Rate My Professor Sarah Wallace

Associate Professor Sarah Wallace holds the position of Associate Professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Queensland. She earned a Bachelor of Speech Pathology and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland, along with a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from La Trobe University. Certified as a Practising Speech Pathologist, she is a two-time National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Emerging Leadership Fellow. Wallace leads the Living Experience (Lex) Lab, the Qualitative Collective, and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Communication Research and Engagement Theme (CommRET). She also serves as a University of Queensland Research Integrity Advisor and is affiliated with the Queensland Aphasia Research Centre, where she leads multiple projects including Bridging the Digital Divide, Conversations about Care, LifeCHAT, and MEASuRES.

Her research specializations encompass aphasia rehabilitation after stroke, communication disabilities in ageing and aged care, development of core outcome sets and methodological standards to improve aphasia research quality, and technology-enhanced interventions to support self-management and equitable access to health services. Wallace leads transdisciplinary teams of over 20 researchers, partnering with consumers, clinicians, communities, government, and industry to co-produce interventions, systems, and standards that enhance quality of care. Key publications include 'A core outcome set for aphasia treatment research: The ROMA consensus statement' (2019, International Journal of Stroke), 'Which outcomes are most important to people with aphasia and their families? An international nominal group technique study framed within the ICF' (2017, Disability and Rehabilitation), 'Measuring outcomes in aphasia research: A review of current practice and an agenda for standardisation' (2014, Aphasiology), and 'Establishing reporting standards for participant characteristics in post-stroke aphasia research: An international e-Delphi exercise and consensus meeting' (2023, Clinical Rehabilitation). She has secured major NHMRC MRFF funding for projects such as the Aphasia Treatment TranslAtIon Network (ATTAIN), Lost Voices: Improving Outcomes for Older Australians with Communication Disability, and Unspoken, Unheard, Unmet: Improving Access to Preventative Health Care through Better Conversations about Care, driving improvements in post-stroke services and aged care communication.