
Brain Friends
Brain Friends the podcast is a space for neuro nerds and stroke survivors to talk about all things aphasia, language recovery, and community. Hosted by Dr. D. Seles, a neuroscientist and speech-language pathologist, and Angie C., 2x stroke survivor and aphasia advocate. Listen, laugh, and learn with these two stakeholders determined to make a difference in aphasia advocacy.
Brain Friends
Aphasia Awareness Month
In this episode of Brain Friends, we invite two stakeholders to celebrate Aphasia Awareness Month, Maura Silverman, the executive director of the National Aphasia Association (NAA), and Gee Jackson, a lawyer and stroke survivor with aphasia.
Together we answer two important questions:
1. What do you know about aphasia now that you wish you would have known on day 1?
2. How can we bring awareness to aphasia?
Listen, laugh, and learn how you can spread awareness about aphasia.
Links:
National Aphasia Association- https://aphasia.org/
Aphasia Resource Collaboration Hub (ARCH)- https://aphasiaresource.org/
https://www.cognitiverecoverylab.com/seles
https://aphasia.org/stories/announcing-the-davetrina-seles-gadson-health-equity-grant-program/
Our beloved colleague, Dr. Davetrina Seles Gadson, passed away January 11, 2025. Dr. Gadson was an extraordinary speech-language pathologist and neuroscience researcher who devoted her energy to studying health disparities in aphasia recovery. She was a fierce advocate for improving services for individuals with aphasia, particularly Black Americans. Her research transformed our understanding of these health disparities and shed light on how we can address them. We were privileged to have Dr. Gadson as a cherished member of our lab community for four years, first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as an Instructor of Rehabilitation Medicine. She was still a close collaborator and friend to many of us at the time of her passing. Dr. Gadson was an incredible person—compassionate, inspiring, and full of life. Her dedication to advancing equity in aphasia recovery and her profound impact on our community will never be forgotten. We are committed to honoring her memory by continuing to push our field forward and fight for equitable services for all people with aphasia.