The Department of Audiology, Speech and Language Therapy is a graduate programme department that runs 2-year professional MSc programmes. The training is research intensive and also has a clinical focus with clinical practicum/rotations undertaken by students both during the semester and between semesters, in different settings e.g. public hospital, private clinics. The small class sizes taught by practising professionals ensure more opportunities for hands-on learning.
In addition to the MSc programmes, the department also regularly rolls out short courses such as Basic Life Support Training Course, Allied Health Genetics course (collaboration with the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC), and conducts free screening exercises internally and also to the general public.
Collaborations and partnerships over the years has been with the University of Utah (USA), Latter Day Saints Charities, Brigham Young University (USA), Sheffield Hospital/Manchester University (UK), the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (UK), British Ghanaian Therapy Partnership (BRiGHt) partnership and Smile Train (USA), Bridge Assistive (Australia) and others. Currently, the department has an MOU with Operation Smile to provide comprehensive care to patients with cleft/other facial deformities in Ghana through quality education, training, capacity building of health workers and research. These are being achieved through full scholarship of 10 MSc Speech and Language Therapy students from SLT-deprived regions of Ghana, building faculty capacity through PhD funding, and enriching student and faculty experience with visiting international lecturers.
A new specialist clinic in the department is being established to provide specialist services such as assessment of the inner ear and cochlea using otoacoustic emissions diagnostic device, diagnosis of balancing disorders, Alternative and Augmentative Communications (AAC) using tablet devices and eye-gaze technology. It will provide specialised clinical experience for our students while making these services available to the community at large (within the country and the sub-region).
Below are some photos of our past and current students.
On behalf of faculty and students, I welcome all prospective students, faculty and collaborators to the Department of Audiology, Speech and Language Therapy.
Dr. Ewurama Dedea Ampadu Owusu (PhD, PMP®)
Head of Department
Overview/Programme definitions
- An Audiologist is an Allied Health Professional who is trained to identify, assess and manage disorders of hearing, balance and other neural systems in children and adults. Utilising screening and diagnostic tools, they help with newborn screening and care, prescribing and fitting of hearing aids and other devices, as well as public education and preventive measures.
- A Speech and Language Therapist is an Allied Health Professional who supports and cares for children and adults with difficulties with communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. Examples of conditions they manage include aphasia, dysphagia, cleft lip and palate and others.
Vision
To achieve global impact through innovative research, teaching and learning using a technology driven and people approach.
Mission
To create and enabling environment makes the University of Ghana increasingly relevant to National and global development through cutting-edge research and quality teaching and learning.
Overview / history of the Department
The Department of Audiology, Speech and Language Therapy is one of seven departments in the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana. It currently runs only graduate programmes: MSc Audiology and MSc Speech and Language Therapy. The MSc programme was the 1st to be rolled out in 2011, followed by the MSc Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) in 2016. Both are 2-year MSc programmes with focus on research and clinical placements within and inter-semesters, as well as taught courses resulting in a holistic academic, clinical and professional training. At the end of the 2-year programme, each student is expected to undertake a 1-year clinical internship regulated by the Ghana Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC), after which subject to passing of licensure exams, becomes a registered Audiologist or Speech and Language Therapist in Ghana.
The department commenced in 2011 with the MSc Audiology programme enrolling 6 students (3 males and 3 females). This was done through the perseverance and hard work of Prof. E.K. Wiredu, the Dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences at the time, Professor Kitcher (led the development of the curriculum), Professor John Ribera (foundation lecturer/supervisor) and the Latter Day Saints Charity of USA providing financial support and donating some equipment.
In 2016, the MSc Speech and Language Therapy commenced with 12 students. Ms. Nana Akua Victoria Owusu, Ms. Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe and Mr. Clement Amponsah and Dr. Karen Wylie were the foundation faculty who also developed the programme curriculum.
The department was previously headed by Prof. Samuel Anim-Sampong, Dr. Neal Boafo and Prof. Solomon Ofori-Acquah (Acted) (in chronological order). The current Head of Department is Dr. Ewurama Dedea Ampadu Owusu.
Over the years, the Audiology programme has produced 8 cohorts of Audiologists and 4 cohorts of SLTs licensed by the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC), who are providing ear and hearing health care services, counselling services and Speech and Language Therapy services for over 34 million Ghanaians. This has helped expand these services to regions apart from the capital Greater Accra region.
Admissions
Undergraduate
Graduate
Masters programmes
PHD Programmes
Faculty Members Page
NAMES
POSITION
ONGOING RESEARCH
Dr. Ewurama Ampadu Owusu
Mr. Clement Amponsah
Assistant Lecturer
Dysphagia in low and middle-income countries
Ms. Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe
Assistant Lecturer
Development of a Ghanaian-
English speech and language assessment tool
Mrs. Elsie Otuo-Acheampong
Assistant Lecturer
Neonatal screening for hearing loss: feasibility studies in a resource-contained country (Ghana)
Mr. George Danful
Assistant Lecturer
Cochlear Implant, Hearing Aids, Participatory Outcomes of People with Hearing Loss
Ms. Tetteh Priscilla Keren
Part-Time Lecturer
Intervention in Speech Sound Disorders
Mr. Joseph Omane-Boateng,
Part-Time Lecturer
Tinnitus, Amplification, Industrial Audiology, Vestibular Audiology
Mrs. Jemima Anowa Fynn
Part-Time Lecturer
Clinical Audiology- Adult and Paediatric
Ms. Nana Akua Victoria Owusu
Part-Time Lecturer
Speech and Language Therapy
Mr. Reginald Essuman Kwamena Bentum
Senior Research Assistant
Tympanometry, Middle ear pathologies, Biophysics
Ms. Caroline Edwina Asiedu
Senior Research Assistant
Speech and Language Therapy in Paedodontics
Mrs. Victoria Naa Ogbedei Armah-Ashitei
Part-Time Lecturer
Speech and Language Therapy
Ms. Adelaide Gyamera
Part-Time Lecturer
Speech and Language Therapy
Ms. Maliaka A. Addai-Sundiata
Part-Time Lecturer
Speech and Language Therapy
Ms. Abena Asiedua Owusu Antwi
Part-Time Lecturer
Neuroscience and neurolinguistics in Aphasia
Mr. Desmond Nii Lantey Lamptey
Part-Time Lecturer
Speech and Language Therapy