Speak Out August 2019 Digital Edition

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topics, including broad areas of voice, transsexual issues, teacher and occupational voice disorders. Professor Oates has written and co-authored book chapters in the areas of voice and communication therapy, transsexualism, international perspectives on voice disorders and evidence based practice. She has co-authored numerous research articles in national and international publications and has been an invited editor for special journal issues. Jenni has been awarded significant research grants by several funding bodies, including the Australian Research Council, in areas including transsexual voice training, voice care for teachers, voice disorders in children, voice analysis, laryngeal function and laryngectomee. Outside of the university Jenni has been Honorary Speech Pathologist in the ENT Voice Clinic at Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Speech Pathology Practitioner and Co-Director at the Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre. Jenni has initiated and developed online voice care programs. She has raised public awareness of Speech Pathology particularly in areas of voice, laryngectomy and transgender issues through presentations at conferences and in-services in associated professions, including teachers, actors, singers and others at the Victorian College of the Arts. Jenni has promoted the needs and rights of the transgender community at local, national and international levels. With the many professional hats Jenni has worn over the past four decades, and continues to wear, she is a true ambassador for the profession. Professor Deborah Theodoros

Tricia has demonstrated sustained excellence and impact through educational leadership and teaching of speech pathology students spanning two decades. Her Discipline and Course leadership has provided strong governance and developed the skills of her teaching and research teams. Tricia’s several national, university and faculty teaching awards demonstrate both her outstanding skills in curriculum development and teaching, and the esteem with which these skills are viewed. Life Membership LIFE MEMBERSHIP IS THE HIGHEST PUBLIC PROFESSIONAL HONOUR THE ASSOCIATION AWARDS TO MEMBERS AND IS AWARDED TO SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTED SERVICE TO THE ASSOCIATION AND PROFESSION OVER MANY YEARS. In 2019 the Association was proud to award Life Membership to two exceptional members of the Association. Professor Jennifer Oates Professor Jennifer (Jenni)

Oates has been a member of Speech Pathology Australia for more than forty-two years and has demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment, dedication and contribution to the speech pathology profession since graduating as a speech pathologist in 1976. From the inception of her professional career Jenni has been a clinician and an academic educator. With her dedication to learning and research, her reputation as a teacher has grown exponentially.

Graduating as a speech pathologist in 1973 and completing her Honours in Audiology in 1974, Professor Deborah (Deb) Theodoros joined as a member of Speech Pathology Australia in 1977 and has held consistent membership for over forty years. Following almost 20 years working in clinical roles, Deb returned to academic study in the late 80s completing her Doctor of Philosophy in 1994.

Professor Oates has had extensive involvement in managing health and education services at LaTrobe University. Since commencing as a Senior Tutor in the School of Communication Disorders in 1982, Jenni has held several diverse academic roles, including Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, School Graduate Research Coordinator, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Deputy Chair – LaTrobe University Higher Degrees by Research Committee, Chair of the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee and Head of the School of Human Communication Sciences. Jenni is currently Professor and Head of the Discipline of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. It is a bold but true statement to say that almost every speech pathologist trained in Victoria since 1978 knows Jenni. She was instrumental in establishing voice and transgender clinics at La Trobe University and the Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre. Her work within and across faculties has benefited Speech Pathology Students and clients. Internationally, Professor Oates has been an Invited Faculty Opponent for doctoral theses in both Finland and Sweden and has maintained relationships as Adjunct Professor in Speech Language Therapy at the University of New Zealand. Jenni’s extensive conference presentations, invited papers, invited plenary papers and keynote addresses cover a very wide range of

Since this time, Deb has made numerous outstanding contributions to the evidence-base of the profession and is recognised globally as a research leader. Professor Theodoros has published prolifically over the past 25 years, amassing three text books in areas of speech pathology practice, 38 text book chapters relating to various assessment, management and service delivery models in speech pathology practice, and published more than 140 refereed journal articles in leading journals. Deb has an established program of research across two distinct but intersecting areas, “The management of motor speech and voice disorders, involving the use of intensive treatment protocols” and, “The development and validation of telerehabilitation applications in speech pathology.” The global standing of Professor Theodoros is supported by numerous research metrics. Deb is recognised within research databases to be the leading speech pathology researcher in the world in the area of telerehabilitation, based on number of publications. According to the Web of Knowledge Citation database, six of her articles are represented in the top ten most cited articles for “telerehabilitation and Speech

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August 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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