Meet Speech Pathology PhD student Jen Wong

Passionate about using technology to support communication in children, Jen shares her journey into speech pathology and her ongoing PhD research.

Jen (Shui Jen Wong) completed her Bachelor of Science (majoring in Human Structure and Function) and a concurrent Diploma of Computing at the University of Melbourne in 2020. She then went on to complete her Master of Speech Pathology in 2022 before working clinically in both a private practice and a community-based mobile service. Jen started her PhD in 2024 after discovering her passion for working with children who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Why did Jen choose speech pathology?

“I moved to Australia when I was little and, at the time, I was a very shy student. As a result, I had firsthand experience attending speech therapy sessions with a lovely speech pathologist who helped me build my confidence in participating in the classroom. I also have an older brother who continues to attend regular speech therapy, so the field of speech pathology is not unfamiliar to me.

During my undergraduate years, I knew I wanted to work in healthcare and with children, but was unsure about what exactly to pursue. When the opportunity to complete a Master of Speech Pathology presented itself, I remembered all the wonderful speech pathologists I had met throughout my life and decided I wanted to be part of such a caring profession.”

How did she come to start a PhD?

“After I started working, I realised I had a knack for working with technologies like high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). I believe there is so much potential for technology to support those who need it, but we understand so little about how to integrate it meaningfully into our everyday lives. While working clinically, I continued to have many questions about AAC and felt a PhD could help me find some answers.”

Who are her supervisors and what is her PhD about?

“My PhD supervisors are Prof Angela Morgan from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Laureate Prof Ingrid Scheffer at The University of Melbourne and Austin Health. Both are extremely passionate about augmentative and alternative communication and are supporting me in my PhD topic, which examines the efficacy of high-tech AAC.

Since starting my research, I have also developed a passion for working with and advocating for children with childhood dementia (What is Childhood Dementia?). Childhood dementia includes a number rare genetic disorders that cause progressive brain damage, meaning children lose the skills they have learned, including their ability to communicate. It is so important that these children receive timely diagnoses and have the right therapies implemented, such as having access to AAC, so they can continue to communication even when verbal speech is lost.”

What is Jen doing these days?

“At the moment, I’m working closely with the Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation on a study looking at the speech and language profiles of children with Sanfilippo syndrome, one of the more common childhood dementias. I am also working on other projects including a systematic review and the designing of a clinical trial. It has been a busy few months, but I am very excited by the progress we are making.”

What is her experience as a PhD student?

“I have been enjoying my PhD immensely and would like to share how grateful I am for my team, including my supervisors, my advisory committee chair Dr Elaina Kefalianos and committee member Dr Georgie Johnson, as well as the amazing Speech & Language team at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. I have also had the honour of meeting many wonderful collaborators who have provided their support for my research. Being surrounded by so many inspiring people has definitely been a highlight of my PhD.”