Jennifer Wadds
BA (Hon), MHSc, Reg. CASLPO, SAC(C)
Jennifer Wadds is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Clinical Education in the Department of Speech‑Language Pathology at the University of Toronto. She is a registered speech‑language pathologist with extensive experience as a clinician, clinical educator, academic leader, and professional advocate. Since joining the University of Toronto in 2013, she has led and coordinated clinical education experiences across Ontario, nationally, and internationally, working closely with academic faculty, community partners, and clinical sites to support high‑quality, equitable student learning.
Jennifer’s professional career spans pediatric and adult rehabilitation, with a focus on pediatric speech, language and feeding and swallowing disorders in interdisciplinary care settings across hospital, community, and private practice settings. In addition to her academic role, she served as Interim Director of Speech‑Language Pathology and Communication Health Assistants at Speech‑Language and Audiology Canada, where she provides national leadership on professional standards, competency frameworks, and emerging practice issues. Her work is grounded in advancing excellence, sustainability, and innovation in speech‑language pathology education and practice.
Research & Scholarly Activities
Jennifer’s scholarly work focuses on clinical education, professional competency development, and health‑services delivery in speech‑language pathology. She has contributed to national initiatives aimed at strengthening assessment of clinical competence, including the development and evaluation of the Canadian Assessment of Clinical Competence (ACC) for speech‑language pathology and audiology students. Her research interests also include the use of simulation in health professions education, pediatric feeding and dysphagia service delivery, interprofessional education, and workforce development across rehabilitation professions.
Through her academic and national leadership roles, Jennifer contributes to applied research, program evaluation, and knowledge mobilization that informs educational policy, accreditation standards, and professional practice. She collaborates on multi‑institutional and interdisciplinary research teams examining clinical service delivery models, workforce readiness, and competency‑based education across academic and clinical contexts. Her scholarly activities emphasize translating evidence into practical tools, frameworks, and guidance that support learners, educators, clinicians, and health systems.
Research Foci:
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Clinical education and competency‑based assessment
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Simulation in health education
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Pediatric feeding and dysphagia service delivery
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Workforce development and professional standards in speech‑language pathology
Teaching, Funding & Awards
Jennifer teaches and leads clinical education across the speech‑language pathology graduate curriculum, with a strong focus on preparing students for ethical, competent, and reflective clinical practice. She is the course instructor for Introduction to Principles of Clinical Practice, Clinical Skills Laboratory and the first clinical internship courses, and has previously taught Child Language. Her teaching emphasizes experiential learning, simulation, competency‑based assessment. Through strong partnerships with clinical educators and practice sites, Jennifer supervises and supports graduate students across diverse clinical settings and contributes to faculty‑wide initiatives to advance excellence in clinical teaching.
Active Research Funding:
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Wadds, J (Co‑recipient), Start Strong Together, Toronto District School Board, 2025–2026
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Collaborator, Transforming Health Services, Policy and Education, NFRF‑T, 2026 (application)
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Collaborator, Leveraging Rapidly Evolving Virtual Care in Rehabilitation (REVIR), CIHR Team Grant, 2026 (application)
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Collaborator, Pediatric Speech‑Language Pathology (SLP) Service Delivery in Saskatchewan, SHRF Align Grant, 2025 (application)
- 2018- 2023 | Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Swallowing Disorders, Canada Research Chairs Programs (Research Award)