Speech and Language Therapy, Director of Health Care Workforce Research Centre.

Professor Karen Bryan is Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University. She is also a Visiting Professor, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw. She was previously Head of the Division of Health and Social Care, at the University of Surrey.

Karen is a speech and language therapist with particular interests in mental health of adult populations, rehabilitation, and the impact of communication difficulties on people’s access to effective healthcare interventions. Until 2013 she continued to work in practice as a consultant speech and language therapist at the West London Mental Health Trust.

Karen has developed assessment material to examine language and communication difficulties in people with right hemisphere damage, acquired aphasia and dementia. She has led a number of projects in the care home sector on workforce development, and projects involving service development and evaluation in relation to care of older people. Karen has particular expertise in directly involving people with communication difficulties in in research.

Karen has investigated language difficulties in young offenders, and has contributed to the evidence base for the provision of speech and language therapy in services for young people who are in contact with youth offending services. She is currently working with practice colleagues to investigate language abilities and difficulties in young people who are held in local authority secure services.

Specialist Rehabilitation of people with Parkinson's Disease in the community. Randomised Control Trial. Development of a Comprehensive Assessment Tool for Young Offenders in the Secure Estate.