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Lead Researchers:

Ellen Hickey & Janet Ingles

Location:

The Neurological Communication Disorders Lab is located on the 2nd floor of the Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building in Rooms 2C38 and 2C40. These rooms provide space for graduate students and research assistants supervised by the lead researchers. Testing and treatment is done in Room 2C13, with observations possible in Room 2C15.

Research interests

Lead Researcher: Janet Ingles

Assessment of neurological communication disorders:ÌýÌý

• Acquired language and cognitive disorders in adults due to stroke and progressive neurologic conditions (e.g., aphasia, Alzheimer dementia).

Lead Researcher: Ellen Hickey

Intervention for neurological communication disabilities:ÌýÌý

• Acquired language and cognitive disabilities in adults due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, and progressive neurologic conditions (e.g., aphasia, dementias).
  Conversation partner training, environmental modifications, person-centered care for participation and quality of life

Interprofessional health education, particularly related to neurological rehabilitation

Global health, equity, & decolonization:

• Neurological communication disabilities in children and adults in the Majority world
• Staff training
• Ethics in voluntourism/volunteerism and service-learning trips
  Decolonizing the profession
• Equity & whiteness in academia and health professions

Current Research

Title:ÌýThe Impact of Oral Health and Communication on the Ability of Older People to Live Well

Funding:ÌýResearch Nova Scotia

Principal Investigator: Rebecca Affoo

Co-Investigator:ÌýEllen Hickey

Title:ÌýDeveloping pre-licensure interprofessional and stroke care competencies through skills-based simulations

Principal Investigator: Diane MacKenzie

Co-Investigator:ÌýEllen Hickey

Current Student Research Projects & Theses

• Experiences and Outcomes of Participants of an Aphasia Book Club
• Interprofessional Implementation of Spaced Retrieval Training in Long-Term Care: Improving Safe Mobility with Persons with Dementia
• Are Canadian Speech Language Pathologists Addressing Sexuality and Intimacy?Ìý
• Caregivers’ Understanding and Experiences of Communication with Persons with Dementia: An Appreciative Inquiry
• Navigating the Dementia Journey: Person-Centered Insights from Caregivers on Reddit
• Decolonizing Discourse: Insights from Social Media on Speech-Language Pathology Practices
• Facilitators & Barriers toÌýTelepracticeÌýImplementation for Adult Services: Speech-Language Pathologists’ Experiences
• Impacts of Menopause on Communication & Cognition (co-supervisors: Zahra Jafari, & Shawna O’Hearn)

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Prospective Master’s students:

We encourage prospective master’s students seeking research supervision to contact us directly to discuss possible topics for research supervision. Please note that we are not accepting applications to supervise doctoral students at this time.