Speech and Hearing Sciences

Biography

Emma Gleeson commenced her BSc. Hons Speech and Language Therapy at the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences here at UCC in 2004, and graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in 2008. In October of that year, she commenced her PhD which looks at Patient Perceptions of Swallowing Difficulties in the Head and Neck Cancer Population. She is a PBL tutor for the first year of the undergraduate degree programme. Also, to maintain her clinical skills while pursuing her PhD, Emma works in Castletroy Speech and Language Therapy Clinic in Limerick on a part-time basis, and sees a mixed caseload of clients including both adults and children.

Current Positions

• 2008-present: Speech and Language Therapist (part time) in Castletroy Speech and Language Therapy Clinic, Limerick
• 2008-present: First Year PBL Tutor, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork
• 2008-present: PhD Student (full time)

Publications

Gleeson, E., Pettigrew, C.M., & Fitzgerald, E. (submitted). Retrospective investigation of radiation dosage and organ sparing treatment types and their relationship with mucositis occurrence in head and neck cancer patients. Dysphagia.

Presentations

Oral presentation on “Retrospective Investigation of Organ Sparing Treatment Head and Neck Cancer Treatments and their Relationship with Mucositis Occurrence in Head and Neck Cancer”, at the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists (RCSLT) Scientific Conference, London, Great Britain, March 17^th-18^th, 2009.

Research 

Current Research

Emma’s PhD concerns patient perception in relation to swallowing therapy in head and neck cancer, and investigates how patients perceive their swallowing deficits, how these affect patients health related quality of life (HRQOL), and if HRQOL changes over time when swallowing deficits are improved with swallowing therapy from a speech and language therapist.

Areas of Interest

o       Dysphagia

o       Head and Neck Cancer     

o       Speech

o       Swallowing

o       Neurological Communication Disorders

o       Objective Measures of Swallowing Difficulties

o       Patient Health Related Quality of Life

o       Patient Experience with Speech and Language Therapy