Empowering our Community through Communication Health
Welcome to our research landing page! Our goal is to improve communication health in the community through innovative research driven by you, the community. Communication health refers to the well-being of our ability to communicate through words and gestures. There are many conditions such as autism, traumatic brain injury, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease that can negatively impact our communication health. Our goal is to learn more about maintaining and improving our communication health, especially within underserved communities. In doing so, we can foster communication health equity for all.
There are many ways to participate in research. Our current projects are listed below. For more information, you can also email us at community@raymondbanksfoundation.org.
Communication Health TechQuity Initiative
**Check back for the Communication Health TechQuity SITe in September!**
Purpose
To develop and implement a culturally-tailored mHealth initiative designed to increase awareness about communication health to underserved priority communities.
Objectives
Develop and implement a culturally-tailored communication health mHealth campaign
Increase awareness about communication health in underserved priority communities
Study Period
Project Period: October 2023 - March 2025
Phase 1: October 2023 - February 2024
Phase 2: March 2024 - May 2024
Phase 3: June 2024 - August 2024
Phase 4: September 2024 - December 2024
Phase 5: January 2025 - March 2025
Current Phase Description
During this phase of the initiative, message content for the mobile app will be developed for the campaign. Messages will include communication risk assessment and education as well as community health resources. We are seeking members of underserved priority communities in the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area, as well as experts from the profession (e.g., speech-language pathologists, audiologists) and community health advocates (e.g., Health Care Access Maryland) to participate in our virtual Advisory Board and focus groups.
Eligibility Requirements
Resident of the Baltimore Metropolitan Area
Represent at least one or more priority populations in communication health:
older adults
minoritized racial/ethnic groups
rural-residing individuals
individuals with disabilities
individuals with low educational attainment
LGBTQIA+
individuals with low socioeconomic status
Compensation
Advisory board members, $100 honorarium
Focus group participants, $50 electronic gift card
Are You A Graduate Student Interested in Research? Become CulturallySMART!
Check out the CulturallySMART Page!
Culturally SMART is an intensive 6-month virtual fellowship for historically underrepresented graduate students in communication sciences and disorders and related disciplines. Fellows will learn cultural competency and gain direct clinical research mentorship in multicultural issues. At the end of the program, fellows will have the opportunity to present their work at a conference and/or publish in a scholarly journal. Stipends are also provided to help offset costs associated with participation.
Eligibility Requirements:
In order to participant as a fellow, you must be:
A full-time graduate student enrolled in a communication sciences & disorders program or related discipline
In good academic standing (will be verified by unofficial transcripts)
A member of a historically underrepresented population in STEM
Current Research Project Description
The current project is part of a larger ongoing study examining posttraumatic stress, COVID-19, and cognitive-linguistic skills in Spanish-speaking bilinguals. Survey data on 212 Spanish-speaking bilingual adults (ages 21-60) was examined to understand the perception of recent traumas on the Spanish and English language of bilingual children and adults. Results from this project may provide insight on improving culturally-responsive transdisciplinary intervention.
Research presented at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, 2022
Check out our research on the reported effect of trauma on language among Spanish-speaking bilinguals here.
