Jamie Mayer, Ph.D.

Title:	Professor
Unit:	Speech-Language Pathology
Office Location:	Wirtz Hall 160
Office Phone:	815-753-1484
Office Fax:	815-753-9123
Email:	jmayer1@niu.edu

Courses Taught

• COMD 330: Neuroscience of Communication and Associated Behaviors
• COMD 674: Cognitive-Communicative Disorders in Adults with Neurological Impairments
• COMD 680: Medical Speech-Language Pathology
• COMD 688: Treatment of Cognitive-Communicative Disorders Associated with Brain Injury

Education

• Ph.D., Indiana University, Speech and Hearing Sciences
• M.A., Indiana University, Speech and Hearing Sciences
• B.A., Indiana University, Speech and Hearing Sciences

Certification

Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology

Licensure

License to practice Speech-Language Pathology in Illinois

Research Interests

• Interactions between cognitive and linguistic processes in the generation and treatment of adult neurogenic language disorders.
• Aphasia assessment and treatment.
• Gerontology
• Enhancing communication and quality of life for individuals with dementia.

Research Projects

• Attention Process Training after stroke.
• Treatment of reading skills in stroke survivors.
• The efficacy creative arts for maximizing communication, affect and quality of life for individuals with dementia.
• The use of music to augment communication, cognition and quality of life in acquired neurogenic communication disorders.

Community Programs

Please contact jmayer1@niu.edu or call 815-753-1484 for more information about these programs.

• Stroke Support Group – Our stroke support group, for stroke survivors and/or caregivers, meets at the NIU Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic on the first Thursday of each month, from 2-3:30 p.m.
• Bridges Choir - The Bridges choir is specifically designed for individuals with acquired cognitive or communicative difficulties associated with stroke, brain injury, or progressive illness (e.g., dementia); although any individual wishing to participate is welcome to join. Rehearsals are held every Monday at Oak Crest; each semester culminates in a small choir performance at Oak Crest or within the DeKalb area.
• Music and Memory - The NIU Music and Memory Student Association, launched in fall 2017, is working on bringing the Music and Memory program (personalized music for individuals with dementia) to DeKalb area long-term care facilities. The program has been piloted at Pine Acres Nursing Center and has received glowing reviews from patients, staff, and student volunteers.

Selected Publications

• Mayer, J. F., Anderson, R., Ward, J., Johnson, L. R., Greene, M. R., Chavez, Y., Meng, H., and Baker, W. (in press). BrainHealth 360: Cognitive intervention for older adults designed using a participatory framework. Innovation in Aging.
• Muasher-Kerwin, C., Hughes, M.C., Sanatizadeh, A., Mayer, J. F., and Alhoori, H. (2026). Harnessing multimodal large language models to interpret ecological momentary assessment-generated caregiving photographs. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 6, article 152.
• Mayer, J. F., Greene, M. R., Conn, J. L., and Orsulic-Jeras, S. (2026). Individualized passive music listening (IPML) for people with moderate to severe dementia living in long-term care facilities: Effects on communication, and why we should care. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 61(1).
• Chavez, Y., Meng, H., Liu, Y., Mayer, J., Campbell, N., Wright, C., Amidei, A., Butail, I., Fields, S., Green,, M., Santana, L.K., Steffel, C., and Grippo, A.J. (2025). Effects of classical music on behavioral stress reactivity in socially isolated prairie voles. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1553(1), 187-203.
• Mayer, J. F, and Knudson-Villeca, E. A. (2024). "Zoom Pals:" A pilot evaluation of a virtual service- learning program to address social isolation in long-term care residents living with dementia. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 1-20 [Epub ahead of print].
• Jeppson, T. A., Nudo, C. A., and Mayer, J. F. (2022). Painting for a purpose: A visual arts program as a method to promote engagement, communication, cognition, and quality of life for individuals with dementia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-15.
• Mayer, J. F., Mitchinson, S. I., and Murray, L. L. (2016). Addressing concomitant executive dysfunction and aphasia: Previous approaches and the new Brain Budget protocol. Aphasiology, 31(7) , 837-860.
• Murray, L. L., and Mayer, J. F. (2016). Extralinguistic cognitive considerations in aphasia management. In: I. Papathanasiou and P. Coppens (Eds.), Aphasia and related neurogenic communication disorders (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
• Mayer, J. F., and Murray, L. L. (2012). Measuring working memory deficits in aphasia. Journal of Communication Disorders, 45, 325-339
• Mayer, J. F., Bishop, L. A., and Murray, L. L. (2012). The feasibility of a structured cognitive training protocol to address progressive cognitive decline in individuals with vascular dementia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21, 167-179
• Mayer, J. F., and Murray, L. L. (2003). Functional measures of naming in aphasia: Word-retrieval in confrontation naming versus connected speech. Aphasiology, 17 (5), 481-498
• Mayer, J. F., and Murray, L. L. (2002). Treatment of alexia in chronic aphasia. Aphasiology, 16 (7), 727-743

External Grants

Northwestern Medicine Community Benefit Grant ($43,000) June 2024 - The Resilient Brain: A Healthy Cognitive Aging Initiative.