Tammy Hopper, PhD, MS, BA

Area of Study / Keywords

Dementia communication cognition hearing loss

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About

I am a professor and graduate supervisor within the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. I am not currently accepting new graduate students.

Credentials

Post-Doctoral Fellowship – National Center for Neurogenic Communication Disorders - University of Arizona 

PhD - Speech and Hearing Sciences - University of Arizona

MS - Speech Language Pathology - Idaho State University 

BA - Psychology - University of Manitoba

Background Information

I am a registered speech-language pathologist with the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (ACSLPA), and a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, USA). After my Master’s degree, I practiced clinically in medical and long-term care settings in Oregon and Florida before returning to do my PhD and post-doctoral work at the University of Arizona. I joined the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Alberta in July, 2001. I was appointed Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine from July, 2012 - July 2015, Vice-Dean from July 2015 - December 2016 and Vice-Provost (Programs) in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) from January 2017 - July, 2021. 

Professional Interests

I am interested in the promotion of cognition and communication abilities of individuals with dementia and other neuro-cognitive disorders of aging. I have served on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations serving older adults, including the Excel Society, the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and the Alberta Association on Gerontology.

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Research

• The effects of hearing loss on cognitive-communication function in individuals with dementia
• Decision-making capacity and adults with neurological communication disorders
• Cognitive-communication interventions for Alzheimer’s disease and primary progressive aphasia
• Older adults’ access to rehabilitation services

My work has been funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, the Alzheimer’s Association (USA), the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, the CapitalCare Foundation and the University Hospital Foundation.

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Teaching

I am not currently teaching full courses, although I continue to provide guest lectures and supervise graduate students.

Kim, E., Suleman, S., and Hopper, T.

Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. 2020 June; 63 (6):1845 - 1860

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Miyagishima, R., Drummond, N., Carroll, L., Hopper, T., Garies, S., & Williamson, T.

Canadian Family Physician. 2020 March; 66 (3):e107-e114

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Hubbard, H. I., Mamo, S.K., and Hopper, T.

Seminars in Speech and Language. 2018 June; 39 (3):197-210