Lab Director
Sameer Ashaie, Ph.D., M.S.
Dr. Ashaie is a research scientist at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and a research assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. He earned his PhD in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the Graduate Centre, CUNY. He was also a recipient of NIDILRR's Switzer Merit Fellowship and NIDILIRR's Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training post-doctoral fellowship. His current research is funded by NIH NIDCD. Dr. Ashaie’s primary research focus is on aphasia rehabilitation particularly post-stroke depression and related psychosocial disorders. He uses both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in his research. In his spare time he likes doing nothing other than watching science fiction movies and shows.
Lab Manager
Eleanor Siegle, B.S.
Eleanor is a research assistant with the lab and serves as SAfER’s lab manager. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2023 with a bachelor of science in neuroscience and a minor in dance. She has always had an interest in the rehabilitation process and has recently turned her attention to studying how people recognize emotions post-stroke and depression in people with aphasia. In her free time, Eleanor enjoys reading, taking ballet classes, and exploring Chicago's architectural gems.
Research Clinician
Katy Magee, M.H.S., CCC-SLP
Katy Magee, M.H.S., CCC-SLP/L-CBIS is a Speech-Language Pathologist by trade and works as the cognitive-communication lab therapist in the Think and Speak Lab at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. She earned her Masters of Health and Human Sciences at Governor’s State University, with her undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders completed at Elmhurst University. Katy’s area of focus is in cognitive-communication deficits, specifically Right Hemisphere Dysfunction and social cognition. She is involved with research related to emotion recognition, rewards sensitivity, and cognitive endurance. Katy also enjoys teaching and training in these areas, with pragmatics as a specific area of clinical interest. When not at work, Katy loves playing the piano, being outside, and traveling as many new places as possible.
Research Assistants
Brooke Boxrud, B.S.
Brooke is a research assistant with the lab. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in molecular neuroscience. She is interested in aphasia rehabilitation and wants to better understand how psychological disorders such as depression influence language recovery post-stroke. Outside of the lab, Brooke is a jazz pianist and enjoys exploring the Chicago music scene.
Joanne Chou, B.S.A.
Joanne is a volunteer research assistant within the lab. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Arts in Neuroscience with a minor in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin. She works full-time as a software engineer and is currently taking evening classes at Northwestern University SPS. With a longstanding interest in mental health and disabilities, she is excited to further this passion by contributing to the lab's research on stroke, aphasia, and emotion. In her free time, she enjoys baking, cooking, and playing and listening to classical music.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Luna Xu
Luna is a research assistant with the lab. She is pursuing a Bachelor in Data Science and Psychology at Northwestern University. She is interested in learning about qualitative analysis and the design process for developing a daily depression measure for Persons with Aphasia. In her free time, Luna enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing guitar.
Rachel Kwon
Rachel is a research assistant within the lab. She is currently a freshman at Northwestern University and is working towards a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a double major in Neuroscience. She is interested in studying the significance of the mental health changes that are associated with aphasia. In her free time she enjoys baking and taking long walks along the lakefront.
Andrew Lazarus
Andrew is a research intern with the lab. Andrew is currently working toward a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a double major in Neuroscience at Northwestern University. He is interested in understanding how environmental factors, such as visual clutter, impact naturalistic eye-gaze patterns of individuals who have suffered a stroke. In his free time, Andrew enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and relaxing by the lake.