Lyn Goldberg, a speech pathologist, was recruited to the Wicking Centre in 2014 to develop a focus on oral health and function related to dementia, consolidating her background in speech pathology and international experience in interprofessional education and practice. Prior to 2014, Goldberg was the John and Ruby Hendren Distinguished Professor in the College of Health Professions at Wichita State University, Kansas, USA, and member of the Executive Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), guiding the Association’s financial, long-term planning and multicultural initiatives. At the Wicking Centre, Goldberg is a Graduate Research Coordinator, online educator and community-based researcher.
With NHMRC-Dementia Collaborative Research Centre program funding ($99,752, 2016-17, CIA), Lyn initiated an innovative interprofessional program in which a speech pathologist, dentist, and nutritionist worked with residential care staff to screen the oral health, nutritional status, and swallowing ability of residents, and document residents’ perceptions of their health-related quality of life. Further philanthropic funding ($34,300) enabled a clinical trial to document the positive effects of an evidence-based oral health program to decrease chest infections and aspiration pneumonia. Findings resulted in a policy change within the national organization.
Lyn's work now focuses on Aboriginal-led, community-based research to promote health and wellbeing and reduce dementia risk. She served on the National Committee for the Action Plan to implement the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Roadmap for Dementia Research and Translation. In the past five years she has served on externally funded grants totaling $11.5M (lead CI on 5, AI on 3), complemented by University/College funding of $529,314. She currently leads a national team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal early, mid-, and senior career researchers and Aboriginal community leaders in the MRFF Consumer-Led Research opportunity, Privileging the spirit, voices, and culture of Aboriginal people in dementia care: education for non-Aboriginal healthcare providers (2023-25). She is an AI on two Aboriginal health related NHMRC Centre of Excellence grants: Good Spirit, Good Life: better health and wellbeing for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (2021-25) and On TRACK (Teaching, Research And Community Knowledges): promoting brain health with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (2022-2026). In the past 5 years, Lyn has published 24 peer-reviewed journal papers and accrued >600 citations.
