Dr Jane Bickford
Senior Lecturer
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Jane is a passionate educator, researcher and certified practising speech pathologist.
She teaches in the Bachelor and Master of Speech Pathology programs and is currently the Associate Dean Learning and Teaching (Quality and Innovation) for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Jane has extensive experience in curriculum design and accreditation processes. Jane has a growing research track record with primary supervision of 6 higher degree students and over 20 honours student completions. She has worked in a range of clinical and community settings, with diverse populations in both Australia and the UK. Her academic and research interests include occupational voice, communicative competence and self-identity and social participation, therapeutic communication skill development, allied health advanced scope of practice and service redesign, speech pathology in youth justice and schools, 'consumer voice' in complex health care delivery and research and functional outcomes after head and neck cancer and altered airways. Jane has expertise in qualitative methodology and knowledge translation but also supports mixed methods projects.
Jane's clinical experience inspired her to pursue her PhD. Her project focused on the experience of living with and supporting individuals with total laryngectomy. She received the Vice Chancellor's Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. Jane has published her research and scholarship in high quality journals and been successful with external competitive grants.
Jane's teaching excellence was recognised in 2025 with Senior Fellow for Advance HE and a VPED Team Award in 2024. She routinely mentors and supports fellow academics and clinicians who are looking to make a difference in their education and or clinical practice. She values partnering with clinicians to build their knowledge and skills in applied research to improve clinical outcomes.
PhD
BAppSc (Speech Pathology)
Foundation Cert (Psychotherapy and Counselling)
Awards:
Vice Chancellor's Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence - 2016
Vice President Executive Dean's Education Award - 2017
Silver Flame Leadership Award - 2023
Vice President Executive Dean's Team Award - 2024
Senior Fellow Advance HE - 2025
Grants:
Refer to research profile
Associate Dean Learning and Teaching (Quality and Innovation)
Topic Coordinator
Specialist Teacher
- Human voice
- Communication and swallowing in head and neck cancer and altered airways
- Therapeutic communication skill development
- Voice care and knowledge in teachers
- Mental Health and speech pathology practice
- Social Determinants of Health and speech pathology practice
- First Year Experience
Professional membership
- Certified Practising Member, Speech Pathology Australia
- Current member, Australian Voice Association
- Current member, Laryngology Society of Australasia
Teaching related committees
- Member, Educational Technology Alignment Program (ETAP) Board - College representative 2018-2019
- Member, Student Portal (Compass) Committee - College representative 2018-current
- Member, First Year Teaching & Transition Advisory Group (FYTTAG) 2012-2016
- Member, First Year Community of Practice (FYCoP)
- Member, School of Health Sciences First Year Transition Group
- Staff representative, Bachelor of Speech Pathology Course Review, 2012
Research related committees
- Member, Bachelor Speech Pathology Honours Committee 2012-2014
- Postgraduate student representative, Faculty Research Committee (FRC), Faculty Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Flinders Univ – 2014
Community engagement
- Member, Speech Pathology Australia Conference Planning Committee, 2018
- Lead, Scientific Planning Committee for 2018 Adelaide SPA Conference
- Regular Speech Pathology Australia Conference paper reviewer
- Peer reviewer, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Head and Neck, Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica
- Regular mentor for students and clinicians regarding clinical voice issues
- Reviewed & advised re: voice referral priorities for SA Health, 2015
- Member, Developmental Screening & Literacy Reference Group Child & Family Health Service, SA 2011-2013
- Member, Scientific Planning Committee, Speech Pathology Conference, 2009
- Previous editor, Voiceprint - Australian Voice Association.
Invited presenter
- Audiology Australia SA Chapter Conference, 2018
- 3rd Laryngology Society of Australasia Conference, 2018
- Launch Head & Neck Patient Guide, SAHMRI, 2018
- Flinders Univ Speech Pathology & Audiology Assoc 25th Anniversary, 2018 (inaugural president)
- Regular Voice care training for professional & trainee professional voice users including Flinders School of Education students
- Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Nurses Group, National Conference 2017
- Audiology Australia Webinar, 2017
- Country SA - Head & Neck Cancer Study Day, 2017
- Laryngology SA ‘Dysphagia & Head Neck Cancer’, 2013
- Paediatric Voice workshop, Women's & Children's Health Network, 2012
In 2025 we celebrated 50 years of speech pathology education in South Australia. Starting at Sturt CAE and now offered at Flinders University, speech pathology education has gone for strength to strength.
https://www.flinders.edu.au/about/history/50-years-of-speech-pathology
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
South Australia | Northern Territory
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