DR David Allen
/ Head of Research
Dr David Allen joined Incept Labs as Head of Research in 2021, after several years as a Senior Research Audiologist at the National Acoustics Laboratories. David brings a wealth of statistical and mixed-methods research expertise to Incept Lab, alongside his experience as an accredited audiologist. He has a breadth of other skills from his time working as Clinical Audiologist at Hearing Australia, providing clinical services to people with hearing loss and running an outreach service to First Nations Australians through the Yulu-Burri-Ba Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health.
As Head of Research, David has responsibility for project methodologies. His expertise helps ensure that project approaches are both appropriate for the topic of investigation and most appropriate for clients’ needs. David supervises project delivery so that projects conform to the rigours of the underlying design and continue to meet clients’ intentions.
David also leads the internal research and development work at Incept Labs. Working across different areas, this work has included developing measures and observation protocols for higher order skills. He has also continued to add to the theoretical foundations that inform much of Incept Labs’s work on competency design and description.
A love for tackling complex problems with real-world implications and understanding their drivers can be seen in much of David’s work. This has included running a study, in collaboration with Macquarie University’s Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE), to establish eligibility criteria for hearing aids in the Hearing Services Program. This involved examining existing data sets on factors to predict success with hearing aids, as well as collecting new data from more than 1,900 Australian participants. It has also included a systematic review of the literature on the nature, application, and effectiveness of Cultural Responsiveness in service delivery to Indigenous Peoples around the world.
David initially completed a Diploma of Music and Bachelor of Science, before undertaking a Master of Clinical Audiology at the University of Melbourne. Whilst completing his PhD at the University of Queensland he also completed a Master of Biostatistics and a Master of Public Health. His PhD investigated how Emerging Adults with hearing difference and their families conceptualise high-quality hearing care to support and inform clinical practice.
Maintaining strong ties to research and the profession, David is an Honorary Research Fellow at Macquarie University and an Accredited Audiologist with Audiology Australia. He is also accredited as a Graduate Statistician by the Statistical Society of Australia and a Qualified Professional Researcher by The Research Society.