HIV/AIDS Related Communication, Hearing and Swallowing Disorders

About The Authors

De Wet Swanepoel, PhD, is an Associate Professor and clinical research audiologist at the Department of Communication Pathology, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, Callier Center for Communication Disorders. His research and clinical interests are in the field of early identification and diagnosis of infants with hearing loss, including electro-physiologic and electro–acoustic assessment procedures. Dr. Swanepoel also has an interest in auditory functioning in special populations such as persons infected with HIV/AIDS. He has received several awards and research grants for his work in these areas from institutions like the Medical Research Council and National Advisory Council on Innovation. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and regularly presents at international conferences. He is also a regional editor for the International Journal of Audiology and reviews for several international journals.

Dr. Brenda Louw is a professor in Speech-Language Pathology, the chair of the Department of Communication Pathology, University of Pretoria as well as the Director of the Centre for Early Intervention in Communication Pathology , University of Pretoria . Her fields of interest and expertise are Early Communication Intervention, including children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS, Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Disorders and Research Ethics in the Social Sciences. She has published widely on these topics in peer reviewed journals and has presented papers at numerous international conferences. She is an ad hoc reviewer for various journals. Dr Louw is actively involved in Cleft Care in Africa and is currently the President of the South African Cleft Lip and Palate Society and the Vice President of the Pan African Association for Cleft Lip and Palate.