Tijana Simic, July 2023
On June 5th, 2023, we gathered to celebrate the illustrious career and retirement of Dr. Elizabeth Rochon, who has been a Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto since 1997, where she has established herself as a Canadian and international leader in research on language sciences and disorders.
Dr. Rochon’s research has focused on understanding and treating post-stroke- and primary progressive aphasias, and she has been highly successful in obtaining competitive funding from major granting institutions in Canada, including CIHR and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
This is largely due to her innovative and exciting research program which has led to developments such as the Phonological Components Analysis naming therapy (with Dr. Carol Leonard at University of Ottawa), various virtual applications for post-stroke aphasia treatment (e.g., Voice Adapt), and the Quantitative Production Analysis protocol for analyzing narrative speech samples. Dr. Rochon and her colleagues were also among the first to publish speech therapy intervention research and important longitudinal data describing the variants of primary progressive aphasia and associated neural patterns.
Since 2004, Dr. Rochon has also been a scientist at The KITE Research Institute –Toronto Rehab (University Health Network), where she was the leader of the Communication Team, and most recently, KITE’s Associate Director, Scientific, responsible for the review, professional development, and mentorship of KITE scientists.
Approximately 50 of Dr. Rochon’s clinical and research colleagues, and current and former students attended the retirement event, which featured guest speakers and a wine and cheese reception. The guest speakers (pictured), led by the Master of Ceremonies, Dr. Rosemary Martino, were all close colleagues and/or former trainees of Dr. Rochon, and infused the event with science, humour, and great memories, showcasing Dr. Rochon’s scientific rigor, mentorship, and collaborative spirit. The celebration was punctuated by a lovely toast to Dr. Rochon by Laura Laird, her long-time research manager.
To paraphrase: Dr. Rochon, you will always be a part of the Department of SLP family, and we wish you much happiness and many new adventures in your retirement. Thank you for your many scientific and teaching contributions and the important legacy you leave behind, which include your “Elizabethisms”, namely: Way to go! We are making progress! Tomorrow is another day!
We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings for you!
Congratulations and
Happy Retirement!
