CTI Committee

Our committee is made up of Speech and Language Therapists with a range of experiences working in low and middle income countries across the globe. If you are interested in getting more involved, contact us.

Julie is an Emerita Professor of Communication Disability at Manchester Metropolitan University and a Speech and Language Therapist. With over 38 years of experience in the UK and Africa, including in humanitarian settings, she’s passionate about supporting services for people who experience communication disabilities, in under-resourced areas. Julie’s work has focused on building research & service capacity, educating SLTs and others, and promoting culturally responsive support. She is a founder member of CTI.

Having spent 14 years working in Nairobi, Emma has been in the UK since 2014, now working independently. In Kenya, Emma worked in hospitals, volunteered in 4 support groups (for people with aphasia, stammering, laryngectomy and Parkinson’s), supported student SLTs and helped with Kenyan SLT conferences. She has contributed to CTI projects: Working in Less Resourced Settings Guide, workshops, and the online Widgit Critical Care Covid Communication chart. Emma’s interests lie in cultural awareness, decolonising SLT and working together as SLT colleagues globally to benefit PWSLC needs.

Clare works as a paediatric Speech & Language Therapist in Belfast. She became involved with CTI after shadowing a VSO clinic in Uganda as a student and has made two trips to Mexico to support the SLT service in a school for children with cerebral palsy. More recently, she has been involved with the support of AAC development in Cambodia.

Charlie Danger is an OT with an MSc in Language & Communication Impairment. He worked in Qatar for 5 years where he focussed on developing an Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology service. His attempts to understand and embed himself into the many cultures helped him find ways to persuade families and professionals to get on board with AAC, and negotiate through the most unexpected challenges.

Marise Fernandes

Marise has spent 30+ years as a Speech and Language Therapist across the UK, Fiji, Philippines, India, Uganda and USA. With clinical and academic experience, she is committed to creating affordable and sustainable support for people experiencing a communication difficulty in Majority World contexts. Marise’s focus is on public health approaches, individual and system capacity strengthening, interprofessional education and practice, and innovative and decolonised approaches to service delivery.

Natalie Bryan

Natalie is a Speech and Language Therapist working across paediatric and adult teams in South London as a specialist for young people with learning disabilities transitioning between the two services. Prior to this position Natalie also worked for the public health service on the island of Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago) for 3 years where she supported people with a range of speech, language or swallowing difficulties from toddler to end of life.

Emma Cleary

Emma is a Speech and Language Therapist specialist in Mental Health, currently working in CAMHS. She has experience working in humanitarian contexts and teaches English to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

Reem Mohamed

Reem is a speech and language therapy student. Originally from the Middle East, she is particularly interested in contributing to the development of speech and language services in the region. Reem is committed to supporting diverse communities and hopes to make a meaningful impact through culturally informed practice.