a choir group performing

Inaugural aphasia awareness fair sheds light on condition affecting millions

Some attendees at Temple's first Aphasia Awareness Fair in October wore t-shirts that said "Aphasia: Get the Word Out." The slogan has a double meaning.   At the daylong conference, people with aphasia, caregivers and clinicians discussed the need for better public understanding of aphasia, which sometimes is misdiagnosed and can be misunderstood in social situations. There are at least 2 million people in the U.S. with aphasia, but 84.5 % of people have never heard of it, according to a national survey. Aphasia, most often caused by a stroke, can impair a person’s ability...
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Events
Community
a collage of illustrations of an apple, a cheeseburger, various sports balls, a brown paper bagged lunch, and feed on a scale

Explore the fall 2022 issue of Temple Public Health

In our local neighborhoods and around the globe we face a staggering number of health challenges, and we know that it is only together that we can address them. Within this year's Temple Public Health magazine, you'll find numerous examples of how we're doing just that—collaborating with our colleagues, community members, and peers to ensure that we translate our knowledge and skills into real-world impact in pursuit of building a healthier and more just world. Explore the magazine below. ...
College of Public Health
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Health Services Administration and Policy
Kinesiology
Nursing
Social and Behavioral Sciences
School of Social Work
a woman works in a classroom with two children

Better early intervention needed for children with developmental disabilities

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can face extraordinary challenges, and poor early diagnosis and inappropriate treatment with medication is a growing problem, writes Yaara Zisman-Ilani, assistant professor of Social and Behavioral Science, in a recent issue of Psychiatric Services.   “This is an urgent wake-up call,” she writes in the “Taking Issue” essay. Factors including poorly trained caregivers, economic disparities and bias, and the reduction of in-person social interactions due to COVID-19 pandemic may lead to an unprecedented wa...
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research
Lisa Bedore

Bedore awarded for bilingual language learning research

Lisa Bedore, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has been named co-recipient of the 2022 Excellence in Diversity Award from the Council of Academic programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD), an international organization that supports teaching and research in the field. The award recognizes Bedore’s pioneering work in Spanish-English dual-language learning. Bedore and award co-recipient Elizabeth Peña, associate dean of faculty development and diversity in education at the School of Education of the University of California, Irvin...
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Faculty
Awards
the cover of the college of public health 2021 magazine, depicting a nursing student filling a needle with covid-19 vaccine

Explore the Fall 2021 issue of Temple Public Health

Public health crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to future challenges, call for an interdisciplinary, unified response, and we look to our future public health, healthcare and social service workers to answer this call. Within this year's Temple Public Health magazine, you will find numerous examples of just that—beginning with the story of our vaccine delivery protocol, RapidVax, and how the college partnered with communities across Philadelphia to help the city reach an all-important vaccination threshold. You'll also read stories of impact beyond the pandemic, including th...
College of Public Health
School of Social Work
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Kinesiology
Nursing
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Health Services Administration and Policy
abstract tiles with small quotation bubbles, linked by a web

PACT book group builds supportive space for those with aphasia

In previous semesters, the College of Public Health’s book group for people with aphasia had chosen two lively novels to read: one about a widow who joins the CIA, and the other about a bookstore owner who receives a mysterious package. But this year’s choice, the nonfiction Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke, felt much more personal to group members. This summer, the group meeting to discuss it stirred up teary moments along with laughter, bonding, and mutual encouragement to face the challenges ahead rather than look back. The book’s author, former St...
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Community
Maura O'Fallon

Fellowship supports research into child behavior, early language learning

Before arriving at Temple’s College of Public Health to earn her doctoral degree, Maura O’Fallon worked as a speech-language pathologist in a school for children with behavioral issues. Now, the second-year doctoral student has received federal funding to explore connections between child behavior and language learning. O’Fallon has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, or F31 grant, from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.  Designed to strengthen research skills in predocto...
Language and cognition
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research
Students
a woman speaks to her young child in a park

To improve language learning, look beyond socioeconomic status

Children from low socioeconomic status (SES) households tend to show lower levels of language and communicative skills than those from higher SES homes at the group level. But these group-level findings provide limited information about the individual strengths and needs of families. A broad generalization suggesting low SES as a predictor of poor language learning can lead to stereotyping and obscure what parental interactions with children really do make a difference. A new study from the College of Public Health’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders seeks to...
Language and cognition
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research
illustration of a man in a video chat window passing a yellow folder to a woman in another video chat window above him.

Researchers to build 'Collaboratory' for aphasia research

Communication Sciences and Disorders professor Nadine Martin has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to build a cloud-based library of specialized information, access her Temple laboratory’s pioneering test battery for individuals with aphasia, and establish an online “Collaboratory” where aphasia researchers from different institutions can conduct studies together. “The aim is to advance aphasia research by helping researchers build better studies, increase numbers of participants, and share their findings and measurements,” says Martin, a Lau...
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research
patient and nurse communicating over a tablet

Research on improving patient-provider communication recognized by ASHA

One potential way to improve both the outcomes and the economics of hospital stays is simply to help more patients communicate better, suggests a Temple co-authored paper that has been recognized for excellence by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The article, “Improving Patient Safety and Patient-Provider Communication,” explores the use of augmentative and alternative communications (AAC) strategies for patients who have difficulty accessing conventional nurse call systems due to their conditions or treatment.   The paper, co-authored by Rebecca A...
Communication Sciences and Disorders

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