Our Board of Directors

Lia has over 30 years’ experience as an audiologist, having graduated from the University of Queensland in 1992, with most of those years spent in paediatric audiology and cochlear implants.

She is the Director Audiology at Children’s Health Queensland, managing a large and diverse team, and various audiology services including paediatric ENT, infant diagnostics, targeted surveillance, hearing screening, inpatient and outpatient diagnostics, and hearing implants. Lia also sits on a range of state-wide Audiology and Allied Health Committees and National Audiology Working Groups.

She has a keen interest in digital health and the use of outcomes data to drive both quality and service improvement.

Emma has a diverse professional background. She has a Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Master of Clinical Audiology, PhD in “Psychologically Informed Practice in Hearing Healthcare: Perspectives and Needs of Clients and Audiologists”, and additional psychotherapy training. She has worked as a clinician, researcher, and educator, in university, non-profit and private organisations.

Emma is passionate about continuing professional development and finding innovative ways of bringing these training opportunities to members.

Catherine is an audiologist with more than 30 years’ experience in the hearing care and rehabilitation of adults and children, including clinic management and clinical quality and compliance roles

As the Adult Specialist Clinical Leader at Hearing Australia, she is responsible for supporting clinical training, service delivery, practice standards and outcomes for adults with complex hearing and communication needs, including those with poor communication ability or other disabilities in addition to hearing loss.

Her primary areas of interest include aural rehabilitation for adults with significant hearing loss, clinical quality and governance, tinnitus and hyperacusis management, clinical learning and development, NDIS services and supports, supporting clients living with dementia, and designing individual communication training programs based on client needs.

Prior to his career in audiology, Luke worked as an Aboriginal health worker for a number of years within regional Western Australia and provided policy and clinical support for WA’s peak body for Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.

As a Noongar man, Luke’s understanding of unique cultural perspectives has enabled him to help shape culturally respectful and effective policies and strategies. He has been involved in developing policies that align with the health needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Luke is passionate about improving awareness of audiology as a much-needed health service and making audiology more accessible for all Australians.

She led the development of primary health ear check recommendations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and took part in development of the PLUM listening skills checklist.

Sam has a Postgraduate Diploma of Audiology and completed a Master of Public Health with a specialisation in Aboriginal health and wellbeing in 2018.

Paola has been a Senior Research Audiologist at the National Acoustic Laboratories since 2009. Her work focuses on improving the effectiveness of hearing devices across the lifespan, leading government-funded studies that inform national policy and support equitable hearing care. Her research spans cochlear implants, hearing aids, bimodal fittings and implementation science.

Paola completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne and has earlier experience across clinical, government, non-profit and commercial sectors, including roles with Cochlear, Hearing Australia and the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre. A long-standing member of Audiology Australia, she brings a balanced perspective shaped by 26 years in clinical and research environments, with a strong commitment to connecting evidence, policy and real-world practice to improve outcomes for people with hearing differences.

Jan is deeply passionate about the education and professional development of clinicians, holding a Master of Education and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, to support excellence in clinical care and hearing health outcomes. She has also completed the Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) qualification, further strengthening her ability to bring meaningful insight, governance expertise and strategic value to the Board.

Her current research interests include the real-world challenges and audiological outcomes for adults with hearing impairment, the implementation of family-centred care in audiological practice, vestibular function in older adults with hearing impairment, and mHealth/teleaudiology.