Speak Out June 2021

Fellowship awards announced Speech Pathology Australia recently awarded Dr Mary Claessen, Associate Professor Tanya Serry and Associate Professor Marlene Westerveld with Fellowship Awards in recognition of their significant leadership and contributions to the speech pathology profession. The awards were announced at the Association's recent AGM. Association NEWS

Dr Mary Claessen

Dr Mary Claessen is a speech pathologist, researcher and active member of Speech Pathology Australia with research interests in the disorders of speech, language and literacy, tongue-tie and paediatric feeding. Dr Claessen has demonstrated significant, sustained and outstanding contribution to the speech pathology profession, in particular, through her

of reading in Australia, together with enhancing speech pathology’s relevance and scope of practice of reading instruction and support in schools and clinical settings. Associate Professor Serry’s research and teaching focuses on how to facilitate greater collaboration between educators, parents, speech pathologists and psychologists, as well as ways to de-mystify the science of reading and making information accessible to all in the community, regardless of level of background knowledge. Associate Professor Serry has a longstanding and highly productive research collaboration as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and as a member of the Building Better Readers Research Team, to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and leadership to the speech pathology team, in ensuring the delivery of culturally sensitive teaching practices and the incorporation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teaching within the curriculum. Dr Claessen’s research and relevant publications has informed and supported the profession in their practice with children with disorders of speech, language and literacy. Dr Claessen is recognised by the Education Department of Western Australia and nationally as someone who has consistently provided leadership in research and scholarship through her research interests, developing capabilities of other team members, and dissemination of high impact research. Dr Claessen is a respected and valued colleague who participates in a wide range of voluntary commitments for the speech pathology community at large. Dr Claessen’s sustained contribution to the activities of Speech Pathology Australia is evident, having been involved in accreditation processes, advisory groups, practice document reviews, professional recognition assessments, the JCPSLP Editorial Board, as guest editor for both IJSLP and JCPSLP and the development of the Developmental Language Disorder Professional Learning Project. The Association was pleased to present Dr Mary Claessen with Fellowship, in recognition of her significant and meaningful contribution to the speech pathology profession within Western Australia and nationally, over the past 20 years.

commitment to developing the future profession of graduating clinicians and early career researchers. This is evident through Dr Claessen’s teaching roles, across both undergraduate and graduate entry masters courses, and the supervision of honours and higher degree research students. During Dr Claessen’s time as discipline lead and program director for the undergraduate and graduate entry master courses at Curtin University, Dr Claessen provided effective leadership to the speech pathology team through a number of school and faculty restructures, school and course reviews. Dr Claessen continues to be an active leader within the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. Dr Claessen is currently the only Kooda within the speech pathology team at Curtin University, providing support

Associate Professor Tanya Serry

Associate Professor Tanya Serry is a highly regarded and experienced speech pathologist, with over 35 years’ experience as a clinician, educator, researcher and policy advocate. Associate Professor Serry’s professional work across clinical practice, teaching, research, advocacy and advisory roles has done a great deal to advance the science

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June 2021 | Speak Out