Robyn is a senior lecturer in Audiology at the School of Human Sciences and an honorary researcher at the Telethon Kids Institute. Robyn’s current area of research is middle ear assessment and auditory processing disorder in the paediatric population. In particular, Robyn is passionate about improving educational outcomes in children with learning difficulties who may have a hearing impairment. Robyn’s other research interests also include using simulated learning in clinical education and tele-audiology. Clinically, Robyn specialises in diagnostic audiology in adults and paediatrics and central auditory processing assessment and management in the paediatric population. She currently holds the position of Senior Audiologist in the Audiology Department at the Fiona Stanley Hospital.

I am currently co-ordinating and teaching students in Master of Clinical Audiology and Master of Hearing Sciences.

I also supervise Higher Degree Research students in Master of Clinical Audiology program and PhD candidates. 

• Evaluating auditory function in children with learning difficulties
• Exploring novel rehabilitative methods for children with auditory processing disorders 
• Assessing auditory processing abilities of children under 7 years old using auditory evoked potentials
• Investigating the effectiveness of wideband absorbance using machine learing techniques in detecting middle ear effusion in the paediatric population
• Investigating whether multisensory signals can enhance responses to tasks designed as a proxy for safety/threat alerts in high workload scenarios 

Education audiology and the impact of hearing impairment in learning

I am interested in the relationship between hearing loss and auditory processing disorder in children with learning difficulty. Hearing is one of the several factors that can influence a child's learning at school. By identifying the prevalence of hearing loss and auditory processing difficulties in children with learning difficulties, various intervention methods can be used to improve education outcomes in this group of children.  

Assessment of middle ear function in children

I am interested in the use of wideband absorbance to improve detection and diagnosis of middle ear disorders in the paediatric population. The information can then be examined for information not previously accessible in conventional tympanometry. This can then lead to a better understanding of middle ear disorders and a targeted treatment and/or rehabilitative pathway for children.

Improving clinical training Audiology students

I am interested in the combined use of real-life patients and computer simulations to improve the way we train and assess the clinical skills of audiology students, as well as clinical programs that target specific skills of audiology students. These tools could be used to teach students the basic skills required to perform a standard audiological assessment on a co-operative adult patient, as well as enhance their understanding of theoretical concepts covered in their postgraduate studies. This information can then be used to improve confidence and clinical learning in audiology students and to provide a smooth transition from university to a real-life clinical setting.  

Tele-health in Audiology

I am interested in the use of tele-health in diagnostic Audiology to provide services to those who may not have regular access to Audiological services. This information can then be used to assist patients in the comfort of their own region and to improve accessibility.

Channel 7 Telthon Trust - Auditory processing and Rhythmic Exercise. CI Choi, Mulders, Furzer, Brennan-Jones, Jackson - current, $168,720

Medical Research Future Fund - Breathe, Blow, Cough: A telehealth-facilitated randomised-controlled trial of a health promotion intervention to resolve otitis media with effusion for children on specialist Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) waiting lists. CI Brennan-Jones, Richmond, Herbert, Geelhoed, Kuthubutheen, Vijayasekaran, McAullay, Strobel… Choi, Proctor – current, $269,311

Defence Science Centre - Modelling Human Processing Mechanisms to Maximize Multisensory Information Processing Efficiency in Complex Decision Environments. CI Howard, Fox, Choi, Cooper, Huf, Loft - current, $98,150.00

CRE_ICHEAR - Cross-cultural adaptation of quality of life outcome measures for use in-ear and hearing health service evaluation and research. CI Brennan-Jones, Kicket, Siwft, Morrison, Harkus, Veslinovic, Choi, Ching, 2020 - current,  $40,000.00

Queensland Health & The University of Queensland - Is wideband absorbance more effective in detecting middle ear effusion in children aged 5 – 16 years old in comparison to conventional methods?, CI Choi, Kei, Nipperess-Sims, 2015 - current, $5000.00

My teaching methods centres on providing a framework for students where they can learn and think for themselves, apply theoretical knowledge to clinical context and using their own life experiences to support their learning. These methods feed directly into my teaching research interests that focus on institutional models of assessment renewal, enhancing group assessment tasks, the use of simulations in the assessment of clinical learning, and inter-professional practice education.

Master of Clinical Audiology

Unit Coordinator

PHYL5502 Basic Clinical Audiology Part 1

PHYL5512 Basic Clinical Audiology Part 2

PHYL5513 Speech, Language and Communication

PHYL5515 Hearing Devices and Adult Aural Rehabilitation

PHYL5610 Advanced Hearing Aids and Rehabilitation Part 1

PHYL5611 Advanced Clinical Audiology Part 2

PHYL5612 Community and Workplace Audiology

PHYL5613 Audiology Practice Management

PHYL5615 Advanced Clinical Audiology Part 1

PHYL5617 Advanced Hearing Aids and Rehabilitation Part 2