Gillian Rudd
Senior Lecturer and Joint Programme Lead (MSc Speech and Language Therapy)
- Email:
- gillian.rudd@bcu.ac.uk
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 who stammer and/or clutter. She promotes a person-centred, solution-focused approach in both her teaching and practice.
Gillian is actively engaged with local and national specialist and professional networks and is keen to support student involvement in activities across the profession. She is also a member of the Speech and Language Therapy Admissions Team, supporting student recruitment through interviews, Open Days and events.
Current Activity
Gillian is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Health Practice (DHealth) at Birmingham City University, focusing on perspectives and experiences of waiting in children’s speech and language therapy services. Alongside this she is actively involved in national campaigning to improve speech and language therapy support and services for individuals with communication differences, difficulties and disabilities, including:
- Giving evidence to the Modernisation Committee on behalf of the Inclusive Parliament coalition in June 2025
- Being a member of the Invest in SLT campaign team. Key achievements have included reaching over 13,000 signatures on the petition to Government, securing a Government debate in January 2025, meeting Minister Stephen Kinnock in March 2025, being shortlisted for an Advancing Healthcare Award and being shortlisted for a Memcom award.
Areas of Expertise
- Working with individuals who present with stammering and/or cluttering
- Patient and public involvement and co-production in service design and delivery across contexts
- Policy development and implementation
- Activism, campaigning and influencing
- Professional practice
Qualifications
- MEd (with commendation) – Academic Practice in Higher Education from Birmingham City University (2017)
- BSc (Hons) Speech Pathology and Therapy from Manchester Metropolitan University (2005)
Memberships
- Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)
- Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- Member of the RCSLT Professional Practice and Policy Committee (2022 - 2025)
- Member of the Stammering Clinical Excellence Network (CEN)
- Volunteer for the British Stammering Association (STAMMA), running the Research Arena sessions since 2021 (previously serving as a Trustee between 2018 - 2024)
- Trustee and Vice Chair for The Lily Mae Foundation (2024 - present)
Teaching
- Pre-registration MSc AHP courses on the shared framework, including the MSc Speech and Language Therapy, MSc Dietetics, MSc Physiotherapy, MSc Therapeutic Radiography and MSc Occupational Therapy
- BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy
- Speech and Language Therapy (Degree Apprenticeship) - BSc (Hons)
- Return to Practice – Speech and Language Therapy
Publications
Lead author for the RCSLT (2025) A profession under pressure: speech and language therapy retention and waiting times (July 2025). Available at: https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/A-profession-under-pressure-SLT-retention-and-waiting-times.pdf [Accessed 20 July 2025]
Contributor to RCSLT (2025) Briefing on the Invest in SLT petition 27 January 2025. Accessed at: https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Briefing-for-Invest-in-SLT-petition-debate-January-2025-1.pdf [Accessed 31 July 2025]
Rudd, G. And Howells, K. (2024) Research Arena. RCSLT Bulletin, Summer 2024 (Issue 839), pp48-49.
Hodges, T., Minto-Simpson, L., Melville, K., Murphy, D., Rudd, G. and Packer, M. (2023) ‘The development of the self-aware health professional’. Talk presented at the AdvanceHE NET 2023 conference, Liverpool, UK, 5 December 2023.
Melville, K., Murphy, D., Hodges, T., Minto-Simpson, L., Packer, M. and Rudd, G. (2023) ‘Supporting the development of professional identity in pre-registration speech and language therapy students’. Talk presented at the RCSLT Conference 2023 (online), 2 November 2023.
Minto-Simpson, L., Melville, K., Murphy, D., Hodges, T., Packer, M. and Rudd, G. (2023) ‘Developing self-aware practitioners to counterbalance uncertainty in healthcare’. Talk presented at the National Association of Educators in Practice conference, Birmingham, UK, 12 October 2023.
Contributor to the RCSLT (2022) Position Statement on automated telephone services. Available at: https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Automated-telephone-services-statement.pdf [Accessed 31 July 2025]
Harford, D., Hermon, S., Rudd, G. and RCSLT (2021) ‘The UK Government must build back better, not just build back’. Statement on behalf of Dave Harford, Steve Hermon, Gillian Rudd and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, 30 September 2021. Available at: https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Formal-response-to-Govt-September-2021-FINAL.pdf [Accessed 31 July 2025]
Harford, D., Rudd, G. and RCSLT (2021) Joint statement on the Government response to the petition: Fund improved support for people with communication and swallowing needs. Available at: https://www.rcslt.org/news/joint-statement-on-the-government-response-to-the-petition-fund-improved-support-for-people-with-communication-and-swallowing-needs/ [Accessed 31 July 2025]
Sowter, J., Jansen, W. and Rudd, G. (2021) ‘They share their stories, so we should share ours." Humanising student recruitment through collaboration with Experts by Experience. Talk presented at the AdvanceHE NET 2021 Conference (online), September 1 2021
Jansen, W. and Rudd, G. (2019) ‘Using Forum Theatre to support the development of evidence-based practice in student speech and language therapists’. Poster presented at the AdvanceHE NET2019 Conference, September 4, 2019.
Supporting author for the RCSLT (2017) CQ Live guidance on ‘Communications technology’ and ‘Risk management’. Available at: www.rcslt.org [Accessed 04 December 2018]
Peer reviewer for the RCSLT (2017) CQ Live guidance on ‘Safeguarding and speech and language therapy’. Available at: www.rcslt.org [Accessed 04 December 2018]
Rudd, G. and Taylor-Goh, S. (2017) 'Investigating clinical reasoning in first year speech and language therapy students using thinking-aloud'. RCSLT Conference: Speech and Language Therapy - Maximising impact. (Poster presentation). Glasgow, UK, 27-28 September 2017.
Jenkins, H. and Rudd, G. (2015) 'Enhancing the employability of BCU speech and language therapy students in working with people who stammer: a University and NHS collaboration'. Safer Care Conference. Birmingham, UK, 25 June 2015.
Rudd, G. and Jenkins, H. (2014) 'Enhancing Student Employability: The Camperdown Program. RCSLT Conference: Mind the Gap: Putting research into practice'. (Poster presentation). Leeds, UK, 17-18 September 2014