History of the Center for Brain Recovery
Our History
The Center for Brain Recovery (CBR) was first established at Boston University in 2009 as the “Aphasia Research Laboratory” with the primary goal of understanding language processing and communication following brain damage.
Following the initiation of the Aphasia Research Laboratory, the lab received its first PhD student in 2010. Since then, 16 PhD students have received their training at the Center. CBR currently hosts 5 core PhD students, 4 affiliated PhD students, and 22 core faculty members.
Becoming the Center for Brain Recovery
In 2022, the Aphasia Research Laboratory transitioned into the Center for Brain Recovery, officially establishing itself as a university-wide, interdisciplinary center. The Center for Brain Recovery now functions with the mission of convening an interdisciplinary group of researchers (e.g., clinicians, neuroscientists, engineers) to address the complex problem of treating, curing, and preventing neurological disorders.
The Following are Key Achievements Throughout the Years
In 2012, CBR Director Dr. Swathi Kiran, co-founded Constant Therapy Health, a digital health therapy company providing individuals with traumatic brain injury, aphasia, dementia, or other neurological conditions access to digital therapy anytime and anywhere especially in the comfort of their homes. Over the years, this company has served hundreds of thousands of patients
In 2013, the lab was part of a large $12 million multi-site Center grant awarded by National Institutes of Health to study the neurobiology of language recovery in aphasia.
In 2014, Dr. Swathi Kiran was presented with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Fellowship Award, and in 2024 she received the ASHA Honors Award.
In 2016, the Aphasia Research Laboratory and UT-Austin received a $3 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to predict rehabilitation outcomes in bilingual aphasia using computational modeling. And in 2020, the Aphasia Research Laboratory and Boston University Neurophotonics Center received a $5 million BRAIN initiative grant from NIH and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to develop the Neuroscience of Everyday World – A novel wearable system for continuous measurement of brain function.
In 2023, three Center for Brain Recovery PhD students: Isaac Falconer, Michael Scimeca, and Erin Carpenter, received prestigious F31/F30 grants from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
Also in 2023, the Center for Brain Recovery co-hosted the first annual Neuroscience of the Everyday World Conference alongside the Boston University Neurophotonics Center, with funding from the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute.
Looking Forward
The Center for Brain Recovery remains committed to advancing research on neurological disorders. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the CBR is making significant strides in neuroimaging techniques, the identification of neural and behavioral biomarkers, the application of data science and AI in predicting cognitive function, and the exploration of social determinants of health disparities to make meaningful contributions to the field of neuroscience.
Support the Future of the Center for Brain Recovery
You can help support the continued success of the Center for Brain Recovery by contributing to our research fund. For more information on how to help, visit the Support Our Work page.