Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Communication Disorders

About Ilias PapathanasiouPatrick Coppens

Born in Greece, Dr. Papathanasiou trained in speech–language pathology at the University College London, University of London, England, and holds a master’s degree in health sciences from St. George’s Medical School, University of London. He completed his PhD at the Institute of Neurology, University College London, University of London, where he studied the mechanisms of recovery of writing in aphasia. His clinical and research interests include the study of the cognitive processes and neural substrates that support spoken and written language, as well as the nature and treatment of acquired impairments of language. Dr. Papathanasiou has contributed numerous scientific papers to refereed journals, written several book chapters, and organized a number of international meetings. He is the founder of the international series of conferences “The Sciences of Aphasia,” which started in 2000. He is the editor of the book Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders: A Clinical Perspective and coeditor of the book The Sciences of Aphasia: From Therapy to Theory. He is on the editorial board of Aphasiology, Communications Disorders Quarterly and the Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Patras, and a Visiting Professor in the Medical School, National Kapodistreian University of Athens, Greece, where he is actively involved in teaching, clinical research, and service delivery. Dr. Papathanasiou is a Fellow of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (FRCSLT) in the United Kingdom and a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). He is the 2020 recipient of the ASHA Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Contributions in International Achievement. Dr. Coppens was born and educated in Brussels, Belgium, where he acquired an undergraduate degree in Germanic Linguistics and a master’s degree in neurolinguistics under the mentorship of Dr. Yvan Lebrun. His doctorate in communication disorders and sciences was awarded at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale under the mentorship of Dr. Randall Robey. Dr. Coppens has more than 30 years of experience teaching and conducting research in aphasiology. He has published and presented extensively in his area of expertise. He is the editor of Aphasia in Atypical Populations (1998, Lawrence Erlbaum) and Aphasia Rehabilitation: Clinical Challenges (2018, Jones & Bartlett). He sits on the editorial board of Aphasiology and has been actively involved in various official capacities with the Academy of Neurologic Communication Sciences and Disorders, a professional group dedicated to promoting research and enhancing clinical services related to neurologic disorders.