It is gratifying to know that you're doing something that could have some practical implication. NIH granted Martin the award based upon her past productivity, standing in the field and proposed future research. She has studied short-term memory deficits for 11 years. Her peers recognize her as an expert in the area. Her research is becoming widely cited, and the Claude Pepper Award confirms the judgment of those of us on the local scene that her work is both technically competent and conceptually pathbreaking.
Martin works with adult patients who are aphasics.
Aphasic simply refers to anyone who suffers from a language disorder after brain damage. Martin's patients were functioning normally until they had a stroke or head injury. When brain damage affects language, not all abilities are affected equally. For example, a patient may have a good ability to understand the meaning of individual words but might have difficulty understanding the grammatical structure of sentences. Short-term memory is often affected.