Esther Herring (née Ayuk), MS, CCC-SLP is an alumna of the MGH Institute and specializes in treating adults with acquired communication and cognitive disorders. She holds a clinical appointment at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston and joined the Institute in 2020 as an Instructor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. In 2021, she became Coordinator of the Aphasia Center, a pro-bono, student-led clinic providing services to adults with acquired brain injuries.
Esther's research focuses on recovery trends in adults with post-stroke aphasia, examining language, participation, and quality of life outcomes. She helped develop the Stroke Outcomes Measures, a standardized tool for tracking changes in language and cognition during early stroke recovery. She is also Principal Investigator for a grant-funded project that developed and tested the revised Behavioral Activation Treatment Program for Aphasia (BAT-RA), aimed at improving activity participation in community-dwelling adults with aphasia.
Beyond her clinical and research work, Esther teaches coursework in her areas of expertise. She facilitates interprofessional learning at the Institute’s IMPACT Practice Center and holds leadership roles in the National Aphasia Association and Aphasia Access. Her work emphasizes health equity, patient advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve care for adults with acquired neurological disorders.
- BA, Linguistics, Rice University, Houston, TX
- MS, Speech-Language Pathology, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
- Aphasia
- Brain Injury/Stroke
- Cognitive-Linguistic Disorders
- Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice
- Clinical Education and Supervision
Esther has published numerous papers - some titles are highlighted below. You can view a complete listing of Esther's publications on ORCiD or in her CV.
Exploring Mobile Health Clinics: A Scoping Review. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.
Person-Centered Care: The Life Participation Approach to Aphasia.
In addition, Esther regularly presents at conferences and industry events. Please see her CV for a complete list of presentations.
Collaborative Case Rounds: Enhancing Interprofessional Learning at the Impact Center at the National Academies of Practice (NAP).
Promoting Life Participation After Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs: Finding a Way Forward with Behavioral Activation at the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention.
Finding the Words: Stories of Identity, Creativity, and Adaptation by and for the Aphasia Community at the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention.
Transparency and Shared Decision-Making in Clinical Education: The Effects of Parallel Pandemics at the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention.
Assessing Change and Predicting Outcomes in Aphasia Rehabilitation at the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention.
