Speech pathologists and audiologists with Ph.D. in Brazil: profile from 1976 to 2008.

Background: keeping data about Ph.D.s of speech pathologists and audiologists updated allows the retrieval of what has been developed in these fields of knowledge, besides giving a dimension of the development of the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in our country.

Aim: to analyze the educational background of Brazilian speech pathologists and audiologists with Ph.D. within the period of 1976-2008.

Method: doctorate dissertations presented by Brazilian speech pathologists and audiologists during the period of 1976 (first presentation) to the end of 2008 were selected through information provided by postgraduation offices and also by consulting data published on Plataforma Lattes (online curriculum vitae for professors and scientists). For each finding the following variables were registered: author's gender, year of presentation, educational institution and post-graduate program where the dissertation was developed (according to the areas of knowledge determined by National Council of Scientific and Technological Development) and chosen theme (Language, Hearing and Balance, Motricity and orofacial functions, Voice e Public Health). The statistical analysis involved the description of the selected parameters, a regression analysis to verify increase of Ph.D. presentations, area of development and chosen theme, and application of the chi-square test to verify possible associations.

Results: a total of 504 dissertations were analyzed. The results were: 97.0% of the dissertations were presented by women; State Institutions were chosen by almost half (47.62%) of the speech pathologists and audiologists to obtain their Ph.D.; the Sciences of Life programs were the most prevalent (57.54%); concerning the chosen theme, most of the dissertations were developed in the field of Language (34.52%) and Hearing and Balance (32.34%). The regression analysis indicated an increase of all of the studied variables with significance mostly related to the year of presentation, choice of the area of Applied Human and Social Sciences and Sciences of Life and themes of Language and Motricity and Orofacial functions (p < 0,001). There was also an increase related to the option for Public Institutions, mostly State Institutions(p < 0,001).

Conclusion: there was a significant increase of speech pathologists and audiologists with Ph. D., which enables major insertion of these professionals in research activities and qualified scientific production.