
Dr. Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald, PhD, SLP(C), CCC-SLP, Reg. CASLPO
Assistant Professor and Speech Language Pathologist
Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald (McMaster University)
Profile
Current Activity
Ashwini’s overarching research goal is to develop a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to dysphagia management that unites the biomedical and psychosocial aspects of care, in order to improve health and quality of life within the individual and across the family system. Her current research focuses on: 1) understanding dysphagia in older adults with dementia; 2) developing multidisciplinary interventions to prevent impairment and maintain swallowing function in older adults; and 3) understanding dysphagiarelated caregiver burden in caregivers of older adults.
Areas of Interest
- Caregiver support and education
- Nutrition
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Exercise
- Dementia
- Person-centred care
Approaches to Innovation
- Evaluation
- Knowledge translation and exchange
- Resource and tool development
Networks
- McMaster Institute for Research on Aging
- Gilbrea Centre for Studies on Aging
Student Mentorship
Looking to supervise:
- Master’s students
- PhD students