Dr Jenni Oates is an extremely accomplished and world-renowned speech pathologist with over 40 years’ experience as a clinician, researcher and university lecturer in the field of the human voice and its disorders. She is a co-founder of the Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre, a multi-disciplinary diagnostic service for people with voice disorders and middle airway dysfunction. Jenni holds a Masters Degree and a PhD from La Trobe University in addition to her Bachelor’s degree qualifications in speech pathology.
Jenni became a Professor Emeritus in Speech Pathology in the School of Allied Health, at La Trobe University in 2020. She previously held the position of Deputy Dean of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor of Speech Pathology, and School Graduate Research Coordinator for all Allied Health disciplines at La Trobe University where she was responsible for the education of speech pathology students in Victoria in the area of voice for 28 years. She was also Head of the School of Human Communication Sciences at La Trobe 10 years from 2002-2012. Jenni works clinically at the Melbourne Voice Analysis Centre and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.
In recognition of her extensive experience and expertise, Jenni has been invited to give presentations both across Australia and around the world for speech pathologists, voice scientists and laryngologists across a wide variety of voice-related topics. She has published 80+ journal papers and book chapters and presented more than 120 conference papers and workshops in Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Europe and North America. Most of her conference papers have been as an invited speaker. Her major area of clinical and research interest is in voice production and vocal disorders, particularly in professional voice users such as teachers, singers and actors as well as in children and people with neurological conditions. She has a particular interest in the perceptual, acoustic, and endoscopic evaluation of disordered voice and in the management of the voice and communication difficulties experienced by transgender people.
Jenni is a true leader in the voice and laryngology field having inspired and mentored hundreds of speech pathology clinicians and post-graduate researchers over the past 39 years. Along with her impressive academic, clinical and teaching career, Jenni has also been an active contributor to many professional societies including the Australian Voice Association, Speech Pathology Australia, Laryngology Society of Australasia, the Australian Speech Science and Technology Association, the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, and The International Association of Logopaedics and Phoniatrics. She has been on the Board of The Australian Voice Association for 5 years (3years as Vice-President) and the International Association of Logopaedics and Phoniatrics Voice Committee for 6 years. Her sustained outstanding professional and academic activities have been recognised by her award of Life Membership of Speech Pathology Australia and by prestigious appointments as International Opponent for Doctoral candidates at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the University of Lund in Sweden, and the Åbo Akademic University in Finland.