I am a qualified Speech and Language Therapist, graduating from City University in 1990 and completing my PhD at York University in 1997. I have held a variety of clinical, research and lecturing posts, specialising in adult acquired aphasia. My doctorial work focused on word deafness and the evaluation of its treatment, working with Andy Ellis and Sue Franklin.
I am a Senior Lecturer and Degree Programme Director for the MSc in Language Pathology. I am also the Director of the North East Aphasia Centre (http://research.ncl.ac.uk/aphasia/), working as part of a vibrant team of aphasia researchers. We work closely with people with aphasia, and I facilitate the Aphasia Research User Group (ARUG) with whom we consult about research ideas and research projects. I am a trustee and secretary of the North East Trust for Aphasia (NETA), a charity for people with aphasia, run primarily by people with aphasia and their families.
Previously I was involved in the PATSy project, an Internet based teaching and research resource (www.patsy.ac.uk). Using this resource I was part of a large multi-centre ESRC TRLP project examining the role of vicarious learning in clinical education.
I am Vice-Chair of the Stroke Association Research Awards Committee and member of their Research Strategy Committee.
My research interests relate to aphasia, particularly the processes involved in understanding language, across both spoken and written modalities. How is this affected in aphasia, and what does this mean for models of language processing? What are the most effective ways of working with people with aphasia who have problems of comprehension? This spans auditory, written word, and semantic processing.
With colleagues David Howard and Frauke Buerk I hold an NIHR RFpB 3 year grant. This project is a pilot RCT, examining the efficacy of two treatments for word retrieval. It is called 'SemaFoRe: Semantic and Repetition Therapies'.
My research in aphasia draws on a range of theoretical models, including models of single word processing, sentence processing and text/discourse processing but also includes application of social type models. We need to understand the underlying linguistic impairment but, in designing and evaluating treatments, need to consider the impact for the individual in their everyday life. Relating our understanding of linguistic impairment to the person’s real life is a current challenge in aphasia, and one that my research strives to contribute to. In evaluating the efficacy of therapy, there is a challenge of measurement. How do we best measure impact for the individual?
In taking my research forward, people with aphasia are at the centre of this. The research needs to have an impact for the individual, but the wider aphasia community needs to be involved further. This is achieved in several ways, including via consultation and evaluation of services (Aphasia Centre), via our involvement with people with aphasia in NETA, a local charity, via the Aphasia Research User Group, and via joint research projects with people with aphasia.
My aim is that my research will contribute to the knowledge base for Speech and Language Therapists working with people with aphasia, as well as to academics, in terms of informing on language processing. I hope that my research will also directly impact on the quality of service and treatment of people with aphasia.
I am fascinated by this area and have an aim of improving the quality of treatment, our knowledge of the most effective ways of working with people with aphasia.