Ciarán Kenny - Assistant Professor in Speech-Language Pathology
Ciarán Kenny
Assistant Professor in Speech-Language Pathology
I am a Speech and Language Therapist specialising in voice and swallowing disorders. I am interested in therapeutic effectiveness for voice problems, working with transgender clients to modify their communication styles, and in swallowing problems in those with cancer.
What I teach
I teach undergraduate and postgraduate students:
- Typical voice throughout the lifespan
- Nature and assessment of voice disorders
- Therapeutic management of voice disorders
- Statistics
- Advanced clinical skills
- Reflective practice
- Dissertation writing
What I research
- Voice therapy: What are the most effective therapy techniques for helping recovery from voice problems?
- Transgender communication: How can we help trans people communicate in a way that more accurately reflects their true identity?
- Swallowing in cancer: What causes swallowing difficulties in people who have tumours that do not affect anatomic swallow regions?
Recent Publications
- Prevalence of voice and throat problems while working from home during COVID-19
Home working has involved much heavier use of teleconferencing. This is linked with much higher rate of voice problems in the general population - Prevalence and predictors of swallowing problems in those with tumours outside of swallow regions.
Swallowing difficulties are much more common than we thought and worsen existing weight loss in those with cancer
- What tools exist to measure swallowing problems in those with tumours outside of swallow regions?
No tools have been developed for this group, so this problem is under-recognised and under-treated, because we can’t look for it.
Forthcoming Publications
- Characteristics and impact of swallowing problems in those with tumours outside of swallow regions.
- Gender imbalance in the speech and language therapy profession.
- What helps trans people engage with therapy?