A Farewell Toast to Outgoing Co-Editor in Chief Nancy Helm-Estabrooks

Nancy Helm-Estabrooks helped to reshape Seminars in Speech and Language into a new format that addressed the evolving needs of an evolving profession. As the first co-Editor in Chief with the responsibility for coordinating adult-focus topical issues, she sought out and oversaw what I believe to be some of the most cutting-edge topics in the journal's history. Answering readers' requests for specific coverage of common but vexing issues in clinical care of the adult population, she commissioned issues on Alzheimer's disease, memory disfunction, apraxia, attentional deficits, perseveration, and disorders of affective communication. Unique to past topic coverage in the history of the journal, she also coordinated an issue addressing ethical, moral, and legal issues in the everyday conduct of our profession, and most recently assembled a review of complementary and alternative approaches to the treatment of adult communication disorders.

Nancy was only the second editor in the history of Seminars in Speech and Language. When Seminars adopted its new format in 2001, she was a natural choice for the challenge of reconfiguring the journal. Since the late 1960s, she has made extraordinary contributions to the research and clinical literature in adult aphasia and neurological impairment. Critically, she has always been one of those rare individuals who bridges between so-called “basic” research and clinical practice needs. She epitomizes the concept of the clinician-scholar, who used her work with literally more than a thousand patients to guide the important questions that our field needs to ask and answer about aphasia assessment and rehabilitation. Because of this, her work has been invaluable in moving clinical assessment and treatment of aphasia steadily forward to ever-increasing levels of positive impact on patient care. A recipient of the ASHA Honors and one of this year's ASHA Fellows, Nancy has served as President of the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences and is, of course, the author of innumerable influential research articles and texts.

A fellow ex-Bostonian and Boston University graduate, Nancy and I had crossed paths there during the mid-1970s and 1980s. It was a pleasure to be back together with her in 2001 to plan the “new look” that Seminars adopted that year. I have truly enjoyed our work together on the journal and wish her well in her future endeavors. Her successor, Audrey Holland, and I hope to continue the work that she started so ably, and continue to offer readers of Seminars the very best in topical issues that address cutting-edge and clinically-relevant concepts in adult communication disorders. Nancy, thanks so very much, and the best of luck as you move on to what we know will be even more valuable contributions to our profession. Cheers,