By: Kirsten Millar
Rebecca Affoo is an Affiliate Scientist with Nova Scotia Health and an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Affoo’s research focuses on improving the oral health, speech and swallowing function of older adults through novel, interprofessional assessment and management practices.
What led you to this field/inspired you to do this work?
I am a clinically certified speech-language pathologist and I have worked with older adults in both the acute care and outpatient settings. The patients with whom I have worked and my interprofessional teammates inspired me to pursue my research.
How does your research translate into healthcare solutions for the patient/public?
I primarily work with older adults who have eating, swallowing and communication impairments. These impairments are most commonly caused by neurological conditions and diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. The patients with whom I work often have major issues eating and enjoying meals and they may also struggle to communicate with friends and family.
My goal is that the findings from my work will be used to guide future oral health and communication interventions and policies and to advocate for innovative and coordinated healthcare models for oral health and communication services for older people.
What is the biggest challenge/opportunity in your field of research?
One of the biggest challenges is that oral health, and speech and swallowing function are very complex, multifactorial, and influence (and are influenced by) a multitude of other factors. That is why I think it is so important to use an interprofessional approach to tackle these complex issues. In particular, I prioritize engaging community stakeholders and patients with lived experience in my work.
Why is research and participation in research important?
When people participate in research, it allows us all to work together to improve knowledge and awareness for everyone!
What does the ideal future in your field of research look like to you?
I would be out of a job! People would no longer experience impairments to their oral health, and speech and swallowing function.
There are over 100 affiliate scientists working with various teams across Research, Innovation and Discovery at Nova Scotia Health. The contributions they make to our health care system enables Nova Scotia Health to attract and retain students and future health researchers as well as other leading scientists from across the globe.
