GCU researchers shortlisted for THE International Collaboration of the Year 2022 Award

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) stroke expert Professor Marian Brady and her research colleagues have been shortlisted for the prestigious THE International Collaboration of the Year 2022 Award for their “exceptional” collaborative work.

The GCU-led international Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) network of more than 270 aphasia researchers across 41 countries, which aims to improve the lives of people with language problems, really impressed the judges and “surpassed” their expectations.

CATs founder and chair Professor Brady described the shortlisting as “wonderful news” and thanked her GCU colleagues Dr Myzoon Ali and Jaclyn McArthur for their important contribution to the Collaboration over many years.

Professor Brady, who also leads the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit (NMAHP) Stroke Rehabilitation Research programme, based in the School of Health and Life Sciences (SHLS) Research Centre for Health (ReaCH), said: “Shortlisting the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists as the THE International Collaboration of the Year 2022 is wonderful news.

“It reflects the efforts of more than 200 multi-disciplinary aphasia researchers, particularly those on our international Executive Committee who lead our strategic direction, investing their energy and effort into supporting the shared activities of researchers across seven research groups to improve the lives of people with aphasia internationally.

“I am particularly grateful to my GCU colleagues Dr Myzoon Ali and Jaclyn McArthur for their work supporting CATs and to our funders, The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia for supporting the collaboration since 2017. “

Aphasia, a devastating neurologically-based language impairment, affects more than 350,000 UK stroke survivors’ ability to speak, understand speech, read, and write. Aphasia has no cure but therapy benefits language recovery.

CATs improves the quality, relevance, reliability, validity, transparency, and impact of aphasia research, co-ordinates international research and shares their expertise across neurology, linguistics, psychology, speech-language therapy and social sciences.

Professor Kay Currie, SHLS Associate Dean Research, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the work of Professor Marian Brady and her colleagues has been shortlisted for the THE International Collaborator of the Year Award!

“The CATs – Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists – is a truly remarkable achievement, bringing together aphasia researchers from over 40 countries. Working together, this innovative collaboration acts to pool knowledge and expertise to create real impact in clinical service delivery around the world and epitomises our GCU SHLS ReaCH philosophy of ‘improving health and wellbeing for all’.”

ReaCH makes a direct and significant contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 3 – good health and wellbeing – issued by the United Nations in 2015 as a blueprint for peace and prosperity across the planet.

THE editor John Gill said: “The shortlists reflect universities doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times, during the 2020-21 academic year, when the pandemic continued to force higher education and all who work in it to respond to an unprecedented challenge.

“That universities did so with alacrity and creativity is clear from the truly exceptional stories told in the awards submissions, and we had over 550 in all – among the highest number ever.”

The photograph shows some of the CATs team taking a break from their meeting in Tampere, Finland. From left to right - Dr Madeline Cruice (UK), Dr Caroline Jagoe (Ireland), Dr Adi Lifshitz Ben Basat (Israel), Associate Prof Marialuisa Gandolfi (Italy), GCU Professor Marian Brady, Dr Anne Charlotte Laska (Sweden), Assistant Prof Vânia de Aguiar (the Netherlands), GCU’s Dr Myzoon Ali and Professor Karen Sage (UK).