Staff profiles

Melanie Packer

Lecturer/ Placement Coordinator in Speech and Language Therapy

Melanie Packer has always demonstrated a keen interest in communication. After graduating from Goldsmiths’ College, University of London, in 1994, Melanie spent a number of year working for television companies based in Birmingham. In 2000, Melanie’s interest shifted from the media to human communication. By 2006, Melanie had...

Kiri Pointon-Bell

Lecturer in Dietetics

Kiri joined BCU after working for the British Dietetic Association (BDA) as their Policy Officer for Professional Development. In this role she supported the dietetic profession across the UK in various aspects of professionalism, digitalisation and also led a key project on safe workload and safe staffing levels for NHS...

Dr Hazel Richards

Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy

Hazel is a registered Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) who worked in NHS for over 20 years as a specialist SLT, with a focus on complex special needs including AAC (alternative and augmentative communication), dysphagia, CAMHS, and multi-disciplinary working. She completed a Level 5 Institute of Leadership and Management...

Tracey Righton

Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy (Acquired Disorders)

Tracey returned to Birmingham City University as a Senior Lecturer in 2016, having previously lectured at BCU (University of Central England) from 1995 to 2000. She qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 1988, since qualification she has worked in the NHS and in independent practice and lectured as a Speech and...

Gillian Rudd

Senior Lecturer and Joint Programme Lead (MSc Speech and Language Therapy)

Gillian has extensive experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of communication needs and additional expertise in supporting children and adults presenting with fluency disorders. She promotes a person-centred, solution-focused approach in both her teaching and practice. Gillian is actively engaged...

Emily Sharp

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Emily completed a Speech and Language Therapy degree at Birmingham City University in 2014. She has now gained a place on the University’s Graduate Teaching Assistant scheme which involves undertaking a PhD and teaching undergraduate students. Emily’s PhD is looking at the risk factors associated with voice problems in teachers...

Aydan Suphi

Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy

Aydan worked as a Speech and Language Therapist in the NHS for over 20 years, before moving to higher education in 2012. Her clinical experience includes working with children and young people with language disorders, people with complex needs, including down syndrome, and people from diverse cultural and linguistic...

Olga Woodward

Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy

Olga has been working within the paediatric speech and language therapy field since graduating from BCU in 2008. Olga has a broad range of experience within the paediatric field; having worked in community clinics, mainstream schools, special schools and residential settings for young people with learning disabilities...

Dr Melissa Wright-Khan

Senior Lecturer in Clinical Linguistics

Melissa joined the department of Speech and Language Therapy as a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Linguistics in 2006. She is an expert in the Phonetics-Interaction interface having gained a PhD in this area from the University of York in 2005, and has published and presented her research worldwide. She has an MA in Phonetics...