RESEARCH LINES

The Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences Post-Graduation Program (SLHC-PGP) presents the concentration area “Functional Health in Speech-language and Hearing Pathology”, and four research lines, characterized by the scientific production presented by the Program’s Professors. These lines comprise Functional Health and Human Communication areas as the main object of investigation and are related to the program’s objectives and desired professional, academic and scientific profile, contributing to knowledge advance from human communication functional health actions within the Functional Health National Policy (PNSF) of universality, integrality, visibility and sustainability.

The four research lines proposed in the Program are the following:

1.Functional Health in Voice and Communicative Performance

This research line focus on voice production and communication performance functional health, studying the promotion, prevention, research, diagnostics and voice rehabilitation, to ensure life quality and autonomy to the full exercise of citizenship, with actions based upon the life cycles and considering gender differences and population specific needs.

2.Functional Health in Orofacial Myology and Dysphagia

With focus on functional health in the fields of orofacial myology and swallowing, this research line, based in different theoretical and methodological aspects in different knowledge areas, propose to work with investigation questions in promotion, prevention, research, diagnostics and rehabilitation of myofunctional disorders and dysphagia.

In this research line, studies related to functional health in orofacial myology and dysphagia are developed aiming the prevention and proposition of control measures to avoid handicap in the processes of speech, breathing, suction, chewing and swallowing to all ages.

3.Functional Health in Language, Hearing and Balance

The aim of this research line is the investigation of promotion, prevention, research, diagnosis and rehabilitation processes in language, hearing and balance disorders. Its actions intend to be based upon the life cycles and search for early identification of signs and symptoms of possible future impairments in language and hearing, implementing promotion actions and appropriate care to functional health in language, fluency, hearing and balance.

4. Public policy and epidemiology

            This research line intends to study problems present in Public Health field in general, considering the concepts of functional health in the speech-language and hearing practice. It prioritizes as themes, the functional health; public health policy issues; social inclusion/exclusion and human rights; impact and change in information and communication in public health; management and evaluation of services; human resources formation; methodological diversities in public health with the main focus on human communication and its disorders.

Research projects developed in this line aim to intervene and propose public policies, as well as act in functional health care, promoting, preventing and educating after group diagnosis.