Latest News

The Robin Tavistock Award 2024

The Trustees of the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia are delighted to announce that Professor Miranda Rose is the 2024 recipient of The Robin Tavistock Award.

This award is named after Robin Tavistock, the 14th Duke of Bedford who founded The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia.  It is presented annually to a person, or group, who is inspirational and has made a significant contribution to the field of aphasia.

It is impossible to list in this press release, all that Professor Miranda Rose has contributed to the world of aphasia.  Since 2019 Miranda Rose has led the internationally respected Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation at La Trobe University in Australia, which she was key in setting up.

In recent years, to highlight only one or two of many important pieces of work, she has led COMPARE examining outcomes from Constraint Induced and Multi-modality aphasia treatments. She has also been a chief investigator on ASK  investigating early interventions to prevent depression and enhance quality of life.  Miranda has also led the Communication Connect project, which supports long term recovery from stroke and brain injury. An enduring theme in her research has been the exploration of communication strategies in aphasia therapy, and particularly the use of gesture.

The scale of Professor Miranda Rose’s research is awe inspiring.  We noted that one research database lists 150 publications under her name, and well over 6,000 citations. But, of course, critically it is not the quantity of her work that is so impressive, it is its range and quality.

It used to be common for science and research to lose touch with humanity and not take into account, or have a real understanding of, the impact of a condition on the patient and their family.  But nowadays, because of leadership such as hers, this is less and less the case.  While enhancing our theoretical understanding of aphasia and communication, she has always placed the needs of people with aphasia at the heart of your work.   In her research we can read about practical therapies that make a real difference to the lives of people living with aphasia.

Added to all of the above, Professor Miranda Rose is recognised as an exceptional mentor to the next generation of clinicians and academics.  This, coupled with her pioneering client centred research, has established her as a leader in the field of aphasia, and someone who has earned international respect.

The criterion for this Award is to recognise a person or group who is inspirational and has made a significant contribution to the field of aphasia.  Professor Miranda Rose has done this and more and she is indeed a worthy recipient of the Robin Tavistock Award 2024.

             The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Distinguished Scholar Awards 2024

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia (TTA) is pleased to announce The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Distinguished Scholar Awards  2024 recipients, in alphabetical order.


Dr Suma Devanga, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago


Dr Elizabeth Hoover, Boston University Sargent College


Dr Elizabeth Madden, Florida Sate University


Dr Jessica Obermeyer, University of North Carolina

This award was conceived to address research capacity related to quality of life issues in aphasia.  The award is given in recognition of scholarly excellence in all, or some, of the following areas:

  • Research and Publications dedicated to improving life with aphasia, and/or
  • Mentoring of research students to conduct research associated with quality of life, life participation, conversation or similar topics related to life with aphasia, and/or
  • Working to improve external grant funding that addresses the needs of people living with aphasia.

The aim of these awards is to foster and encourage pioneering research that aims to make a difference in the everyday lives of people living with aphasia, their families and caregivers.

New Look Aphasia Software Finder Aphasia Software Finder

The Aphasia Software Finder has had a significant redesign with the aim of making the website more aphasia friendly and thereby easier to navigate for everyone.

To learn more about what you can find and what is new on the Aphasia Software Finder, please watch this short video:

 

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia UK Stroke Forum 2023 Prizes

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Best Aphasia Abstract Award – 
this was awarded to Dr Julie Hickin, Gill Pearl and colleagues: Creatively meeting speech and language therapy (SLT) workforce challenges, and meeting the needs of people affected by aphasia.  This submission represents some substantial collaborative working between different sectors in order to provide better care and rehabilitation for people with aphasia.

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Best Aphasia Poster Award – 
this was awarded to Zainab Ali and colleagues: What factors impact on timely hospital discharge planning for culturally and linguistically diverse patients with acquired communication difficulties from stroke units?  This submission focuses much needed attention on stroke survivors with acquired communication difficulties from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It synthesizes existing research in a systematic manner and provides a foundation for moving forward now to make changes in clinical practice.

CATs announce multi-disciplinary joint Chairs

The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) has announced  the joint-appointment of Professors Madeline Cruice [GB] and Lucy Dipper [GB] (both from City, University of London) to the role of CATs Chair. They will formally take up their shared role from February 2024 which also marks the transition to a new CATs funding award from the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia which runs until January 2026.

Both highly experienced aphasia researchers, Prof Dipper and Cruice bring distinct and complementary perspectives to this leadership role coming from linguistic and therapeutic academic backgrounds respectively. Following an open application process, Lucy and Madeline impressed the international multidisciplinary interview panel with their comprehensive and ambitious plans for the Collaboration’s future. They also bring a long history of successful collaborative aphasia research as far back as 2010 on the first LUNA pilot project which later progressed to a nationally-funded Stroke Association grant in 2017.

Their CATs vision is of an inclusive and transformative international collaboration of stakeholders in aphasia research, which is committed equally to developing, delivering, evaluating and implementing the highest quality aphasia research for maximum benefit to people with aphasia, whilst developing the capacity of all stakeholders involved in research to participate in and lead aphasia research effectively. Building on the CATs activities and achievements to date, they believe that CATs can become a central point of reference for multidisciplinary aphasia research stakeholders globally for providing high-quality information (e.g., guidelines, checklists, toolkits etc.) to assist with research; as a unifying voice to raise awareness of the needs for involvement people with aphasia in research; and for providing training opportunities that advance the careers of all members.

Lucy: It is a real honour to be taking on this role alongside Madeline.  CATs is such an important international collaboration, supporting us all to conduct the highest quality research aimed at improving the lives of people affected by aphasia; and I look forward to working with the Executive Committee and CATs members to build on the fantastic foundation of our first 10 years.

Madeline: I’m thrilled and honoured to have this opportunity to chair the collaboration with Lucy, and with the support of the marvellous Executive Committee. CATs has had a significant role in internationally transforming the aphasia research landscape in the last decade and has been a driving force in connecting people around the world. As a ten-year collaboration, we are in an incredible place in 2023, and I’m excited about our prospects for the next decade, creating a world of better futures for people affected by aphasia.