Speak Out February 2021 DIGITAL EDITION

Branch News

Get to Know your new Branch Vice Chair VIC BRANCH HAS A BRAND NEW VICE CHAIR AND WE CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO MEET HER. SHE LOVES NICE WINE AND CHEESE AND DIGS NEUROIMAGING TEXTS. INTRODUCING THE DELIGHTFUL AND ACCOMPLISHED SOPHIE GRIFFIN.

Victoria

What made you join Branch originally? I was looking for opportunities to engage with the broader speech pathology community and thought Vic Branch would be great to network with other speech pathologists, and engage in activities to promote our profession. What is it about Vice Chair that attracted you to volunteer for the position? After being part of the Member Engagement Committee in 2020, I was keen to take on a bigger role in 2021. Vice Chair offered more responsibility and an opportunity to improve my leadership skills and promote the value of Branch to members. What sorts of things is Vice Chair responsible for? Supporting the Branch Chair to coordinate monthly meetings and ensure that the needs of Branch members are met. What is your speech pathology role like? What’s the most rewarding thing about your job? I work with adults in the inpatient setting at St Vincent’s Hospital. The most rewarding part about my job is working with patients and families from diverse cultural and social backgrounds to achieve individualised goals. I enjoy the clinical diversity of my role and being a key member in a multidisciplinary team. What’s your favourite meal or type of food? Do you have a favourite restaurant or café? I really love a cheeseboard with a glass of wine!

Do you have any hobbies or talents we should know about? Any new skills gained over the iso period? In winter I really enjoy skiing up at the snowfields. I grew up in a small town near Mt Buller and skied on weekends. What’s your favourite place to holiday and why? I would have to say anywhere in Europe during the summer time. Some of my favourite trips were spent exploring Paris, travelling around the Greek islands and venturing up to the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Do you have any pets? If so, what’s the funniest or most adorable thing they’ve ever done? I don’t have any pets because I live in a small apartment—but I do have plenty of plant babies! What was the last speech pathology text you read, and what did you find most helpful or interesting about it? Currently I’m working with a neuro caseload and reading articles related to neuroimaging. I’m using this information to assist with diagnosing communication breakdown in patient presentations. So, any big plans for Victoria Branch in 2021 that you can share now? We’re hoping to improve collaboration between metropolitan and regional Branch members, engage more members in social events, and continue to highlight the wonderful work we do as a profession. 2021 will be an exciting year. Stay tuned!

VIC 2879 members as at January 2021

Sophie Griffen in Ios, Greece at sunset.

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February 2021 | Speak Out