Dr. Órla Gilheaney [she/her]

Assistant Professor in Speech and Language Pathology

Dr. Órla Gilheaney is Assistant Professor in Speech and Language Pathology in the Department of Clinical Speech and Language Studies. She has clinical experience working in acute, rehabilitation, and palliative care settings and currently works part-time in TCD and part-time in a clinical post-acute rehabilitation setting.
Her research interests focus particularly on under-researched invisible illnesses, the lived experience of chronic illness, and patient and public involvement in research. She has active national and international collaborative projects underway which focus on these topics and their translation to patient-centred care. She has multiple peer-reviewed publications and acts as a reviewer for numerous international peer-review journals.

Her undergraduate teaching focuses on ethics and professional studies, evidence-based practice, and research skills. She also supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate research projects currently and is Vice-Chair of the research Ethics Committee for the School of Linguistic, Speech, and Communication Sciences. She is the Inclusivity Champion for the School of Linguistic, Speech, and Communication Sciences and was awarded a Trinity Teaching Excellence Award in 2021. She is passionate about championing inclusivity and diversity in all clinical and educational sectors in order to positively impact on personal and overall societal wellbeing. Her aim in teaching is to ensure that all of her students, regardless of background, personal circumstances, or learning abilities, have equitable opportunities to engage fully in learning and to achieve their goals during their time in Trinity.