Kimberley Docking

Associate Professor Kimberley Docking is Head of the Discipline of Speech Pathology at the Sydney School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, and Director of the NeuroKids Research Laboratory. Her work focuses on improving communication and swallowing outcomes for children with brain cancer, leukemia, and acquired brain injuries. She co-developed the first NHMRC-approved clinical guideline for managing communication/swallowing disorders in childhood cancer survivors. Docking holds a PhD and a BSpPath(Hons 1), and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Her research spans pediatric medical speech pathology, including impacts of tongue-tie, sleep-disordered breathing, and respiratory conditions on communication. She leads multidisciplinary projects involving clinicians, families, and industry partners. Recent grants include Cancer Institute NSW funding for improving cancer care services and advancing international child language research.

Key achievements include co-chairing the Sydney Cancer Conference 2021 (awarded “Consumers Included” status) and publishing over 100 peer-reviewed articles. Her NeuroKids Lab collaborates with Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network to translate research into clinical practice.