Dr. Swathi Kiran receives the Honors of the Association Award
CBR Founding Director Dr. Swathi Kiran receives the Honors of the Association Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The Honors of the Association recognizes members for their distinguished contributions to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders, whose contributions have been of such excellence that they have enhanced or altered the course of the professions and is the highest honor the Association bestows.
About the Award
On December 6th, 2024, Dr. Kiran was honored at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Awards Ceremony to receive the Honors of the Association for her distinguished contributions to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders. This recognition is the highest honor the Association bestows, and it honors individuals who are well-known throughout the nation and the world for a lifetime of innovative clinical practice, insightful and rigorous research, creative administration, effective legislative activity, outstanding teaching or other distinguished professional contributions. To those in the field of aphasia research and brain recovery, Dr. Kiran’s work and contributions to the field are well known. In this article, we interviewed Dr. Kiran to get a full understanding of her journey throughout the years as a student, associate professor, researcher, founding director of the Center for Brain Recovery, and co-founder of Constant Therapy.
Passion for the Brain: Education and Career
Dr. Kiran’s passion for studying the brain began during her high school years, as she was fascinated by its complexities. As a multilingual herself, speaking 5 languages, she was intrigued by the brain’s ability to comprehend and switch between multiple languages. “The more I learned about the anatomy and physiology of the brain, the deeper my passion for studying it” she explained. This led her to study a Masters and PhD on the topic of stroke-aphasia at Northwestern University, which she noted as, “the critical point in my career and when I knew what this is what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.”
Dr. Kiran’s time at Northwestern is where she had the opportunity to really learn in depth and in practice about how to diagnose and treat aphasia. Her passion for neuroscience allowed a move to Boston University in 2008 as an Associate Professor, “that move-” she explained, “changed the trajectory of my work to study neuroplasticity in the brain using brain imaging methods. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to study the effects of brain damage and explore the potential of neuroplasticity in post-stroke aphasia. Over the past few decades, I have been thrilled to witness significant advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia, and others.” These advancements have opened new avenues for brain recovery. Dr. Kiran co-founded Constant Therapy, an app that helps patients with post-stroke aphasia by tailoring recovery paths to their unique needs. She emphasized that, “the opportunity to translate my decades of research to a product that helps people everyday through the Constant Therapy app that helps every patient with post-stroke aphasia has been wildly gratifying.”
Receiving this Award
We interviewed Dr. Kiran about this award, the significance of receiving it, and how the field has developed throughout the years.
What does receiving the Honors of the Association mean to you personally and professionally?
“It is profoundly humbling to have contributed, even in a small way, to advancing our understanding of aphasia—particularly in the context of bilingualism—identifying effective treatments for individuals with aphasia, and uncovering how neuroplasticity functions during rehabilitation. Receiving the ASHA Honors is a deeply meaningful acknowledgment of this challenging yet essential work.
Although there is still much to learn about the brain, the most complex organ in the universe, I am excited to continue pushing the boundaries of our knowledge. I remain committed to helping patients with neurological disorders worldwide and feel deeply honored to receive this recognition.”
How have you seen the field of communication sciences and disorders evolve during your career?
“When I started research in aphasia rehabilitation back in 2001, at most conferences and scientific meetings, I found most of the discussion and debate to center around whether treatment works. Single subject designs were not powerful enough and there were no strong RCTs showing the effectiveness of treatment. It was difficult to convince people that aphasia treatment works. Today, I am so excited to see the discussion center around how we harness neuroplasticity, not whether aphasia treatment works, but how to maximize treatment in a way that the brain can recover. It is exciting to see how far we have come in this field and the potential breakthroughs ahead.”
What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities currently facing the field?
“Even though there is enough scientific research showing the effects of neuroplasticity and how people with aphasia live successful lives several years months and years after their stroke, the healthcare system does not support their continued recovery. Also, there is still no cure yet for someone who has had stroke and has aphasia, this is an opportunity for the next generation of scientists.”
The Future: Mentoring the Next Generation of Researchers
How have you approached mentoring the next generation of professionals?
“I have approached every student I have had the pleasure of mentoring the same way I have brought up my own children, show them a path and let them travel that path with encouragement and confidence. I do not know the answers to the research questions they have posed, and I am excited to find out the answers just like them.”
If you could influence the future direction of research or practice in the field, what would you prioritize?
“It’s hard to predict where the future direction of research or practice will be, but one thing I would prioritize is to focus our treatment and rehabilitation efforts on helping aphasia survivors living successfully with aphasia, receiving therapy at home, and using neuroscience to understand and prescribe individualized treatments for people as one size does not fit all.”
What advice would you give to early-career professionals aspiring to make a significant impact in the field?
“The next decade of healthcare and clinical research will see a lot of change and uncertainty. Embrace this. At any given time, day or year, there will always be a new challenge to face, and don’t fear change. What you learn today may not be relevant tomorrow, you have to trust your instincts and your cognitive flexibility to adapt to whatever change and challenge comes next. If you are a clinical researcher, listen to your patient. As a caregiver for a parent recently, I really wanted the doctors and therapists to listen to my parent, treat them with respect and dignity, really listen to them, their worries, their failures, their apprehensions and the context of this disease or condition in their life. Listen to your patient, learn from them and you will become a better clinician and a better researcher. “
Acknowledgements
Dr. Kiran also acknowledged her family, parents, and colleagues for their support and guidance throughout the years. She detailed specifically several mentors when asked:
Who or what has inspired you throughout your career?
“There are so many people who have influenced my career at various stages. Dr. Pratibha Karanth and Dr. Shyamala Chengappa were my undergraduate research mentors. In graduate school, Cindy Thompson was profoundly influential in guiding my thinking and researching different aspects of aphasia. Throughout the early stages of my career, I received mentorship from so many generous colleagues including Dr. Lorraine Obler, Dr. Leora Cherney, Dr. Chuck Larson, Dr. David Caplan, Dr. Gloria Waters, Dr. Christopher Moore, Dr. Margaret Rogers, Dr. Judith Cooper, and so many others. Even today the conversations are eye-opening and meaningful in thinking about what the future may hold.”
Support the Next Generation of Researchers
If this story inspires you to support the Center for Brain Recovery’s effort, consider contributing to our research fund by visiting our website’s support our work page.