Rate My Professor Jemma Skeat

Jemma Skeat is an Associate Professor and Discipline Lead for Speech Pathology in the Faculty of Health, School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University. She serves as Director of the Master of Speech Pathology course, leading its development and teaching across the program, with particular interests in student professional practice and competency development. Skeat holds a PhD from La Trobe University, awarded in 2006, and undertook postdoctoral research training at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, focusing on population health and health services. Her career history encompasses roles as Senior Lecturer and Clinical Program Lead in Speech Pathology at the University of Melbourne; Senior Lecturer in Health Professions Education (Assessment) at Deakin University's School of Medicine, where she acted as academic lead for student assessment; and prior contributions to speech pathology clinical practice and outcome measurement development.

Skeat's research specializations include health professions education, clinical learning, student learning and assessment in higher education settings, qualitative research methods, student collaboration and co-design, and speech pathology outcomes following interventions such as stroke rehabilitation and preschool language delay programs. An experienced qualitative researcher open to mixed methods, she has over 1,700 citations on Google Scholar. Key publications include 'Navigating life after laryngectomy: a qualitative study on adjustment and distress in the first 6 months following surgery' (2026, with P. Chapman et al.); 'Two-Year Outcomes of a Population-Based Intervention for Preschool Language Delay' (2015, Pediatrics); 'Improving outcomes of preschool language delay in the community: Protocol for the Language for Learning randomised controlled trial' (2012, BMC Pediatrics); 'Outcomes of speech-language pathology following stroke: Investigation of inpatient rehabilitation and rehabilitation in the home programs' (2008); and 'Speech and Language in the Early Years: a nested study of the Linking Schools & Early Years project' (2010). She has received the Vice Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Employability (Deakin University, 2022), Head of School Team Excellence Award for the Learning and Teaching Committee (2020), and School of Health Sciences Excellence in Learning and Teaching Award (2018). Skeat has delivered invited presentations and co-presented workshops at international conferences including ASHA, APEC-SLP, and IASLT on topics such as telehealth supervision, clinical education, evidence-based practice, and outcome measures like AusTOMs. She has co-authored policy submissions for Speech Pathology Australia on NDIS eligibility, school services caseloads, and access to justice for people with disabilities.