Ms Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy is a PhD student in early childhood education at the University of Newcastle. 

Her research is focused on the use of telepractice to deliver early intervention services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. Melissa’s interest in this area began with her involvement in RIDBC Teleschool at The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.  Melissa was instrumental in developing this unique program that uses telepractice to provide specialist hearing support to children and families living in rural Australia. 

Melissa received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Vermont and her Master’s degree in Education of the Deaf from Smith College/Clarke School for the Deaf.  She is also a qualified Early Childhood Teacher and an LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist. She has worked in a variety of educational settings in the United States and Australia.

Supervisors: Greg Leigh and Michael Arthur-Kelly