Paula Leslie graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1995 with a BS in Clinical Language Sciences, and received a PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2004 and in 2016 earned an MA in Bioethics with a thesis That Won't Help The Meatballs: Health Care Providers' Perceptions of Eating, Drinking, and Feeding as Human Experiences. With Hannah Crawford, she published The Concise Guide to Decision Making and Ethics in Dysphagia. Prior to returning to the United Kingdom, she served as Professor of Communication Science & Disorders and Director of Doctor of Clinical Science in Medical Speech-Language Pathology Program in the School of Health and Rehabilitative Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently a Consultant Scholar located in Preston, UK, Paula is undertaking projects with Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT) focused on the design and implementation of national competency standards for dysphagia at a pre-registration level, and for Health Education & Improvement Wales (HEIW) educational review. Her research interests include aging, swallowing disorders, quality of life, and ethics and decision making by members of vulnerable groups at the end of life.