Dr. Lorinda Kwan-Chen is a dedicated researcher, experienced clinical educator, and established practitioner of speech-language pathology. She has a PhD in speech disorders in Parkinson’s disease from the University of Hong Kong. Her research areas are wide across different neuropathologies which impact human speech and language functions. Dr. Kwan-Chen supports the working philosophy of team-based, trans-professional research collaborations; she is heavily connected with international and local researchers and medical doctors. The major areas of Dr. Kwan-Chen’s research are on speech and language disorders in neurological disease populations such as rare dementia of primary progressive aphasia, post-stroke aphasia, dysarthria, and apraxia of speech in multilingual Chinese populations.

Dr. Kwan-Chen has practiced speech therapy for 30 years. She taught in different universities, instituting and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of speech-language pathology, and trained more than 1000 speech therapists. She also contributes extensively to local professional and patient communities, consulting numerous government and non-government, local, and overseas organizations for the betterment of the profession.

In her endeavour to improve speech therapy service, Dr. Kwan-Chen has pioneered regional community-based speech and language rehabilitation services, and also innovated the first regular telehealth speech therapy for people with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke in 2016.

1) Speech, Language and Communication Disorders Associated with Parkinson's Disease or Stroke, or Fronto-temporal Dementias.

Parkinson's Disease - Dysarthria, Language disorders, and dysphagia related to Parkinson's disease.

Motor Speech disorders (Dysarthria and Apraxia of Speech) in tonal language ( Cantonese and Mandarin, Putonghua) speakers. Prosody and its clinical application to assessment and intervention

Primary Progressive Aphasia - Clinical assessment and intervention for Cantonese /Mandarin/ bilingual speakers with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

Aphasia- agrammatism in Cantonese PWA, support to caretakers of PWA.

2) Service Delivery Model of Speech therapy

Hybrid model of telehealth speech therapy

Community-based rehabilitation service for brain injured people

3) Clinical Education of Speech-Language Therapists/Pathologist

Padegogy for pre-qualification training of speech therapists at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and of multi-cultural, multi-linguistic backgrounds

Competence in telepractice in speech therapy

E-learning strategies for pre-qualification training of speech therapists.

Teaching Interests and Knowledge Transfer

Teaching Interests

• SED 6015 Speech, Language and Communication Disorders
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• SED 6019 Assessment and Intervention of Speech, Language, Communication and Learning Disabilities
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• SED 6026, SED 6027, SED 6028, SED 6029 Practicum and Advanced Practicum ( Clinical Education of pre-qualified speech-language therapists) on
  • Speech, language, Communication Disorders, and Swallowing Disorders in people with Parkinson's Disease, Stroke ( Cerebral-vascular Accidents), Dementia, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and orther neurological conditions.
  • Tele-health and face-to-face speech therapy intervention strategies.
• SED 6030 Evidence-based Practice in Speech-Language Pathology and Research Methodoloy
• SED 6032 Independent Research Projects / Evidence-based Capstone Projects
• EPC 2091/5091 Overivew of Language, Physical and Sensory Difficulties
• EPC 4098 Education Projects

Knowledge Transfer

Members of:

1. The Hong Kong Institute of Speech Therapists ( Member of Register of Speech Therapists)
2. The Hong Kong Association of Speech Therapist (Full member)

Local Honorary Appointment:

1. The Hong Kong Institute of Speech Therapists, Committee member (Registration Committee, HKIST (2018 -)
2. Honoary Speech Therapist, 2019-2020 Hospital Authority (New Territories East Cluster) (2019-2020

Overseas Honorary Appointment:

• Collaborator, ALBA Language Neurobiology Lab, Memory and Aging Centre, UCSF (2018-)

Membership/Affiliation to local and international professional organizations

1. American Speech language Hearing Association
2. Royal College of Speech Language Therapist
3. Hong Kong Movement Disorder Society

Consultant/Advisor to:

1. The Hong Kong Parkinson's Disease Foundation 香港柏金遜症基金會
2. The Hong Kong Parkinson's Disease Association 香港柏金遜症會
3. The Hong Kong Society of Rehabilitation 香港復康會
4. The Heep Hong Society (APEC) 協康會
5. Po Leung Kuk 保良局
6. The Benji's Centre 庭恩兒童中心
7. HOPE worldwide 寰宇希望