JoAnne Robbins

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JoAnne Robbins
Alma mater B.A., Temple University, 1972
M.S., U.W.-Madison, 1973
Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1981
Occupation Speech-Language Pathologist

JoAnne Robbins is an American authority on dysphagia and biomedical engineering, and is professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. [1] For more than three decades she has been a leading researcher in the field of swallowing abnormalities. Her work has uncovered correlations among elderly populations who are at increased risk for pneumonia, choking and other serious medical conditions as a result of dysphagia. [2] [3] Using grants from N.I.H. and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Robbins developed a medical device designed to help people afflicted with swallowing disorders. [4]

Contents

Education

Robbins earned a B.A. degree from Temple University in 1972, an M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1981. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship program through NIH’s National Research Service Award. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing (BCS-S) and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP). She has published dozens of research papers involving dysphagia and holds several patents. [5]

Career

Robbins holds teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves as associate director of research at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital.[ citation needed ]

She has conducted extensive studies on aging. [6] Although motor exercises have been used widely as a treatment for speech problems for many decades, Robbins applied strengthening therapy to swallowing rehabilitation. In 2012, she began a clinical demonstration project which sought to improve swallowing and eating-related care for dysphagic veterans. [7]

In 2013, Robbins introduced a new medical device to provide isometric exercises for treating patients with dysphagia. The product, sold through a company called Swallow Solutions, is an oral mouthpiece which uses sensors to measure pressure at five locations on the tongue. [8]

She frequently speaks via Internet trade portals and at conferences around the United States. [9] [10] She is coauthor of a culinary book targeted for those who have difficulty swallowing. First published in 2002, the book is titled, The Easy-to-Swallow, Easy-to-Chew Cookbook. [11]

Boards, community service

Robbins serves on the board of the American Heart Association’s Stroke Council. [12] She is a past president of the Dysphagia Research Society, and has served on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Dysphagia Journal and the Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. ↑ "Advances in Swallowing Disorders Therapy". Swallowing Disorder Foundation. June 1, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Taking Their Chances: As People Age, they Swallow More Slowly". Chicago Tribune. November 22, 1992. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ "When the Meal Won't Go Down". New York Times. April 21, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tool makes for a well-toned tongue". CNN. March 14, 2003. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  5. ↑ "J. Robbins CV" (PDF). November 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  6. ↑ "The Nature, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Senescent Swallowing". U.W.-Madison, Institute on Aging. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Swallow Stronger-Swallow Safer". Dysphagia Cafe. March 12, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ "New device uses sensors to evaluate and treat patients who have trouble swallowing". MedCity News. March 4, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Managing Dysphagia: From Compensation for Impairment to Restoring Function and Adjusting for Optimum Outcome". Washington Hearing and Speech Assn. June 21, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Strength, Endurance and Exercise: Dining with Dysphagia". Speech Pathology.com. September 19, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ Easy-to-Swallow, Easy-to-Chew Cookbook. John Wiley and Sons. 2002. ISBN   0544186249 . Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Swallow Solutions Founder Appointed to American Heart Association Stroke Council". HomeCare magazine. October 22, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
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