Print This Post
Shalom Henderson
Name:
Shalom Henderson
Job title:
PhD Student and Speech-Language Pathologist
Place of work / study:
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (CBU) at the University of Cambridge
Area of Research:
Semantic control in Primary Progressive Aphasia
How is your work funded?
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a PhD student at the MRC CBU investigating semantic impairments across Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) variants. Particularly, I am interested in understanding how word meaning is stored and accessed in the brain, and the nature of impairments that can result when crucial brain regions are affected by disease, as in PPA. Prior to coming to Cambridge, I worked as a speech-language pathologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Frontotemporal Disorders Unit with patients diagnosed with various neurodegenerative conditions, primarily Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) and its subtypes. I am really excited to continue to work with this population at the MRC CBU under the co-supervision of Professors Matt Lambon Ralph and James Rowe!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I grew up in four different countries and acquired three languages before the age of 3. I have extended families in South Korea, the Philippines, and the United States.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
FTLD and its subtypes such as PPA are fast progressing, often misdiagnosed, and have no effective treatment. Building upon my previous work as a speech-language pathologist, I am hopeful that my research can be used to inform approaches to characterization and intervention in the clinical setting. As a clinician-researcher, I believe I am uniquely positioned to examine questions that are meaningful and translational to a clinical context.
Rebecca Williams
