Professor Katie McMahon
Faculty of Health,
School of Clinical Sciences
Biography
Professor Katie McMahon is a highly esteemed academic, currently holding the positions of Deputy Director of the Herston Imaging Research Facility and Academic Lead for Research at the School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). With an illustrious career spanning over 27 years in biomedical imaging and analysis, she is a leading authority in her field.Prof. McMahon's groundbreaking research delves into the intricate neurobiology of language, learning, and memory, exploring the profound genetic and environmental influences on brain structure and function. Her pioneering work is pivotal in unraveling the complexities of cognitive system failures associated with conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, and brain tumors. Additionally, she investigates critical behavioral and neurological markers in children with language development challenges, including autism and specific language impairments. Her collaborative efforts extend to examining musculoskeletal function and identifying MRI markers in whiplash injuries.
Beyond her research, Prof. McMahon is a dedicated educator, contributing significantly to undergraduate courses in radiation therapy and medical imaging. She has also developed innovative online professional development courses in MR-guided radiation therapy. Her commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists is evident through her mentorship of numerous higher research degree students.
For those interested in exploring collaborative projects or seeking her expertise, Prof. McMahon welcomes inquiries and discussions.
Personal details
Positions
- Professor
Faculty of Health,
School of Clinical Sciences
Keywords
functional magnetic resonance imaging, neuroimaging, language, genetics, brain development, memory, aphasia
Research field
Clinical sciences, Neurosciences, Cognitive and computational psychology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Queensland)
Professional memberships and associations
Prof. McMahon is a member of several prestigious organizations, including the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Society for Neuroscience, and the Organisation of Human Brain Mapping, National Imaging Facility Scientific Advisory group and Human Imaging Thematic Group; and is an affiliate member of the CRE Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation.
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6357-615X
Teaching
Prof McMahon contributes several guest lectures and practical sessions for Clinical Sciences undergraduate courses (CSH077, CSB059, CBS063). She also contributes to the continuing professional development course in MR-guided radiation therapy.
Experience
Prof McMahon works closely with Queensland Health in many of my research projects, with generous support from philanthropic organisations, such as Cancer Care Queensland, Perpetual and Royal Brisbane Foundation. I am a member of the National Imaging Facility human imaging theme, and scientific advisory committee.
Publications
Research outputs by year
- O'Callaghan, V., Couvy-Duchesne, B., Strike, L., McMahon, K., Byrne, E. & Wright, M. (2021). A meta-analysis of the relationship between subjective sleep and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Sleep Medicine, 79, 134–144. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207929
- de Zubicaray, G., McMahon, K. & Arciuli, J. (2021). A sound explanation for motor cortex engagement during action word comprehension. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 33(1), 129–145. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/204712
- Dissanayaka, N., Forbes, E., Yang, J., Pourzinal, D., O'Sullivan, J., Mitchell, L., Copland, D., McMahon, K. & Byrne, G. (2022). Anxiety disorders are associated with verbal memory impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease without dementia. Journal of Neurology, 269(3), 1600–1609. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/212443
- Zarate, C., Schmaal, L., Rentería, M., other, a., Campos, A., Thompson, P., Veltman, D., Pozzi, E., van Veltzen, L., Jahanshad, N., Adams, M., Baune, B., Berger, K., Brosch, K., Bülow, R., Connolly, C., Dannlowski, U., Davey, C., de Zubicaray, G., Dima, D., Erwin-Grabner, T., Evans, J., Fu, C., Gotlib, I., Goya-Maldonado, R., Grabe, H., Grotegerd, D., Harris, M., Harrison, B., Hatton, S., Hermesdorf, M., Hickie, I., Ho, T., Kircher, T., Krug, A., Lagopoulos, J., Lemke, H., McMahon, K., MacMaster, F., Martin, N., McIntosh, A., Medland, S., Meinert, S., Meller, T., Nenadic, I., Opel, N., Redlich, R., Reneman, L., Repple, J., Sacchet, M., Schmitt, S., Schrantee, A., Sim, K., Singh, A., Stein, F., Strike, L., van der Wee, N., van der Werff, S., Völzke, H., Waltemate, L., Whalley, H., Wittfeld, K., Wright, M. & Yang, T. (2021). Brain Correlates of Suicide Attempt in 18,925 Participants Across 18 International Cohorts. Biological Psychiatry, 90(4), 243–252. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/211515
- Mascelloni, M., McMahon, K., Piai, V., Kleinman, D. & de Zubicaray, G. (2021). Mediated phonological-semantic priming in spoken word production: evidence for cascaded processing from picture-word interference. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74(7), 1284–1294. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207256
- Copland, D., McSween, M., McMahon, K., Maguire, K., Coombes, J., Rodriguez, A. & Erickson, K. (2021). The Acute Effects of Different Exercise Intensities on Associative Novel Word Learning in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 29(5). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/208242
- Iyer, K., Angwin, A., Van Hees, S., McMahon, K., Breakspear, M. & Copland, D. (2020). Alterations to dual stream connectivity predicts response to aphasia therapy following stroke. Cortex, 125, 30–43. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/180797/
- Gauvin, H., McMahon, K. & de Zubicaray, G. (2020). Top-down resolution of lexico-semantic competition in speech production and the role of the left inferior frontal gyrus: An fMRI study. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 36(1), 1–12. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/201326
- Brownsett, S., Ramajoo, K., Copland, D., McMahon, K., Robinson, G., Drummond, K., Jeffree, R., Olson, S., Ong, B. & de Zubicaray, G. (2019). Language deficits following dominant hemisphere tumour resection are significantly underestimated by syndrome-based aphasia assessments. Aphasiology, 33(10), 1163–1181. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/132374
- Gauvin, H., McMahon, K., Meinzer, M. & de Zubicaray, G. (2019). The shape of things to come in speech production: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of visual form interference during lexical access. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31(6), 913–921. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/126931
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Katie, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Selected research projects
- Title
- Predicting and Promoting Aphasia Recovery
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1104194
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
- Aphasia; Stroke Rehabilitation; Speech Pathology; Brain Imaging; Language Impairment
- Title
- A Prospective Study of Language Impairment and Recovery Following Surgery for Brain Tumours
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1079157
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- brain tumours; aphasia; cancer follow-up; cancer sequelae; brain imaging
- Title
- Enhancing Language Learning in Ageing with Exercise
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP160104162
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
- Title
- Concepts and Control in Speech Production
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP150103997
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- Speech Production; Cognitive Neuroscience; Aphasia
- Title
- Neural Mechanisms of Language Facilitation in Aphasia due to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1085272
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- Stroke; Language Impairment; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI); Language Disorders; Stroke Rehabilitation
- Title
- Neurodevelopment during Adolescence: A Longitudinal Imaging Study
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1078756
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- Twins; Brain Imaging; Quantitative Genetics; Adolescent Health; Mental Health
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms for Perceiving and Misperceiving Speech
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Greig de Zubicaray - Exploring the Role of Australian Radiographers in the Quality Use of Medicines
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Lisa Nissen, Professor Debbie Starkey
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.