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