Good news!
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Kristie Spencer gave an invited talk for the Oregon Speech-Language & Hearing Association conference in May 2026 titled, "Cognitive challenges in Parkinson Disease: Current Evidence and Practice Recommendations."
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Doctoral student Katie Westbrook and Kristie Spencer enjoyed representing the SPHSC Department at the Rehab Medicine Open House in April 2026.
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Doctoral student Tamar Nir was awarded a position on the UW Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) Research Education Component (REC) Trainee Program which provides a broad-based training in the clinical presentation and course of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs).
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Tamar Nir was awarded a position on the highly competitive 2025-2026 Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) training grant! Trainees receive a year of funding as well as mentored interdisciplinary research training and opportunities. Tamar will represent our lab and SPHSC Department in a multidisciplinary cohort of trainees. Congratulations Tamar!
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Tamar Nir was also awarded the prestigious Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences & Disorders (CAPCSD) PhD Research Scholarship in March 2025! This $12,000 award will support Tamar’s dissertation research related to Subjective Cognitive Decline and help-seeking behaviors across racial groups. Congratulations Tamar!
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She's on a roll! Tamar Nir also just received the UW Retirement Association Patricia Dougherty Fellowship in Aging! This is a one-quarter fellowship that supports graduate students of outstanding academic merit who have a demonstrated academic and personal interest in aging-related issues or concerns.
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Doctoral student Katie Westbrook was awarded the 2025-2026 GSEE Fellowship which provides a year of funding!
Celebrating the newly minted Dr. Summers (and Dr. LeBovidge!)!!
- Dale Summers successfully defended her dissertation entitled, "Electronic Cognitive Aid Use in Parkinson Disease: Usability, Feasibility, and Metacognitive Influences" in December 2024! Congratulations to Dr. Summers for this tremendous accomplishment!
- In July 2024, Kristie Spencer became a Fellow of ASHA! She was honored at the 2024 ASHA convention.
- In November 2023, doctoral student Dale Summers was awarded a $2000 minigrant from CREATE (Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) to fund her dissertation and beyond. Congratulations Dale!
- Tamar Nir and Haley Bouchard gave well-attended poster presentations at the November 2023 ASHA conference in Boston, MA!
- Dale Summers received a 'best poster' award at the Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) 2023 Science Expo.
- Master's thesis student Haley Bouchard was awarded the 2022 Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences Conference Student Fellowship.
- Haley Bouchard is a recipient of ASHA's competitive SPARC award (Students Preparing for Academic and Research Careers) for 2022-2023!
- Kristie Spencer gave an invited talk at ASHA in November 2022, along with co-presenters Dr. Edy Strand and Dr. Lauren Bislick entitled, "Pearls of Wisdom in the Management of Motor Speech Disorders: Reframing the Classics."
- Dale Summers was awarded a position on the highly competitive 2022-2023 Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) training grant! Trainees receive a year of funding as well as mentored interdisciplinary research training and opportunities. Dale will represent our lab and SPHSC Department in a multidisciplinary cohort of 18 trainees across UW and Montana State University. Congratulations Dale!
- Doctoral student Dale Summers was awarded the UW Retirement Association Patricia Dougherty 2022 Fellowship in Aging.
- Doctoral student Tamar Nir was awarded the 2021-2022 GSEE Diversity Fellowship which provides a year of funding.
- Doctoral student Dale Summers and Kristie Spencer were awarded ASHA's 2021 Meritorious Poster Submission for their conference poster, "Predicting cognitive decline in Parkinson disease: The Dual-Syndrome Hypothesis".
- Kristie Spencer and Jacqueline Daniels, M.S. are series editors for the textbooks End of Life Care Considerations for the SLP, Tracheostomy and Ventilator Dependence in Adults and Children, Primary Progressive Aphasia and Other Frontotemporal Dementias and Person-centered Memory and Communication interventions for Dementia and authors/editors of the textbook, Medical Setting Considerations for the SLP through Plural Publishing.
Lab Members
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Tamar Nir, M.S., CCC-SLP Doctoral student
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Katie Westbrook, M.S., CFY-SLP Doctoral student
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Izzy Costello Master's thesis student
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Selah-Marie Josephs Core SLP Master's thesis student |
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We will miss Prof. Maira Rozenfeld Olchik from Brazil who was a visiting scientist in our lab from August 2023-March 2024. We look forward to continued collaborations!
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| Volunteers! | Diana Heredia (MS- Med SLP), Ramona Robinson (UG), Chloe Ngyyen (UG) |
Doctoral and Master's Thesis Alumni
2025
Alliyah Olegario, Master's Thesis
2024
Dale Summers, Doctoral Degree, Awarded UWRA Fellowship in Aging, ITHS Training Grant recipient
2023
Haley Bouchard, Master's Thesis, Recipient of ASHA's Students Preparing for Academic & Research Careers Award and ANCDS Conference Fellowship Award
2021
Katherine Brown, Doctoral Degree, Awarded UWRA Fellowship and Scholarship, Pat Tillman Foundation Scholar
Jessica Amaral, Master's Thesis
2020
Manisha Gore, Master's Thesis
2018
Catherine Cornell, Master's Thesis
Clare Friedlander, Master's Thesis
2017
Mallory Dawson, Master's Thesis
Jennifer Smasne (Paul), Master's Thesis, Recipient of ASHA's Students Preparing for Academic & Research Careers Award and ANCDS Conference Fellowship Award
2015
Susannah Balestracci, Master's Thesis
2014
Phillip Weir-Mayta, Doctoral Degree, Awarded UWRA Fellowship and Scholarship
Ashley France, Master's Thesis
2013
Caitlin Sears, Master's Thesis
2012
Erika Hutchison, Master's Thesis, Recipient of Plural Publishing Research Award
2011
Elizabeth Horwitz, Master's Thesis
2010
Kristin France, Master's Thesis
2009
Audra McAllen, Master's Thesis
Janelle Sanchez, Master's Thesis
2008
Emily Blond, Master's Thesis
Holly Kavalier, Master's Thesis (Co-Mentor)
Kelly Morgan, Master's Thesis, Recipient of ASHA's Students Preparing for Academic & Research Careers Award
2007
Dana Slocomb (Robinson), Master's Thesis
2006
Emily Johnson, Master's Thesis
Erin Wiley, Master's Thesis