Professor Taher Omari

I am a Physiologist and Principal Research Fellow at Flinders University and Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute and Swallowing Research Group lead. This is a multidisciplinary group of medical scientists, speech pathologists, gastroenterologists, and otolaryngologists focused on swallowing and oesophageal motility disorders. Through my research and innovations, I generate new knowledge about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of swallowing disorders (dysphagia). As an institutional leader and educator, my goal is to improve delivery of dysphagia services and provided educational resources for clinicians.

I am currently involved in a range of studies including:

Software applications for state-of-the-art analysis of swallowing tests

Palatable dietary modifications for dysphagia patients to ensure nutrition and safety

Non-Invasive exercise therapy for dysphagia related to aging (presbyphagia)

Surgical therapy for both physiological and symptomatic improvements in patients with dysphagia caused by neuro-myogenic disease and following treatment for head and neck cancer

Using biomechanics to identify the pathophysiology of dysphagia in specific clinical cohorts, including sleep apnoea, critically ill, post head and neck cancer treatment, unilateral vocal fold palsy, and Parkinson’s Disease

Epidemiology of Dysphagia through analyses of very large data sets