Zahya GHADDAR

Chargé de Cours

Vacataire - PhD

(+961) 1 421 000 ext zahya.ghaddar@usj.edu.lb

I am a speech-language pathologist based in Lebanon. I obtained a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Saint Joseph University of Beirut, and I completed my PhD in Public Health and Medical Sciences in a co-tutorship with the University of Liège in Belgium and Saint Joseph University of Beirut. My specialization focuses on therapeutic education for patients and their caregivers.

Since 2017, I have been teaching a course on dysphagia for Master's students, and since 2016, I have been a thesis supervisor at Saint Joseph University of Beirut. I began practicing speech-language pathology in 2009, and I am fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

I work with adult patients suffering from speech disorders (apraxia, dysarthria, voice disorders), swallowing disorders (dysphagia), language disorders (aphasia), and cognitive deficits (memory loss, difficulty concentrating, problem-solving) caused by various neurological conditions such as strokes, traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's), brain tumors, etc.

I also provide evaluations and rehabilitation for medical conditions (dementia, laryngeal cancer, oral cancer, traumatic brain injuries, tracheotomies, assisted ventilation) and orofacial myofunctional disorders (adjustment of tongue position affecting speech, eating, and swallowing), as well as speech and phonation disorders (articulation, speech intelligibility, stuttering). Additionally, I assist with voice and communication modification in the context of digital marketing and offer online sessions (telepractice).

I am the founder of the Reacte Polyclinic in Beirut, offering speech-language pathology and psychomotricity services to children and adults. Furthermore, I am a speech-language pathology consultant for the Bekhazi Medical Group and Fouad Khoury Hospital in Beirut.

I am certified as a clinician by:

- LSVT LOUD from LSVT Global (USA)

- SPEAK OUT! (USA)

- Therapeutic Patient Education (GRIEPS, France)

- Family Care and Parental Guidance (The Systemic Link Beirut, Lebanon in collaboration with the Institute of Training and Application of Communication Therapies of Lyon - IFACT)

I am a certified trainer by INSHEA (National Higher Institute of Training and Research for the Education of Young Disabled Persons and Adapted Teaching) in France.

Finally, I offer training and "counseling sessions" for speech-language pathologists in the Arab world to support their clinical and professional practice.