Diana Slade

Professor Diana Slade is a leading academic in applied linguistics and healthcare communication at the Australian National University (ANU), where she serves as Director of the ANU Institute for Communication in Health Care (ICH) and the School of Literature, Languages & Linguistics. With a PhD from the University of Sydney and over 30 years of experience, she specializes in linguistics, healthcare communication, and translational research. Her work bridges disciplinary boundaries, focusing on improving clinical communication to enhance patient safety and care quality. Key roles include founding the ANU ICH (2018) and the International Consortium for Communication in Healthcare (IC4CH, 2020), fostering global interdisciplinary collaboration.

Her research spans healthcare communication challenges in emergency departments, clinical handovers, end-of-life care, and chronic disease management. Notable projects include the ACCELERATE trial protocol and interventions targeting bedside handovers. With $6.9M AUD in research funding, she has led 20+ cross-disciplinary projects across Australia and Hong Kong. Her publications include 58 articles, 6 co-authored books (e.g., Analysing Casual Conversation, Effective Communication in Clinical Handover), and 20 book chapters.

Professor Slade’s work emphasizes translational research, ensuring theoretical insights directly inform clinical practice. Her contributions have been cited 9,172 times (Google Scholar, 2023), reflecting her international impact. Current research explores self-management of heart failure and improving decision-making for dialysis patients through enhanced communication strategies.

Grants and funding have supported projects like ‘Improving communication to enhance patients’ health literacy’ (2022–2026). She advises on healthcare communication policies and trains clinicians globally, advocating for values-based compassionate care. Her legacy includes foundational work in spoken English analysis and pioneering frameworks for healthcare communication training.