Undergraduate RAs — Cognitive Recovery Lab

Nikta Najib is a medical graduate with an interest in neurology. At CRL, she is working on lesion tracings of stroke survivor MRIs to help with lesion symptom mapping research. She is planning to continue her medical career in a neurology residency program. Nikta also works at the clinical research management office in Lombardi Cancer Center as a data manager.

Jonathan Slawitsky

Jonathan Slawitsky graduated from McGill University in 2014 with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering. He has since worked as a Software Engineer at several organizations including Epic Systems, Clover Health, and Amazon. Jonathan is interested in how technology is employed in a research setting to better understand speech-language deficits caused by left hemisphere strokes and traumatic brain injuries.

Jessica Schwartz is a Senior at George Washington University majoring in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences with a concentration in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is currently volunteering as a conversation partner at the Stroke Comeback Center and is particularly interested in understanding the brain’s ability to recover after strokes and Traumatic Brain Injuries. After college, Jessica plans to attend graduate school to get a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology.

Ilse Hahne is a Senior at Georgetown University double majoring in Neurobiology and Psychology. She is particularly interested in neuroplasticity following traumatic brain injuries. After college, Ilse plans to attend graduate school in the hopes of becoming a clinical neuropsychologist and work with patients who have traumatic brain injuries.

David Morales-Sanz

David Morales-Sanz is a Senior at Georgetown University. He is planning on majoring in neurobiology with a minor in Spanish. His interests are in learning about how the brain develops and changes across time, and how these changes relate to different behaviour or abilities. Semi-proficient in Matlab, and a fluent Spanish, Catalan, English Trilingual.

Victoria Hannett is a senior at Georgetown University, majoring in Neurobiology and minoring in Linguistics. She is interested in brain and speech development, neuroplasticity during development and after injury, and sociolinguistics. After she graduates, she plans to attend a PhD program related to Neuroscience so that she can eventually work as a researcher.

Tabitha You is a junior at Georgetown University. She is planning on studying Korean with a minor in psychology. Her interests include learning about neuroplasticity in language networks, as well as the role of inner speech in language production.

Sofia Veljkovic is a junior at Georgetown University majoring in Linguistics and Theology. She is specifically interested in Slavic languages and language instruction, being fluent in Serbian and currently learning Polish. In the past, she has been a tutor for Serbian teens trying to learn English, and has taught Serbian to children at Sunday school. After undergrad, Sofia plans to attend graduate school for a PhD in Linguistics.

Linlee Mangialardi is a junior at Georgetown University majoring in Biology and double minoring in Psychology and Education, Inquiry, and Justice (EDIJ). Her research interests lie at the intersection of language, memory, and neuroplasticity. After college, she hopes to pursue a career combining her interests in scientific research, education, and business.

Haris Khan graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. He has prior research experience in understanding neuronal activity in movement disorders. Haris is interested in learning more about how the aging brain could affect neurotransmitter release and cognitive function. In the future he hopes to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience.

Charlotte Park is a freshman biology major at Georgetown University. She is interested in how brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases impact language pathways. Outside of the CRL, she is a volunteer at the Georgetown MedStar Hospital and an ESL tutor.

Karina Cheng is a first-year at Georgetown University planning to major in Human Science and minor in Cognitive Science (with an emphasis on linguistics and psychology). She has an interest in rehabilitation following neurological emergencies. Karina has prior experience in healthcare as an EMT and hopes to expand her knowledge and scope of practice in the healthcare field by attending medical school after her undergraduate years.

Sophia Frank is a sophomore at Georgetown University majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Cognitive Science and French. Her interests lie in Speech Language Pathology, as she wishes to create effective therapies for people with Aphasia, Autism, Developmental Dyslexia, and ADHD. She has professional proficiency in French and has created French curricula for children's immersion camps. She loves language as it relates to reading and singing.

Dani Nisbet is a sophomore at Georgetown University majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Cognitive Science and Persian Studies. He is interested in the intersection between multilingualism, music, and the brain. After graduation, he hopes to create new music-based brain stimulation therapies that can help patients with neurocognitive and language disorders.