Facial Nerve Paralysis: How Can Therapists and Surgeons Collaborate?

Presented by Sarah Baar, Emily Wilson, and G. Nina Lu

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Speech Scope: Facial Nerve Paralysis: How Can Therapists and Surgeons Collaborate?(Episode 26)

Audio Runtime: 60 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 21 Minutes

Dr. Nina Lu, MD, facial plastic surgeon and director of the Facial Nerve Center at the University of Washington, and Emily Wilson, MS, CCC-SLP, a facial therapist and lecturer at UW, join host Sarah Baar for an eye-opening look at interdisciplinary care for facial nerve paralysis. Sarah dives into this underexplored topic with curiosity, asking how therapists and surgeons can truly partner in meaningful ways. Together, they unpack what collaboration looks like in practice, explore evidence-based approaches to facial retraining, and reflect on the power of aligning goals with patient priorities. If you’ve ever wondered where facial therapy fits into your scope—or how to build bridges across disciplines—this conversation is for you.

Learning Outcomes

Analyze the evidence around individualized treatment planning for facial paralysis resulting from peripheral nerve injury
Determine the situations in which interdisciplinary collaboration enhances patient outcomes in facial nerve rehabilitation
Solve patient case scenarios involving peripheral facial nerve paralysis by applying collaborative treatment planning between therapists and surgeons

This is an audio-only course. Additional materials are available for download within the course. To receive continuing education credit, complete the course and the accompanying quiz.

Meet your instructors

Person with shoulder-length hair and hoop earrings stands smiling in a room with a patterned wall, promoting medbridge.

Sarah Baar

Sarah Baar is a speech-language pathologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has had the opportunity to work in many settings across the care continuum, including acute care, acute rehab, home and community, and outpatient therapy, and has been involved in various leadership projects. In 2016, she started the Honeycomb Speech…

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Emily Wilson

Emily Wilson, MS, CCC-SLP received her Master of Science in Medical Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Washington and completed her clinical fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington and works as a…

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G. Nina Lu

Dr. Lu is an associate professor and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon within the department of Otolaryngology at the University of Washington. She completed her fellowship training in facial plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins with expertise in the treatment of facial paralysis. She completed her Otolaryngology…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Facial Nerve Paralysis: How Can Therapists and Surgeons Collaborate?

Join Dr. Nina Lu and SLP Emily Wilson as they team up with host Sarah Baar to explore how collaborative care between therapists and surgeons is changing the game for patients with facial nerve paralysis.