Visiting University of São Paulo (USP)

Yesterday Prof Yvonne Wren and I had a tour around two of the campuses of the University of São Paulo (USP) with Dr Marília Pereira. USP is a large and impressive university - with 97,325 students (2022). We had a tour of the medical museum displaying historic wax models that were used to teach students how to identify different skin diseases. We also visited the Fonoaudiologica [speech-language pathology] Department. The students undertake a 5 year bachelor's degree and are dual qualified in speech pathology and audiology at the end of their degree. We spent time visiting Prof. Haydee's office - and looking at the assessments she had developed (including ABFW) and the ultrasound equipment (including the helmet that I was involved in trialing at Queen Margaret University in the UK in 2006).

Dr Marília Pereira (USP, Brazil), Prof Sharynne McLeod and Prof Yvonne Wren (UK)

Photographs of students who have graduated from USP

Visiting the Historical Museum of the Faculty of Medicine

Fonoaudiologica Department

Ultrasound  helmet that I was involved in trialing at Queen Margaret University in the UK in 2006

Exploring Sao Paulo with Prof Yvonne Wren

Prof Yvonne Wren and I have enjoyed exploring São Paulo - a city of 12 million people. We have also enjoyed the opportunity of  working together on our keynote presentations and other work to support children with speech sound disorders around the world.

Sharynne and Yvonne finalising our keynote presentations

Sharynne and Yvonne with St Paul outside the
Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo

Artwork by Beatriz Milhazes in the Picture Gallery in Transformation exhibition

Artwork at the Museu de arte de São Paulo (MASP) are displayed on crystal plinths
- so that comparisons can be made between the art

Rio de Janeiro - A colourful and friendly city

This is my first trip to South America. I have loved visiting Rio de Janeiro while get over jetlag. It is such a colourful and friendly city celebrating people of all ages and cultures. 

Barbie Marathon on Copacabana Beach

Walking along Ipanema with Tom Jobim composer of "The Girl from Ipanema" :)

Multilingual Brazil - Portuguese, Spanish, English

An Australian Aboriginal churinga in the Museum of Tomorrow - "to be a bridge between what came before and what is yet to come. A concrete link between our visitors and our ethical pillars of Sustainability and Conviviality. It represents the dream of shared by all of us to build the tomorrows that we desire together"

I now travel to Sao Paulo for the FORL conference (https://www.congressoforl.org/) where I am a keynote speaker. I was invited to visit Brazil as a keynote speaker in 2011, 2020, and 2022, but each time health and family issues have prevented me visiting. Finally, I have made it. I am so pleased to be here.