagia Assessment and has previously delivered instruction in Voice Disorders, Research Methods, Medical Speech-Language Pathology, Dysphagia Management, and Motor Speech Disorders. She maintains active professional memberships as a full member of the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Perry serves on the board of the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology and as part of the Writing Committee for the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences. Clinically, her interests center on assessing and managing dysphagia in adults with neurological conditions, and she acts as an expert advisor for the Broadway for Ataxia programme in New York, USA. Key publications include 'Dysphagia Symptoms Contribute to Greater Care Partner Burden in Neurodegenerative Disease' (2025, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, with L.T. Gray et al.), 'Validation of the Caregiver Analysis of Reported Experiences with Swallowing Disorders (CARES) screening tool for neurodegenerative disease' (2025, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, with S. Shune et al.), 'Healthy human laryngopharyngeal sensory innervation density correlates with age' (2023, The Laryngoscope, with C.L. Cole et al.), 'Rehabilitating cough dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled trial' (2023, Movement Disorders, with M.S. Troche et al.), 'Visual analysis of swallowing efficiency and safety (VASES): A standardized approach to rating pharyngeal residue, penetration, and aspiration during FEES' (2022, Dysphagia, with J.A. Curtis et al.), and 'The dysphagia in stroke protocol reduces aspiration pneumonia in patients with dysphagia following acute stroke: a clinical audit' (2019, Translational Stroke Research, with A. Miles et al.). Her research outputs reflect substantial influence on airway protection rehabilitation strategies in neurodegenerative contexts.