Who was Eleanor M. Saffran?

Dr. Eleanor M. Saffran was one of the pioneers of Cognitive Neuropsychology with a career spanning some 35 years. Dr. Saffran spelled out the methodological tenets of "cognitive neuropsychology" exemplified in her studies of aphasia, acquired dyslexia, word deafness, and short-term memory impairment. These seminal papers are among the most widely cited in the field today. In 1980, Dr. Saffran established the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. Here she built an interdisciplinary research group composed of neurologists, psychologists, and speech pathologists. Under her leadership, this group extended the cognitive neuropsychological approach to the analysis of neurological disorders of perception, visual attention, and semantics. As the field of cognitive neuropsychology matured, Dr. Saffran became recognized as one of its most influential practitioners. Dr. Saffran was an exemplary scholar, leaving an extraordinary legacy of contributions to the field of cognitive neuropsychology. She will always be remembered for these accomplishments, but also for her kindness and generosity to colleagues, friends, and students.