Research programs and projects

Involvement of people with aphasia and clinicians in development of AI tools: A scoping review

We aim to describe how often and how well people with aphasia and clinicians are involved in development of AI tools.

People With Aphasia and Artificial Intelligence: Lived Experiences, Current Use, and Imagined Futures

We are interviewing people living with aphasia about technology and AI - how they use it now and what they'd like AI to do in future. Results will help us understand how people with aphasia want technology to help them in future.

Team: Matthew Berryman (lived experience researcher), Annie Hill, John Pierce

AI research agenda for aphasia

Develop a research agenda for Artificial Intelligence in Aphasia.

Team: Collaboration of Aphasia Triallists (CATs) working group, led by John Pierce

Communication Connect

Improving long term communication and mental health outcomes following stroke and brain injury - an NHMRC Ideas Grant.

Communication Connect is a digital platform that has been co-designed with people living with communication disability, carers and clinicians. Communication Connect is a comprehensive, multicomponent, technology-enabled program of care providing resources, support and self-management. It is underpinned by artificial intelligence-enabled data management and resources.
Learn more about Communication Connect

Team: Miranda Rose, Dave Copland, Leanne Togher, Ian Kneebone, Emma Power, Damminda Alahakoon, Dana Wong, Annie Hill, Tim Usherwood, Brooke Ryan, Richard Lindley, Dominique Cadilhac, Leonid Churilov, Kelvin Hill, Tracy Sheldrick, Michelle Attard, Ciara Shiggins, Rachael Rietdjik, Lucie Lanyon.

Communication Connect: The development and testing of a technology-based intervention program for carers in post-stroke aphasia (PhD Project)

Enable carers to identify and solve their own challenges independently and to provide personalised psychoeducation. Test the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of the technology-based intervention for carers.

Team: Nelson J. Hernandez (PhD student), Miranda Rose, John E. Pierce, Dana Wong.

Communication Connect: Adaptation to the Malaysian context (PhD Project)

To adapt the Health Professionals’ Portal of Communication, Connect to the Malaysian context..

Team: Shu En Lee (PhD student), Annie Hill, Miranda Rose, John E. Pierce, Fatimah Hani Hassan.

M-MAT Tele

M-MAT Tele is a group therapy that aims to improve talking for people with aphasia.

Multi-Modality Aphasia Treatment (M-MAT) is a group-based aphasia intervention delivered face-to-face which focuses on improving spoken communication. Spoken output is facilitated through practice of speech, drawing, reading, writing, and using gestures. It is an intensive treatment with individuals receiving 30 hours of therapy spread across 5 weeks. Treatment is delivered in a group of 2-3 people with aphasia.

Inclusive conversations for safer medicine use

We are developing evidence-informed online learning modules for pharmacists to improve medication conversations with patients who have communication support needs. We will assess the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the modules before making them available to all pharmacists through the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

This project is being led by Professor Robyn O'Halloran and is a collaboration between La Trobe University, Deakin University, Western Health, Western Health Lived Experience Advisor Program and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology program, have provided $870K in funding to support the project for 2025 – 2027.

Team: Robyn O’Halloran, Miranda Rose, Rebecca Sullivan, John Pierce, Marcella Carragher, Julia Gilmartin Thomas, Hanan Khalil, Tanya Ramadan, Natali Cvetanovska, Jo Watson, Deanna Guy, Namita Warrior, Nikita Dalla Venezia

Alfred SPEAK - scoping review

To descibe the research on interventions directed at the hospital environment to improve healthcare participation of people with CSNs.
Team: Robyn O"Halloran, Roz Shand, Chloe Bennet, Janine Standen, Karen Roberts, Martin Checklin

Alfred SPEAK - evaluation of online learning

To investigate the feasibility of online modules to improve disability awareness.
Team: Robyn O"Halloran, Chloe Bennet, Janine Standen, Karen Roberts

Alfred SPEAK - Interviews with staff on implementation

To explore staff perceptions of factors influencing implementation of supports to people with CSNs in hospital.
Team: Robyn O'Halloran, Karen Roberts,Jo Shorland

HealthTalk Connect - Epworth (PhD Project)

Investigate utility of HealthTalk Connect in acute and rehabilitation wards.

Team: Edwina Lamborn (PhD Student)

NOVELL redesign- Using virtual reality to co-design inpatient stroke rehabilitation facilities

Team: Lucie Lanyon, Ciara Shiggins, Ruby Lipson-Smith, Michael Green (Honours Student), Robyn O'Halloran

Assessing Pain in People with Aphasia

Evaluate observational tools for measuring pain in stroke survivors including those with aphasia, cognitive impairment and low consciousness.

Team: Queenie Leung, Ian Kneebone, John Pierce, Matthew Doane, Caleb Ferguson

An accessible mood assessment tool for people with cognitive and communication impairment after acquired brain injury

Develop an accessible assessment tool for people with mild through to severe cognitive and communication impairment after brain injury.

Team: Dana Wong, Emma Power, Rene Stolwyk, Jon Evans, Shirley Thomas, Riccardo Sacripante, F. Gracey, Riccardo Sacripante, Ian Kneebone, Alexandra Rose, Joshua Blake, John Pierce

Communication on Disability and Falls

Adverse events in hospital

To find out whether people who have difficulty communicating are more likely to experience harm while in hospital.

Team: Robyn O'Halloran,  Miranda Rose, Katherine Harding, Anita Lal, Rebecca Sullivan, Julie Considine, Penny Casey, Samantha Siyambalapitiya, Mimi Ermert, Pier Moro.

Falls in patients with communication difficulty

To find out whether people who have difficulty communicating are more likely to experience harm while in hospital by measuring the risk of falls in people with communication difficulties after a stroke using national health data.

Team: Rebecca Sullivan, Robyn O’Halloran, Katherine Harding, Xia Li.

Tailored Supported Communication Falls Response Plan: A pilot falls intervention study

To find out if supporting patients to communicate with doctors and nurses after a fall and giving falls prevention education is helpful, and works in the hospital setting.

Team: Rebecca Sullivan, Robyn O’Halloran, Katherine Harding, Penny Casey, Kaitlin Russell, Ian Kneebone, Catherine Rampant, Anita Lal.

A systematic review of the prevalence and associates of falls related psychological concerns post stroke.

To understand how common fear of falling and other fall-related concerns are in adults recovering from a stroke.

Team: Samantha Allen, Peter Stubbs, Rebecca Sullivan, Michelle Courtney Harris, Deb Debono, Roshan Nair, Nimish Biloria, Nicholas Hart, Ian Kneebone.

Exploring the roles of speech-language pathologists and falls

To investigate how speech pathologists can support safer care and reduce the risk of falls.

Team: Rebecca Sullivan, Natalie Douglas, Megan Schliep.

FISS trial

A randomised controlled trial to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of the Stroke Action Falls rehabilitation program compared to usual care alone to reduce Falls In Stroke Survivors: the FISS-Australia trial.

Team: Annie Hill, Kathryn Harding , Emmah Doig , Nadine Foster, Pip Logan,  Catherine Sherrington, Mark Chatfield, Jacqueline (Jacki) Liddle , Stephen Isbel, Tracey Coman

International Aphasia Apps: Environmental Scan of aphasia therapy software and apps for languages other than English

Outline the publicly available aphasia therapy apps and software in the most widely spoken languages, and highlight any gaps.

Team: Tanya Van Prooyen, Samantha Siyambalapitiya, Annie Hill, Marcella Carragher, Maria Kambanaros, Lucie Lanyon, Chelsea Larkman, Kathleen Mellahn, John Pierce

Investigating CALD adaptations in ICAPs - Honours Project

To explore how Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs) are being adapted for CALD populations.

Team: Jorja Byrson (Honours Student), Annie Hill, John Pierce, Kathleen Mellahn

Outcome measurement for clinical trials

Aphasia-DOOR: Your Voice in Measuring Research Success

We want to make a better way to check if aphasia therapy really helps.

Bridging the divide between best-evidence & practice: addressing the communication needs of stroke patients using a collaborative knowledge translation approach (St Vincent’s and LTU collaboration)

To map current acute aphasia management at St V’s against current clinical guidelines, identify gaps, prioritise these gaps, develop an intervention to improve implementation of guidelines, and evaluate the effect.

Team: Renee Clapham (St Vincent’s), Kathryn McKinley (St Vincent’s), Robyn O’Halloran (LTU), Marcella Carragher (LTU), Marissa Stone (St Vincent’s), Mary-Anne Candy, Phil Candy, Kathleen Mellahn (St Vincent’s)

Contact: R.OHalloran@latrobe.edu.au

Aphasia Treatment TransLatIon Network (ATTAIN)

Objective is to transform aphasia care and drive system-wide evidence translation from hospital to home, regardless of postcode. We will do this by developing and delivering effective and sustainable digitally enabled hub and spoke aphasia services that address unmet needs and improve outcomes for people living with aphasia. The overall aims of the project are to:

1. Translate evidence-based treatments into co-designed packages based on identified consumer priorities and unmet needs.

2. Build an integrated data hub for measurement and iterative and ongoing improvement of evidence-based practice and outcomes.

3. Implement and evaluate the delivery of locally-tailored aphasia treatment packages in a range of health services through a scalable digital hub and spoke network.

Contact person: Annie Hill, Principal CI at LTU

Team: Annie Hill, Miranda Rose, David Copland (CIA), Kirstine Shrubsole, Sarah Wallace, Jade Dignam, Emma Power, Tash Lannin, Dominique Cadlihac, Ian Kneebone, et al.

Community Aphasia Groups: Peer-led CAG (Hub and Spoke model) at Grampians Health

To proliferate high-quality, evidence-based peer-led aphasia groups within hub-and-spoke model.
Team: Miranda Rose, Michelle Attard, Cassie Wilcox, Lucie Lanyon, Kathryn Pettigrove (PhD student) & Grampians Health SP.

Facilitation of community aphasia groups

To investigate the impact of a targeted training package on SLPs’ competence to facilitate community aphasia groups and train other (peer volunteer) facilitators.
Team: Kathryn Pettigrove (PhD Student) Lucette Lanyon, Miranda Rose and Michelle Attard.

NotFast-Aus- Co-design and testing of a novel 'fatigue protectometer' to tackle post-stroke fatigue

Team: Dawn Simpson, Coralie English, Lucie Lanyon, Julie Davey, David Flood, Avril Drummond, Lorimer Mosely, Gillian Mason, Emily Ramage, Alicia Harris

Aphasia Therapy Finder - CATs WG4, Phase 3

To develop, evaluate, maintain and grow a clinical implementation tool for evidence-based aphasia therapy.

Activity: Survey to establish need for ATF (2022). Developed and tested prototype web-app (2022-2023). Built webapp (2023). Worked with 60 aphasia researchers internationally to develop therapy profiles for 25 aphasia therapies (2022-2024). Launched web-app (IARC, 2024). User experience evaluation (surveys and focus groups, 2026).

Visit the Aphasia Therapy Finder

Funded by: The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia, UK.

Effectiveness of Aphasia Interventions - CATS WG4

The overall aim of our working group is to enable and conduct international research that maximises the effectiveness of interventions for aphasia. Interventions may include all phases of care and target impairments, activities, participation, personal and environmental factors, quality of life, and well-being.

Find out more here

Team: Miranda Rose leading the CATS working group 4 ; John Pierce deputy lead

Japanese M-MAT Study

To adapt M-MAT for Japanese (M-MAT-J) utility culturally and linguistically; 2) To investigate efficacy of M-MAT-J.

Team: Miranda Rose, Kazuki Sekine, Cassie Wilcox, Keita Kitagawa/Wataru Kimura

Measurement issues in aphasia trials (CATS Trials in Aphasia panel)

Aim: To publish 3 tutorial style papers on method issues in aphasia trials: 1) Operationalising treatment success in aphasia rehabilitation; 2) Key elements in phasing of aphasia treatment studies: From single case studies to systematic reviews with meta-analyses; 3) Fidelity in aphasia trials: Recommendations for the development, monitoring and reporting of fidelity processes.
Team: Miranda Rose, Maya Menahemi-Falkov, Caterina Breitenstein, Katerina Hilari, Erin Godecke, Audrey Bowen, Marian Brady, Argye Hillis, Swathi Kiran, Jerzy Szaflarski, Evy Visch Brink, Sarah Wallace, Marcella Carragher, Helen Kelly, Rebecca Palmer & Shirley Thomas

REMAP: Repetitive TMS and multi-modality aphasia therapy for post-stroke aphasia

Aim: To determine if inhibitory rTMS coupled with M-MAT can improve aphasia outcomes in stroke survivors.
To use neuroimaging to better understand the mechanisms of recovery that occur in brain after our intervention.
To better understand how patients, caregivers, and clinicians view effectiveness of the rTMS + M-MAT intervention and its implementation in routine aphasia care.
Team: Sean Dukelow (University of Calgary), Adam Kirton, Oury Monchi, Bradley Goodyear, Michael Hill, Kevin Lindland, Ashley Harris, Helen Carlson, Miranda Rose

Updating the Australian Aphasia Rehhabilitation Pathway (AARP)

To update evidence; adjust Best Practice Statements in line with latest evidence; update AARP with the evidence and include clinic ready resources to maximise evidence implementation. Will link to CATS planned Aphasia Therapy Finder project.

Team: Miranda Rose, Caroline Baker, Emma Power, Kirstine Shrubsole, Erin Godecke, Linda Worrall, Sarah Wallace, Robyn O’Halloran, Ciara Shiggins, Cassie Wilcox.