Dr Alison Ferguson, is Associate Professor in Speech Pathology at The University of Newcastle, Australia. Dr. Ferguson commenced working as a qualified speech-language pathologist 25 years ago in hospital and community settings across the full range of clinical populations. In 1993, Dr. Ferguson took up the inaugural position in speech-language pathology at The University of Newcastle, and was responsible for leading the development and implementation of the first competency-based curriculum for professional qualification in speech pathology, receiving the University of Newcastle Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2000. In 2006, as one of a team of research colleagues, Dr Ferguson received the prestigious national Carrick Award for Australian University Teaching for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning for the development of a valid and reliable national competency assessment for speech pathology students. Dr. Fergusons research has centered on the application of sociolinguistic theory to the task of describing communication disability, with a particular focus on the conversational interaction of people with aphasia. Her research been internationally recognized through a wide range of conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. Dr. Fergusons research explores three interconnecting areas: Speech-Language Pathology, analyzing interaction with people with communication disability in natural and naturalistic contexts; Therapy, looking at how clients interact in speech-language therapy contexts; and Learning, investigating how students learn about the practice of speech-language pathology.
