Director
Lisa Edmonds, PhD, CCC-SLP is the Director of the Aphasia Rehabilitation and Bilingualism Research Lab as well as the Program Director for and an Associate Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Edmonds received her Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The Ohio State University, after which she attained her licensure as a speech-language pathologist. She then obtained her PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Texas, Austin, where she studied in a lab dedicated to rehabilitation research in adults with acquired neurogenic disorders, including those with bilingual aphasia.
Edmonds then served as an Assistant Professor in Communication Sciences Disorders at The University of Florida for 8 years, where she was the Director of The Aphasia and Bilingualism Lab. Dr. Edmonds was also a Research Health Scientist at the Brain Rehabilitation and Research Center of Excellence at the Malcom Randall VA in Gainesville, FL. She was funded with a VA Merit grant to conduct a clinical trial with Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST), a treatment she developed to improve spoken production abilities in sentences and discourse in persons with aphasia (Edmonds, Nadeau, & Kiran, 2009; Edmonds & Babb, 2011, Edmonds, Mammino, & Ojeda, 2014, Edmonds, Obermeyer, & Kernan, 2014; Edmonds, 2014; Furnas & Edmonds, 2013). Dr. Edmonds’ other main line of research relates to developing materials and protocols for bilingual assessment and aphasia rehabilitation (e.g., Edmonds, 2013; Edmonds & Donovan, 2012; Edmonds & Donovan, 2013; Edmonds & Kiran, 2006; Rivera & Edmonds, submitted).
Edmonds joined the faculty of Teachers College, Columbia University in Fall 2014 and teaches Cognitive Disorders and Adult Language Disorders to Master’s students. Her lab is composed of three doctoral students and multiple Master’s level students who are actively engaged in clinical research. The lab continues to focus on aphasia and VNeST and is exploring other treatment protocols, more studies examining computer use, eye tracking and teletherapy in persons with aphasia. She is also building on her previous bilingual work in normal participants to develop a Spanish-English bilingual test for naming of objects and actions. In addition, she started The Neurorehabilitation for Communication Disorders Initiative (CRNC) with Dr. Michelle Troche, who is also in Communication Sciences and Disorders. CRNC provides free screenings of cognition, language and airway protection to persons with a variety of neurogenic disorders, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, or other neurodegenerative disorders. After initial testing, participants have the option to participate in clinical research trials, receive treatment, and/or be referred to other professionals. Research from CRNC aims to conduct research that allows us to provide more evidence-based options for speech-language pathologists to serve patients with multi-faceted symptoms (e.g., cognitive-linguistic, airway protection, swallowing, motor speech, etc.).
Follow the above links to learn more about students in the lab, participating in research studies, or learning more about CRNC.
Curriculum Vitae