Health, Care Professions and Nursing
Meet the team
A warm welcome from the Health, Care Professions and Nursing Higher Education team at University Centre South Devon.
Gabriele Bianco BSc (Hons) SLT, MSc, CertMRCSLT, Reg. HCPC
Main areas of teaching
Hearing Aid Audiology
Bio
Gabriele Bianco graduated in Speech and Language Therapy from the University of Padua (Italy) in 2008, and then continued his studies abroad (Spain and Australia). He subsequently worked as a paediatric SLT for the Italian National Health Service.
After being awarded a competitive Erasmus Mundus scholarship, in 2015 he obtained an MSc in Clinical Linguistics from a university consortium consisting of: University of Groningen, (The Netherlands), University of Potsdam (Germany), and University of Eastern Finland. In 2018, he completed the ESS (European Stuttering Specialisation) from a university consortium led by the University of Antwerp (Belgium).
He subsequently moved to the UK, where he worked for the NHS and a Community Interest Company as an early years specialist on the prevention of language difficulties through parent-coaching programmes. He is registered with the Health & Care professions Council (HCPC), and he is a Certified Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLTs). He is also involved in the training of professionals and teachers who work with bilingual children. Since 2024, he is a full-time lecturer for the Foundation Degree in Hearing Aid Audiology at the University Centre South Devon.
Research and scholarly activity
Awards/Grants :
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship: European Masters in Clinical Linguistics (EMCL), awarded by European Union – Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
Publications:
- Strangis, D., Sigus H., Bouwsma, S., Nygren, S., Fossberg Thorlacius, H.S., Di Chiara, Z., Bianco, G. and Callegaro, A. (2023) Manual for Young People who Stutter. Available at: https://www.stamily.org/resources
- Guasti, M.T., White, M.J., Bianco, G., Arosio, F., Camilleri, B. and Hasson, N. (2020) “Two clinical markers for DLD in monolingual Italian speakers: what can they tell us about second language learners with DLD?”, Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 35(9), pp. 829–846. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2020.1830303.
Invited Talks/Workshops:
10/2017- Present:
- Bilingualism and Language: Towards a Correct Identification and Prevention of Language Difficulties. Theoretical & Practical Course (original title: Bilinguismo e Linguaggio: verso una corretta identificazione e prevenzione dei disturbi del linguaggio. Corso teorico-pratico. 14-hour CPD Courses given in different locations (Bologna, Verona, Rome, Milan, Turin, Modena + online) to Speech and Language Therapists, Psychologists, Paediatricians, Child Neuropsychiatrists, Phoniatricians and Occupational Therapists.
01/2017 –
- Difficulties in L2 learning: Specific Language Impairment. What are the tools for an early assessment? (original title: Difficoltà di apprendimento L2: disturbo specifico di linguaggio.Quali strumenti per una valutazione precoce?)
Workshop given (with SLT Antonio Miozzo) at EURAC (institute for specialised communication and multilingualism), Bolzano (Italy)
11/2026 –
- Literacy, Bilingualism and Dyslexia.
Talk given at the Dante Alighieri italian Cultural Institute, Cape Town (South Africa)
10/2026
- Bilingual children and language impairment: separating fact from fiction
Talk given at the Dante Alighieri italian Cultural Institute, Cape Town (South Africa).
04/2026
- Clinical markers of Specific/Primary Language Impairment in sequential bilingual children (original title: Marcatori clinici di disturbo specifico/primario del linguaggio in bambini bilingui sequenziali)
Invited speaker (with Prof. Maria Teresa Guasti) for Communication & Language Acquisition Studies in Typical & Atypical Development (CLASTA) Conference 6th edition at IRCCS Stella Maris Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry Calambrone, Pisa (Italy)
Sarah Brounger BSc (Hons), Registered Podiatrist
Main areas of teaching
- Public Health and Equity
- Assistant Practitioner
- Podiatry
- Person centred approaches and communication.
Bio
Sarah has 20 years’ experience in Health and Social care including working with people with learning disabilities and autism. During this time, she became interested in Assessing and teaching staff, gaining an A1 assessors award and completed an ILM level 4 in leadership and Management.
After completing her degree in Podiatry, she is now an HCPC registered Podiatrist with experience working as a band 6 diabetes and wound specialist with the NHS.
Throughout her career she has had a keen interest in assisted staff with their continued professional development. She started to work with University Centre South Devon College last year.
Research and scholarly activity
Manah Chandra Changmai
Research and scholarly activity
Natalie Collins Dip HE, BSc (Hons), MSRPH
Main areas of teaching
- Programme Coordinator Health Apprenticeships
Bio
Research and scholarly activity
Paul Hindle BSc (Hons), MChiro, MA (Open), PGCE, DC, MRCC, SFHEA
Main areas of teaching
- Anatomy and Physiology for Assistant Practitioners
- BSc (Hons) Enhanced Integrated Care HE Lead
Bio
Research and scholarly activity
Lucy Parkin BA (Hons), DTLLS
Main areas of teaching
- Currently working on the introduction of specialist pathways across the Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship programme to support the sector in upskilling the future workforce.
Bio
Research and scholarly activity
Ella Reynolds BNurs (Hons), MRes, Registered Nurse – Child
Main areas of teaching
- Acute and Critical Care
- Intensive care
- Paediatrics
- Contextualised nursing theory
- Nursing Research
Bio
Research and scholarly activity
Abishek Umashankar
Main areas of teaching
Antonio Giulio Specchia
Main areas of teaching
- Audiology
Sarah Jane Venn-Dunn FdSc, BSc (Hons)
Main areas of teaching
- Developing Research & Practice
- Preparatory Skills
- Palliative Care
- Communication
- Person-Centred Care