Keynote
Dr Michelle Swift is a Senior Lecturer in the Speech Pathology Program at Adelaide University and Principal Speech Pathologist - Stuttering and Cluttering at Elcies Speech Pathology. Her work includes research on stuttering treatment processes, social anxiety in people who stutter, cluttering, and implementation of research evidence into clinical practice. Her combination of research and clinical expertise has enabled rapid translation of evidence into practice and informed the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
She has delivered invited professional development programs, including national training on cluttering for Speech Pathology Australia. Her 2023 Speech Pathology Australia podcast on cluttering has been downloaded more than 4,900 times, demonstrating significant reach beyond academia.
Through sustained contributions to research, policy, clinical practice and workforce development, Dr Swift has established a strong reputation as a leader in stuttering and cluttering research and service innovation in Australia.
Sue trained and worked as an occupational therapist before completing a master’s in public health. Following her Master's degree, she worked as a research fellow in the Department of Primary HealthCare at the University of Otago (Wellington) for many years before taking up a role as a Senior Lecturer.
She started a part-time PhD in 2024 focusing on cluttering, inspired by the difficulty with identifying and obtaining a diagnosis of cluttering for her eldest child.