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Speak Out June 2013 3
W HAT AN HONOUR it has been
to hold the position of National
President of Speech Pathology
Australia for the past three and a half years.
During that time I have had the opportunity
to work closely with so many talented
people, to participate in and promote the
countless exciting projects and initiatives
undertaken by the Association and to
witness firsthand the dedication, innovation
and passion of our members. It has been
an absolute privilege.
But all good things must come to an end
and in September this year I will step down
from this role. I am absolutely delighted
to announce that Professor Deborah
Theodoros will be taking up the baton and
will move into the role of National President
from 1 September 2013.
Deborah will already be well known to
many of you through her distinguished
career in academic leadership and
research. But, for those of you less familiar
with Deborah’s work, I would like to take
this opportunity to introduce you to your
President-elect.
Deborah is currently Professor and
Head of Speech Pathology at the
University of Queensland. Her academic
career spans almost 18 years, half of
which has been spent as Head of the
Division of Speech Pathology. Prior to
this, she held clinical positions as a
speech pathologist and an audiologist
at major metropolitan hospitals and as
a speech pathologist in private practice.
Deborah is a founder and co-director
of the multidisciplinary Telerehabilitation
Research Unit within the University of
Queensland. Her program of research in
telerehabilitation has placed Australia at the
forefront of this field in speech pathology
and identified Deborah as a leading expert
in the area. Deborah also has a keen
interest in the application of simulated
learning in speech pathology and has
been active in leading investigation in this
important arena.
Deborah’s leadership, teaching and
research skills are highly regarded. She
has over 140 publications and book
chapters, and three books to her name.
She is in demand as a national and
international speaker and holds several
high level strategic appointments within
Australia and abroad.
I’m sure you will agree that Deborah’s
breadth of experience across clinical,
teaching, research and leadership domains
means she is well connected to the
everyday experiences of contemporary
speech pathologists as well as to the
political and strategic climate we operate in.
This places her in an ideal position to lead
the Association.
Welcome Deborah.
Chris Stone
National President
From our President
Deborah Theodoros
Chris Stone