ANCDS Podcasts ANCDS

Dr. Therese O’Neil-Pirozzi (t.oneil-pirozzi@northeastern.edu) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northeastern University, a research faculty member of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Harvard Medical School Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, and a practicing clinician. She is the author/co-author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, spanning a broad range of topics including brain health, cognitive-communicative function, and neuroplasticity.

Professor Sohlberg (mckay@uoregon.edu) is known internationally for her pioneering work in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. Her research focuses on the development of treatments that help people with acquired brain injury manage cognitive impairments. Her work includes evaluating treatment protocols for individuals with persistent cognitive effects following concussive injuries, the design and evaluation of assistive technology tools to support adolescents and adults with acquired brain injury function optimally in their communities, and development of processes to facilitate patient centered goal setting. Dr. Sohlberg has contributed to a number of evidence-based practice guidelines supported by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders & Sciences and sits on several national committees working on interdisciplinary practice in cognitive rehabilitation. She has authored two seminal textbooks in the field including her new 2023 text titled Transformation of Cognitive Rehabilitation. Professor Sohlberg has been teaching and conducting research at the University of Oregon since 1994. She teaches graduate courses related to cognitive rehabilitation and evidence-based practice and provides clinical supervision in the Brain Injury and Concussion Clinic (BrICC) in the College of Education HEDCO clinic.

Byom, L., O’Neil-Pirozzi, T. M., Lemoncello, R., MacDonald, S., Meulenbroek, P., Ness, B., & Sohlberg, M. M. (2020). Social Communication following adult traumatic brain injury: A scoping review of theoretical models. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(3), 1735–1748. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00020

Meulenbroek, P., Ness, B., Lemoncello, R., Byom, L., MacDonald, S., O’Neil-Pirozzi, T. M., & Moore Sohlberg, M. (2019). Social Communication following traumatic brain injury part 2: Identifying effective treatment ingredients. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21(2), 128–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2019.1583281

Meulenbroek, P., O’Neil-Pirozzi, T. M., Sohlberg, M. M., Lemoncello, R., Byom, L., Ness, B., MacDonald, S., & Phillips, B. (2022). Tutorial: The speech-language pathologist’s role in return to work for adults with traumatic brain injury. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(1), 188–202. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_ajslp-21-00129

O’Neil-Pirozzi, T. M., Kennedy, M. R. T., & Sohlberg, M. M. (2016). Evidence-based practice for the use of internal strategies as a memory compensation technique after brain injury: A systematic review. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 31(4). https://doi.org/10.1097/htr.0000000000000181

Sohlberg, M. M., MacDonald, S., Byom, L., Iwashita, H., Lemoncello, R., Meulenbroek, P., Ness, B., & O’Neil-Pirozzi, T. M. (2019). Social Communication following traumatic brain injury part I: State-of-the-art review of assessment tools. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21(2), 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2019.1583280

Alaina S. Davis, Ph.D, CCC-SLP/L, CBIST (committee chair) is an associate professor at Howard University and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer. She has expertise in cognitive-communicative disorders associated with TBI. Her research lab is the Center for Cognitive-Communicative Skills, which focuses on adolescents and adults with sport-related concussion and return-to-learn/play/activity. Dr. Davis’ work utilizes the cognitive and communication styles of adolescents and adults from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds to implement cultural responsiveness in assessment and treatment.

Sucheta Kamath (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sucheta-kamath/) is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a two-time TEDx (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYtXqO_Uy9c) speaker, and a tech-entrepreneur who has created ExQ® (https://exqinfiniteknowhow.com/); a cloud-based digital Executive Function curriculum for the middle and high school students that teaches Learning How to Learn. Sucheta holds six patents, and her AI-based technology solution creates personalized learning based on the benchmark assessment of the nine areas of Executive Function. Sucheta is a Professor of Practice at the Amrita University, one of the top five universities in India and also is the host of the podcast Full PreFrontal®: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function, where her invited guests range from neuroscientists, psychologists, educators, learning specialists, journalists, and leaders. In recent past, over a five-year period, Sucheta founded and (along with her Georgia Speech-Language Hearing Association colleagues) ran GSHA Gives! (https://gsa.memberclicks.net/gsha-gives), a free communication and Executive Function job-readiness training program for previously homeless, incarcerated, and disenfranchised men in inner-city Atlanta. Finally, Sucheta serves on many non-profit boards and is deeply committed to racial healing and interfaith community dialogue.

Referenced Article: Shifting the Mindset of Racism Through Cognitive Learning Styles in Communication Sciences and Disorders (https://nbaslh.memberclicks.net/shifting-the-mindset-of-racism-through-cognitive-learning-styles-in-communication-sciences-and-disorders)

Tim Schut was raised on a farm near Chester, South Dakota. After graduating from Chester High School, Tim pursued a degree in Marketing at Northern State University. After college, Tim has worked as a collector, a business development analyst, an inbound call center manager, a Financial Advisor, and a Private Banking Manager. Tim currently serves as a commercial real estate agent with NAI Sioux Falls and as a residential real estate agent with Signature Realty out of Madison, South Dakota. In June of 2021, Tim was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech (PPAOS). Family relationships and support have been important to Tim to keep living his fullest life as his condition progresses.

Margaret Lehman Blake is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston. Her research focuses on cognitive-communication disorders associated with right hemisphere brain damage to understand the underlying deficits and to develop treatments. She is the author of The Right Hemisphere and Disorders of Cognition and Communication and the co-creator of RightHemisphere.org, a website designed to provide education and resources to patients, families, and clinicians.

Shannon M. Sheppard is an Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Chapman University and Director of the Cognition Rehabilitation And Neuroscience In Atypical Language Lab, the CRANIAL Lab. Her research focuses on investigating linguistic and prosodic deficits following left-hemisphere and right-hemisphere stroke using brain imaging including EEG and MRI. She is a founding member of the International Right Hemisphere Collaborative, which was founded to improve knowledge of and research for individuals with right hemisphere brain damage.

Peter Meulenbroek, PhD, CCC-SLP, uses sociolinguistic description and theory about talk at work to develop new ways to assess and treat persons with TBI who hope to return to stable employment. He runs the Social Communication and Cognitive Abilities Lab where he has developed online assessment and treatment tools for social communication deficits after TBI. He is interested in increasing life participation after brain injury through employment and volunteer options. At the time of this interview, he was the chair of the ANCDS Writing Group for Traumatic Brain Injury and is currently the Editor for SIG2 Perspectives Journal as well as Assistant professor at The University of Kentucky.

Nayiri Adessian is a licensed and certified speech language pathologist who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Science from Montclair State University and her Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from California State University, Northridge in May 2018. Nayiri completed her clinical fellowship at Nancy Sedat and Associates, an out-patient private practice, and continues to work there as a therapist. She evaluates and treats patients with adult neurogenic communication, voice and swallowing disorders. She has a special interest in working with individuals with aphasia.

Zack DeWall is a clinical fellow in speech pathology at the Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute within the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He received his master’s degree in speech pathology from Vanderbilt University in August of 2019

Hillary X. Enclade is currently a speech-language pathologist at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. She received her master’s degree in communicative disorders from California State University, Northridge in Spring of 2018 and completed a clinical fellowship at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center in August 2019.