The School of Rehabilitation Medicine will begin in 2025 with the addition of Dr. Youran Lin as an assistant professor. Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersRecent graduates from this department Combined Master's and Doctoral Program — She started out as the only international student in the program. — Lin I gained important perspective through my work in the Bilingual Acquisition Lab as a postdoctoral researcher.
Drawn to the field by the potential of speech-language therapy to improve people's lives, she studies both the language abilities of children in multilingual environments and the experiences of speech-language-hearing therapists-in-training who, like herself, come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
A highly published author and the department’s first Vanier Scholar, Lin spoke about her decision to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist, her desire to support multilingual families and other speech-language pathologists, and her work to raise awareness of communication science and disorders around the world.
What made you decide to go into the field of rehabilitation medicine?
I studied linguistics in Beijing, China for seven years and was always thinking about how I could use my knowledge to help people. I learned about rehabilitation medicine and speech-language pathology a year before I decided to enter this field. At that time, speech-language pathology was not as well known in China as it is in Canada. I was fascinated by the fact that speech-language pathology can put knowledge into practice and improve people's quality of life.
Could you please explain your field of research?
My areas of interest are two-fold: first, I am working on understanding the role of individual difference factors, such as language environment, history, cultural identity, and motivation, in bilingual children's language development. Second, I plan to work with future SLPs from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to understand their experiences and perspectives regarding their training and work in globalized contexts.
Why did you choose these research topics?
My interest in bilingual speech development grew out of my passion for speech, bilingualism, and bilingual education. During my doctoral studies, I investigated the speech development of children participating in a Chinese-English bilingual education program and became particularly interested in the role of explicit speech instruction. In my postdoctoral research, I explored the multidirectional relationships between individual difference factors and bilingual development. I hope to continue to investigate how bilingual children's speech is affected by these complex factors.
My focus on diversity in the SLP workforce is prompted by my own experience: I have undergone a significant shift in my identity from a newcomer and first-time English speaker to a strongly resourced multilingual SLP.
How do you hope people will benefit from your research?
My work is about helping bilingual children achieve functional bilingualism, whether they maintain their first language or learn a second language. That means helping language teachers better support their students' language learning and providing resources to immigrant families so parents and guardians feel comfortable and confident supporting their children's multilingual development.
I also hope to help new/future SLPs from similar backgrounds recognize their strengths and promote inclusivity in the fields of SLP and rehabilitation medicine.
Why did you choose the University of Alberta?
I was an exchange student at the U of A in 2016 before starting my program in 2018. I received great support from professors and staff and enjoyed studying with multiple cohorts. Given the department's commitment to diversity, I believe this is an ideal place to conduct my research program. I can't wait to contribute to this place that has nurtured my personal growth and career development!
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
People! I am excited to collaborate with researchers, educators, and clinicians, and I can't wait to continue our teaching and learning journey with our talented and motivated students.
What classes will you be teaching?
I'll teach you INT D 508 – Interprofessional Health Education Elective In the Winter 2025 term, I will resume a class that I enjoyed teaching in the Winter 2023 term. Before that, I will be giving a guest lecture on Computer-Assisted Speech Transcription. CSD 507 – Phonological Disorders In the fall of 2024, I CSD 900 – Directed Research Project.
What is the best advice you would give to students?
Communicate! Sharing your knowledge and understanding allows your peers to benefit from group learning and lets your instructor know where you stand. Think about what you need and don't be afraid to ask for help. Communication is a two-way street, so it also means actively listening to and seeking to understand others. why This content is important.
Tell us something that people would be surprised to know about you.
I am hosting a Chinese person Video Channel Together with Yang Lujia, I work to raise awareness about communication science and disorders among Chinese-speaking people in China and around the world. I like cooking, crocheting and singing, and am currently learning to dance.