headshot of William D. Hula, Ph.D., CCC SLP

William D. Hula, Ph.D., CCC-SLP


Dr. Hula began his career at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in 2000 as a pre-doctoral fellow and is a graduate of the VA RR&D Research Career Development program. His research interests include  aphasia treatment, measurement of language ability and patient-reported outcomes in aphasia, and brain-behavior relationships in language and aphasia. He also participated in the founding of the VAPHS Program for Intensive Aphasia Rehabilitation and Education (PIRATE), which has served over 200 Veterans from 39 states since 2009, and he continues to serve PIRATE as a supporting clinician and scientific advisor.

 

Investigator Research Interests

Affiliations:

  • Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
  • Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
  • Communication Science & Disorders, University of Pittsburgh

What are the three most important questions that define your research program?

  1. What approaches to aphasia assessment efficiently provide the most valid information to support diagnosis, treatment planning, and outcome measurement?
  2. What are the cognitive and neural mechanisms that govern language impairment and recovery from language impairment in stroke survivors with aphasia?
  3. What are the person-related, treatment-related, and environmental factors that predict recovery from aphasia?

What are five key words that best describe your areas of interest?

  • Aphasia
  • Language
  • Treatment
  • Psychometrics
  • Neuroimaging

 

What are up to five technologies, models, methods, analytic approaches, or other forms of expertise that characterize your research program?

  • Item response theory
  • Linear and generalized linear multilevel regression models
  • Bayesian modelling and inference
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging