Scientific Sub-Committee Co-Chair
Dr Debbie Sell PhD, OBE has had an extensive career as a speech and language therapist clinical-academic in the North Thames Regional Cleft Service, London UK. She is Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Outcomes and Experience Research in Children’s Health, Illness and Disability (ORCHID).
Debbie’s research interests include the development and testing of perceptual speech outcome tools in cleft palate/VPI, used nationally (GOS.SP.ASS.) in the UK and internationally (CAPS-A). She has been involved in multicentre studies of speech outcome including the Eurocleft, the CSAG and CCUK studies and the Americleft study. Her PhD was based on the Sri Lankan Cleft Lip and Palate Project: a study of speech with unoperated or late operated palates. This led to the development of the first training speech therapy course and ultimately profession in Sri Lanka. Her current research includes the investigation, dissemination and implementation of parent-led speech therapy intervention in clinical practice.