Name: Lilly Dennison (M.S. Candidate)
Program of study/Year in program: M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology candidate at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.  I have now attended the program for over a year with expectations to graduate in May 2024.
University: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
ANCDS Fellow Mentor: Mary H. Purdy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS
Area(s) of research, teaching, and/or clinical interest: The relationship between cognition and language in persons with aphasia

My current research aims to compare the efficacy of a multifactorial approach that incorporates both semantic and non-linguistic demands for people with post-stroke nonfluent aphasia.  The multifactorial approach required participants to quickly describe and name stimuli during SFA, as well as recall them using spaced retrieval training.  It was hypothesized that the multifactorial approach will lead to greater generalization of treatment effects to untrained stimuli and connected speech, and greater positive changes in other cognitive-linguistic measures.  Two participants with nonfluent aphasia post-stroke participated in this single-subject experimental design study with multiple baselines.  The findings of the study will have significant implications for language therapy in people with nonfluent PSA, guiding the development of future treatment methods that target these underlying cognitive processes, which could ultimately lead to more effective interventions for anomia in people with PSA.

Why did you decide to apply for the ANCDS Student Fellowship?
I was looking for an opportunity to further my knowledge and experience working with those with neurological communication disorders.  I was eager to apply in hopes of creating greater connections with and learning from the speech pathologist professionals and researchers who work with this population.  Furthermore, I look forward to hearing the personal journeys of other ANCDS fellows who share similar career goals.