Anna Zumbansen

Anna Zumbansen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Ottawa, where she has been since July 2020. She serves as Associate Director of the Music and Health Research Institut (MHRI) since 2021. Her expertise spans vocal health in singers, melodic therapies for aphasia, and non-invasive brain stimulation (tDCS/TMS) in neurorehabilitation. She holds a PhD in biomedical sciences (Université de Montréal, 2015) and a CIHR postdoctoral fellowship from McGill University and the Jewish General Hospital of Montreal.

Her research focuses on innovative interventions for acquired communication disorders, including developing assessment tools for natural speech changes in aphasia. She has taught in speech pathology programs across Canada and France, supervising numerous master’s theses. Key contributions include the Cinderella Story Retell Task for French-language assessment and the NorthStar trials evaluating brain stimulation efficacy post-stroke.

Dr. Zumbansen has received prestigious awards including NSERC scholarships and a CIHR fellowship. Her work bridges clinical practice and neuroscience, emphasizing music-based therapies and community-tailored knowledge mobilization strategies.