Director | Speech Pathologist

Southern Highlands

Certified Practising Speech Pathologist and Founder of Empower Health Collective.

Mikaela is a Certified Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia. She is also a PhD candidate and lecturer at The University of Sydney, where her research focuses on improving collaboration and continuity of care in cleft speech services.

Mikaela works at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as part of the Cleft and Craniofacial team and has clinical experience across public health, private practice, and global outreach. She has volunteered internationally with Global Smile Foundation, providing cleft speech services in underserved regions and training local clinicians.

Her passion for cleft and craniofacial care, combined with a commitment to evidence-based and family-centred practice, inspired her to establish Empower Health Collective as a place where like-minded professionals can collaborate and provide high-quality services.

Mikaela has broad experience across speech, language, feeding, swallowing, and communication disorders, with a particular interest in cleft palate speech, velopharyngeal dysfunction, and interdisciplinary teamwork. She is equally dedicated to mentoring and supervising clinicians, helping to build confidence and capability in this highly specialised area of practice.