Centers Serving the Community

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, the Department of Occupational Therapy, and the Department of Physical Therapy – all of which are part of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences – have established clinical centers and labs on the Institute's Charlestown Navy Yard campus to provide pro bono services to our local communities.

Clients at all the centers are seen by graduate students who are mentored by certified and licensed faculty members.

Each year, more than $1 million in free services are provided to clients who either lack health insurance or whose insurance has expired.

Aphasia Center

The Aphasia Center assists adults who have partial or total inability to produce or understand speech due to brain damage caused by injury or disease, such as people who have had a stroke.

It is part of the Speech, Language, and Literacy Center in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

For Inquiries:

  • Marjorie Nicholas, PhD, CCC-SLP

    Associate Chair and Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

  • Aphasia Center: (617) 724-6314, aphasiacenter@mghihp.edu

Physical Therapy Center for Clinical Education and Health Promotion

The Physical Therapy Center for Clinical Education and Health Promotion, part of the Department of Physical Therapy, is where graduate students enrolled in our Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Science in Physical Therapy programs provide pro bono services to individuals in the local community who may not otherwise have access to such care.

These student clinicians, who are mentored by certified and licensed faculty members of the Department of Physical Therapy, assist clients with a range of orthopedic, neurological and multi-system impairments.

For Inquiries:

Assistant Professor Jane Baldwin, DPT, NCS

Associate Director of Clinical Education

Coordinator, Physical Therapy Center for Clinical Education and Health Promotion
ptcenter@mghihp.edu

Functional Living Lab

The Occupational Therapy Functional Living Lab (FLL) is an active-learning area which includes a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. It allows students in the entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program to seamlessly move from the classroom and immediately put into practice what they learned without leaving the lab.

These instructional  spaces are designed to replicate a typical home and not be fully ADA compliant.

The home-like environment has a cutting edge technology video capture process that enables students to view and review activities that happen in spaces where they are not having direct contact with a client. Each student also has an opportunity to try things out for themselves in the FLL. It’s a much better way for students to learn and not worry about making a mistake.

The Functional Living Lab also serves as our onsite Occupational Therapy Center where occupational therapy students will learn to assess, intervene, and provide specialty services at no cost to assist clients of all ages in developing, preserving, or restoring health and independence. 

Speech, Language and Literacy Center

The Speech, Language and Literacy Center, part of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, strengthens the Institute's commitment to the convergence of science and practice by involving faculty and students in providing free or low-cost speech, language, and reading services to children and adults from the Greater Boston area.

The Center offers specialty services in the areas of aphasia, autism, preschool speech and language disorders, and dyslexia. The Center provides an average of 200 patient visits each week. Families from the Charlestown community are given preference for available openings.

For Inquiries:

Associate Professor Lesley Maxwell, MS, CCC-SLP

Coordinator, Speech, Language and Literacy Center

(617) 643-5195 (please leave a message)