Macquarie University Speech Clinic
Macquarie University Speech Clinic attracts leaders in the speech pathology profession from across the globe to provide expertise in clinical practice.
Eva Nemeth – Director of Clinical Education
BAppSc(Sp Path), MHlthSc(Hons)
Eva is the inaugural Director of Clinical Education for the Masters of Speech and Language Program at Macquarie University. Eva comes to Macquarie University as a very experienced Speech Pathologist and Clinical Educator. Many hundreds of speech pathologists have been supervised by Eva in their clinical placements. Her commitment to the education of speech pathologists commenced in 1989 when she was employed at Blacktown Hospital to manage the Speech Pathology student unit. In 1990, Eva moved to Parramatta Hospital and two years later relocated to St Joseph’s Hospital at Auburn. Eva was responsible for establishing, organising and running St Joseph’s Hospital student unit that managed the adult medical rehabilitation outpatient department speech pathology services for Western Sydney Area Health Service. Eva has also set up and managed her own private practice.
Eva has presented papers at Speech Pathology Australia Conferences and co-authored book chapters in clinical education texts. Eva’s special area of interest is acquired speech and language disorders following neurological events and clinical education, particularly student difficulties in their clinical placements. She has completed postgraduate research in this area and has been invited to author chapters in textbooks on Clinical Education from which she is currently writing research papers. Eva was the NSW State representative on the National Steering Committee for Speech Pathology Australia which formulated the Competency based Occupational Standards document. She has been a guest lecture for professional practice, aphasia and dysarthria, awarded numerous honorary titles of from both Sydney University and Macquarie University and received the Deidre Russell Service Recognition Award (2007) from the University of Sydney.
Jeannie McDonald – Speech Pathologist / Clinical Educator
BAppSc(Sp Path), MEd Hons
Jeannie has experience working with children from early intervention to adolescence in community health, school and private practice settings. Previously she has worked with adults with neurological disorders in rehabilitation and palliative care. Jeannie has a personal interest in teaching and research and is currently teaching Clinical Linguistics Analysis at Macquarie University. She has worked on research projects investigating treatments for Childhood Apraxia of Speech and the experience of stroke.
Jenny Brown – Speech Pathologist / Clinical Educator
BAppSc(Sp Path)
Jenny has experience in working with children from early intervention to adolescents and has worked for over 15 years in community health settings in Sydney West Area Health Service. This experience has also covered a wide range of service delivery types, including: individual therapy; group therapy; parent training; screening; and consultation with/programming for/training of teaching professionals. Her clinical interests are broad and include school aged language, child voice disorders, stuttering, training parents and language therapy groups. Jenny also has experience in clinical education of undergraduate and graduate entry masters speech pathology students, managing a speech pathology service, team leading, clinical supervision of speech pathologists and in lecturing in professional development topics related to speech pathology. She has also presented clinical papers at professional conferences.
Anna Hearne BSc (SpPath), PhD
Speech Pathologist (Stuttering Specialist)
Anna has been specialising in the treatment of stuttering since commencing her PhD in 2001 at The University of Sydney. Her study focused on developing treatments for adolescents who stutter and investigating the experiences of adolescents who stutter. Her most recent position was that of Clinical Director at the Stuttering Treatment and Research Trust in Auckland, New Zealand. She also teaches at Massey, Auckland and Canterbury Universities in New Zealand. She is a Lidcombe Program Trainers Consortium member and conducts workshops in New Zealand, Australia and Germany.
Judith Rough – B.Sp.Thy, LMus.A (singing performance), Grad Dip Counselling and Communication
Speech Pathologist (Adult Voice Specialist)
Judy has many years of experience as a Speech Pathologist, with a particular interest and expertise in the area of the voice and its disorders. She has pursued this interest in both the public and private sectors during her career, most recently as Senior Speech Pathologist (voice) at St Vincent’s Hospital where she continues to work in addition to her work at Macquarie University Speech Clinic. During her career, Judy has lectured to singers and teachers on how to care for the voice, as well as providing assessment and treatment for a wide variety of complex voice disorders in both the adults and children. She has training in acting from the Ensemble Acting School, training and experience as a freelance classical singer, and continues to perform in Oratorio and concert/recital work. Recognising the close connection between the voice and the emotions, and the need to take a holistic approach to therapy, Judy has completed a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Communicaton. She is also certified to deliver the Lee Silverman Programme. Judy has experience in clinical education, having worked as a clinical educator for four years at the University of Sydney, and prior to that having established and supervised a student unit in a school in the Sutherland Shire.
Sue Sietas – Speech Pathologist / Clinical Educator
BAppSc(Sp Path)
Sue has acquired a wide range of clinical experiences, predominantly in adult neurological disorders and specialising in rehabilitation. She has worked at Royal London Hospital, and in addition to her work with the Macquarie University Speech Clinic, is currently a staff member of the Balmain Hospital Speech Pathology Department. Since 2005, Sue has been the Macquarie University Clinical Educator at Balmain Hospital. From time to time, Sue also works at Dalcross Private Hospital, Killara. She is an active member of Speech Pathology Australia, and was a NSW Branch Secretary.
Jenny Cole-Virtue - Speech Pathologist / Clinical Educator
MCommDis
Jenny has over 20 years of clinical expertise in communication disorders. Her initial speech pathology education was in the UK and she has practiced extensively in Australia and the UK, including 7 years at the Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospital. She has wide experience with adults who have acquired neurological impairments, and particular experience applying the cognitive neuropsychological approach in their assessment and treatment. In 1994 the UK Health Authority recognised her specialist clinical skills in aphasia at a national level. During the time she taught theory and practice of language assessment and remediation to Speech Pathologists at local, state, national and international level.
In 2003, Jenny completed a Master of Communication Disorders in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University. Her research examined the efficacy of a word-picture language assessment to enable more specific clinical applications to the assessment of aphasia. She published two research papers in Aphasiology as a result of this research. More recently, she has been employed as a research officer / research speech pathologist at the Macquarie University’s Centre for Cognitive Sciences (MACCS), and in the Disability and Community Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney.
Jenny is currently the Clinical Educator based at The Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Ryde. The caseload there consists of individuals with acquired neurological pathologies of traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies.
Christine Taylor – Speech Pathologist
BAppSc(Sp Path)
Christine has over 16 years experience as a practicing speech pathologist and has received international recognition for her clinical research activities in the in the field of acquired speech and language disorders of neurological origin. She was the Director Speech Pathology services at Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney from 1996 – 2008. She has represented speech pathology and allied health at numerous senior Department of Health forums. She was integral in securing a large NHMRC grant between Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Sciences and its industry health partner. Her research interests are in the field of aphasia, cognitive-communication disorders, motor speech disorders, minimally responsive state, severe communication impairment and more recently establishing models of clinical practice within an ICF framework. She is currently the National Executive secretary for the Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment and holds honorary titles with Sydney University and Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Sciences. Christine has extensive experience in the development, coordination and implementation of the Speech Pathology Clinical Education program within a hospital setting and supervised and mentored numerous students throughout her career. She is currently based at Macquarie University within the Masters of Speech and Language Pathology program.
Dr. Elisabeth Harrison - Program Convenor & Senior Lecturer
BAppSc(SpPath), PhD
Elisabeth is the Program Convenor of the Master of Speech and Language Pathology program. She is a member of the new ARC Centre of Excellence that is based in the Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, and is a Principal Investigator on a current NHMRC Program Grant held by the University of Sydney. Her research field is language sciences, specifically stuttering in adults and children. Her recent peer reviewed publications have concerned the mental health of adults who stutter, and the application of evidence based clinical practice in speech pathology. Her current research projects use MEG to investigate the nature of early stuttering, and continue the development of efficient treatments for preschool age children who stutter.
Jenny Banfield - Reception, & Clinical Practicum Administration
Jenny has worked in a variety of situations including banking, education, small business and chiropractic and alternative health clinics where she has gained extensive organisational and administrative experience. She likes to add to her skills regularly and most recently gained a Diploma in Editing and Publishing; an area of personal interest. Most of all she enjoys people contact, the interaction with clients and staff, facilitating the smooth running of the “front desk” and approaches her work with enthusiasm and professionalism.
If you are interested in joining the clinic staff, please contact the Director of Clinical Education, Eva Nemeth, for a confidential discussion on (02) 9850 6877.
Phone: (02) 9850 1450
