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Dr Erin Godecke
Dr Erin Godecke
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
| Telephone: | (61 8) 6304 5901 |
|---|---|
| Email: | e.godecke@ecu.edu.au |
| Campus: | Joondalup |
| Room: | JO4.102 |
Background
Dr Erin Godecke holds a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship in Speech Pathology (2010-2014) at the School of Psychology and Social Science. Prior to commencing the Fellowship, she worked as a speech pathologist in acute care hospitals in Western Australia for 13 years. She has extensive experience in the assessment and management of acute communication and swallowing disorders in adults, working in areas including General Medicine, ENT, Geriatric Medicine and Neurology. Her primary clinical role was that of Senior Speech Pathologist at the Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Stroke Unit where she worked for 10 years. During her time at RPH, Dr Godecke undertook her PhD (part-time) and completed this in 2009.
Dr Godecke’s primary research is in the area of aphasia – language difficulty after stroke. In particular, her work focuses on the very early post-stroke recovery phase (first month following stroke). Her PhD was the first Randomised Clinical Trial (RCT) in Australia to investigate the effects of very early aphasia intervention. This study has been commended for its methodological rigor and application of evidence based practice in aphasia management. The study has also met the criteria for inclusion in the 2012 Cochrane Review for aphasia management following stroke. The positive effects of very early aphasia therapy, seen in her PhD, have been confirmed in another small clinical trial funded through the Western Australian State Health Research and Advisory Council (SHRAC), in which she was the chief investigator.
Dr Godecke’s secondary area of interest is in improving stroke care throughout Australia. She has contributed significantly to improving stroke care at local, state and national levels and has represented allied health on the Executive Committees of the Stroke Society of Austrasia (SSA) (2007-2010) and the Australian Stroke Coalition (ASC) (2006-2010) and chaired the Access to Stroke Units working group within the ASC (2009-2010). She is an invited member of the Expert Advisory Panel for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care which aims to improve safety and quality of care, achieve better outcomes and provide a more effective and efficient health system for people with stroke.
Professional Memberships
- Speech Pathology Association of Australia
- Stroke Society of Australasia
Awards and Recognition
Other
- Stroke Society of Australasia – Scientific Award
- Rotary Allied Health Professional of the Year (WA) – Speech Pathology
- Johnson and Johnson Scholarship – Excellence in clinical care.
Research Areas and Interests
- Very early aphasia recovery
- Outcomes in stroke care
- Impairment-based aphasia therapy
Staff Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, Curtin University of Technology .
- Doctor of Philosophy, Curtin University of Technology, 2009 .
- Master of Science, Curtin University of Technology, 1999 .
- Bachelor of Science, Curtin University of Technology, 1996 .
Recent Publications (within the last five years)
Journal Articles
- Godecke, E., Hird, K., Lalor, E., Rai, T., Phillips, M., (2011), Very early poststroke aphasia therapy: a pilot randomized controlled efficacy trial. International Journal of Stroke, N/A(N/A), 1-10, DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2011.00631.x.
- Armstrong, B., Ciccone, N., Godecke, E., Kok, B., (2011), Monologues and dialogues in aphasia: Some initial comparisons. Aphasiology, 25(11), 1347-1371, DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2011.577204.
- Miles, A., Ciccone, N., Godecke, E., (2011), Effects of Topic Familiarity on Discourse in Aphasia. ACQuiring Knowledge in Speech, Language & Hearing, 13(1), 7-11.