2015 Annual Meeting Speaker Biographies

Katerina Hilari, PhD
City University London, London, England

Katerina is a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) with a background in Psychology. She is a Reader in the Division of Language and Communication Science at City University London. She was the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders for 10 years and is now on the Advisory Editorial Board of the Journal.  Katerina has worked with people with aphasia both in the acute and rehabilitation settings. Her research is focused on the long-term impact and psychosocial aspects of stroke and aphasia. Her PhD and post-doc research was on the assessment of health-related quality of life in people with stroke and aphasia. She has developed a questionnaire, the stroke and aphasia quality of life scale (SAQOL-39) for use in clinical practice and research. Her current research interests include the further testing of the SAQOL-39; the assessment of quality of life in communication disabilities; the cultural adaptation of quality of life measures; the evaluation of health services, in particular for people with aphasia; the effectiveness of aphasia therapy on activities, participation and quality of life; and the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for people with aphasia.

Carolyn Baylor, PhD, CCC-SLP
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Carolyn Baylor is an Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research program includes qualitative and quantitative work related to communicative participation; and training healthcare providers in patient-provider communication with patients with communication disorders.

Jody Newman, M.A., CCC-SLP
Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado

Jody Newman, MA, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with more than 30 years specializing in the area of brain injury rehabilitation. She is the co-author of Group Interactive Structured Treatment–GIST, and was an investigator on a research study at Craig Hospital showing the efficacy of GIST. Currently, as a Research Clinician at Craig Hospital, she is an investigator on a U.S. Department of Defense multi-site grant studying the effectiveness of the GIST intervention. She serves as the Cultural Competence Coordinator for the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center, and also co-leads GIST groups for outpatients at Craig Hospital. In addition, Ms. Newman has been in private practice since 1985 and continues to provide individual and group treatment for individuals with brain injuries and other neurological disorders. She has particular interest and experience in the areas of mild brain injury, social competence and contextualized cognitive treatment.

Lenore Hawley, LCSW , CBIST
Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado

Lenore Hawley, MSSW, LCSW, CBIST, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has provided services to individuals with brain injury and their families for over 30 years.  She is the author of A Family Guide to the Head Injured Adult and the Self Advocacy for Independent Life workbook. She is a Research Clinician at Craig Hospital, and has served as an investigator on several research studies.  Ms. Hawley is the co-author of a social competence intervention, Group Interactive Structured Treatment – GIST, and was an investigator on a research study at Craig Hospital showing the efficacy of GIST.  She is currently an investigator on a U.S. Department of Defense multi-site grant evaluating the effectiveness of GIST.  Ms. Hawley also provides GIST groups through the Craig Hospital Outpatient Clinic, and provides individual, group and family therapy through her private practice.  She is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Network for Social Workers in Acquired Brain Injury.

McKay Moore Sohlberg PhD, CCC-SLP
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

McKay Moore Sohlberg is a Full Professor in the Communication Disorders & Sciences Program at University of Oregon, and a Fellow of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and recipient of a number of teaching awards. Dr. Sohlberg has published numerous articles, chapters, and manuals on managing cognitive impairments following acquired brain injury and is co-author of two leading textbooks in the field. She is funded a number of federal projects supporting the development and evaluation of assistive technology to deliver cognitive rehabilitation, and to help individuals with cognitive impairment more fully integrate into their communities.