Tiffany Hutchins, Ph.D., and Patricia Prelock, Ph.D. conduct research and develop interventions to help people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) build social problem-solving skills. Their work suggests that social challenges in individuals with ASD may stem from deficits in episodic memory—the ability to mentally revisit personal experiences from a first-person perspective.

Laura Lewis, Ph.D., RN focuses on autistic adults, exploring issues related to quality of life, social relationships and identity formation. Research shows that autistic individuals often face sensory, cognitive and social challenges in healthcare settings. Lewis led a study examining the labor and delivery experiences of women with autism.

Emily L. Coderre, Ph.D. studies the cognitive neuroscience of language using neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Her research explores how language is processed at the word, sentence and narrative levels in both typically developing individuals and special populations, including bilinguals and people with autism. Her goal is to inform the development of more effective autism interventions.

Kim R. Bauerly, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, studies the effects of emotion on speech-motor control in people who stutter. Her lab incorporates physiological and kinematic equipment to measure autonomic nervous system activity and articulatory control. Her interests include gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between self-reports of anxiety and autonomic changes under different emotional states in adults who stutter. She is also interested in investigating the impact of emotional reactivity and regulatory processes on articulatory control, particularly under conditions of social stress.

Sara Benham, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, focuses her research on phonological and lexical development in children with and without speech and language disorders. In her lab, she uses a range of methods to analyze speech sound production, including phonetic transcription, acoustic analyses and motion tracking, as well as network science techniques to detect principles of word and sound organization in the developing child.

Michael Cannizzaro, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, investigates brain and behavior relationships in both typical and brain-injured populations. His research examines the role of the prefrontal cortex during complex communication and tasks involving executive functions. He studies discourse processing using behavioral and linguistic metrics, combined with neuroimaging to monitor task-related hemodynamics in the brain. His lab uses modulated cortical activity (e.g., fNIRS and EEG) to interface with computers for communication and environmental control.

Emily L. Coderre, Ph.D., studies the cognitive neuroscience of language using neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). She examines the cognitive processes underlying language in both typically developing populations and special populations such as bilinguals and individuals with autism. She is interested in how language is understood through word, sentence and narrative comprehension, and how such understanding is impaired in autism. Her work aims to design more effective autism treatment interventions.

Jennifer Laurent, Ph.D., APRN, focuses her research on brain and behavioral mechanisms that contribute to weight gain and obesity in youth. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of experience and expertise in chronic disease treatment.

Denise Peters, PT, D.P.T., Ph.D., specializes in the neural correlates of motor impairment and recovery, with an emphasis on walking function after neurologic injury such as stroke and spinal cord injury. Her research explores brain-behavior relationships using MRI (diffusion tensor imaging), quantitative measures of motor function (EMG, kinetics), and clinical measures of impairment and activity.

Elise Tarbi, Ph.D., APRN, seeks to understand and improve serious illness communication so patients and families feel seen and heard. She studies clinical conversations directly, linking what happens in the encounter with the emotional and cognitive experiences of patients, families and clinicians. Her work combines traditional qualitative approaches with advances in machine learning. Insights from her research aim to move the healthcare system closer to routinely measuring and prioritizing high-quality communication.

Researchers use advanced technologies in genetics, genomics, biochemistry and cell biology to better understand human disease. Current focus areas include infectious disease immunology, autoimmunity, cardiovascular disease, epigenetics and cancer. Research labs offer a dynamic scholarly environment for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral associates and staff scientists. 

Paula Deming, Ph.D., MT (ASCP), studies molecular and cellular changes in cancer. One project investigates how mutations in the tumor suppressor gene, STK11, promote lung cancer progression, the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. 

Seth Frietze, Ph.D., investigates the molecular mechanisms of gene expression in the pathological progression of disease. His research projects range from blood cancer genomics to persistent viral infections, including varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which causes herpes, chickenpox and shingles.

Eyal Amiel, Ph.D., studies the basic molecular mechanisms regulating cellular immune activation, with the long-term goal of discovering new therapeutic approaches to manipulate immune responses to better address immune-related clinical challenges. He is particularly interested in how manipulating cellular metabolism can dramatically influence the type and magnitude of pathogen-specific immune responses.

Dimitry Krementsov, Ph.D., conducts research focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases. Some projects in the Krementsov Laboratory focus on bacteria in the gut microbiome that trigger immune cells’ inflammatory responses, and how these responses correlate with inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

Teresa Graziano, Ph.D., RN, investigates how sex and gender influence health and pain, with an emphasis on reducing disparities among women, intersex, and transgender individuals. Her research challenges traditional nursing paradigms through mixed methods and is grounded in Critical Theory, drawing on antiracist, queer, disability justice, and decolonial frameworks.

Deborah Hinchey, Ed.D., M.P.H., focuses her research on health equity and the social determinants of health, particularly those affecting marginalized populations. With expertise in public health education and curriculum development, her work critically examines how dominant health narratives are constructed—and can be challenged—through middle and high school health curricula. She brings experience from both academic and applied public health settings, including faculty roles at the University of Washington and leadership in college health promotion.

Bikki Tran Smith, Ph.D., M.A., is a qualitative health services researcher whose work examines the intersection of race and ethnicity, health and health policy, and place. Her research aims to understand the socio-spatial drivers of racial and ethnic health disparities and inequities, and to increase the capacity of communities, policymakers, public health professionals, and other healthcare providers to address those disparities more effectively.

Kelsey Gleason, Sc.D., M.S., is an environmental epidemiologist interested in the intersection of human health, the natural environment, and complex humanitarian crises. Her work focuses on reducing health disparities and building resilience for improved health outcomes in refugee communities, both locally and globally, by using data-driven approaches to identify and solve critical public health issues for the world’s most vulnerable.

Christine Vatovec, Ph.D., is an environmental health social scientist whose research focuses on the intersections of human and planetary health. She studies the environmental impacts of healthcare and develops sustainable, climate-informed practices to improve outcomes for people and the planet.

Research in this area integrates three complementary applied human sciences focused on promoting optimal health and preventing disease and injury through physical activity. Faculty in the department maintain strong interdisciplinary research collaborations with colleagues in engineering, nutrition, psychology and medicine.

Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Ph.D., researches the development of lifestyle interventions for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disease; the role of regularly repeated exercise in modifying risk factors for cardiometabolic disease; and the impact of dietary sugars in the development of adiposity and cardiometabolic disease. He is the associate editor of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Boyi Dai, Ph.D., researches anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during perturbed jump-landing tasks, exoskeleton and lower-back loading during occupational tasks, and perturbation and the risk of falls. He serves as an associate editor for Sports Biomechanics and vice president of research and projects for the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports. He also contributes to the field through editorial positions with Journal of Biomechanics, Research in Sports Medicine, and BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Reuben Escorpizo, PT, M.Sc., D.P.T., is a rehabilitation clinician scientist and academic with established work in the biopsychosocial framework of the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), methodology, and outcomes measurement. He is consulted nationally and internationally in relation to teaching, practice, and research in rehabilitation, physical therapy, outcome measurement, instrument development and validation, and the ICF.

Mat Failla, PT, Ph.D., SCS, specializes in improving outcomes after sports and orthopedic-related injuries. His research examines the effects of rehabilitation strategies on athletes after anterior cruciate ligament injury and reconstruction. He has additional interests in the prevention of sports injuries, rehabilitation after orthopedic procedures, and sports-related shoulder injuries. Failla is an experienced, residency-trained clinician and a board-certified specialist in sports physical therapy.

Nancy Gell, PT, Ph.D., M.P.H., focuses her research on promoting healthy behaviors to prevent functional loss in people aging with chronic disease and fall risk. Her current agenda includes testing interventions to support physical activity and exercise participation among individuals aging with cancer and osteoarthritis, and examining factors associated with fall risk in older adults. Her research broadly aims to support healthy aging for people with disabilities and chronic disease, with a particular focus on environmental and technological influences on physical activity, exercise adherence, and fall prevention.

Denise Peters, Ph.D., focuses on the neural correlates of motor impairment and recovery, with an emphasis on walking function after neurologic injury such as stroke and spinal cord injury. Her research examines brain-behavior relationships using MRI (diffusion tensor imaging), quantitative measures of motor function (EMG, kinetics), and clinical measures of impairment and activity. Peters has additional interests in neurologic rehabilitation strategies and outcome measure assessment.

Jeremy Sibold, Ed.D., ATC, NBC-HWC, researches the relationship between exercise and mental health and the prediction of musculoskeletal injury using psychosocial variables. He seeks to further define the relationship between exercise and psychological constructs including mood, anxiety, self-efficacy and learning. He believes exercise is an underused treatment adjunct in both healthy and clinical populations.

Connie Tompkins, Ph.D., conducts extensive testing and research on body composition, physiological responses to exercise before and after weight loss, and the metabolic effects of obesity in children and adolescents. She leads school-based physical activity interventions and REWARD TEENS, a multidisciplinary adolescent weight management program.

Timothy Tourville, Ph.D., ATC, researches the treatment of post-traumatic osteoarthritis and chronic disease with therapeutic exercise, and its relationship with changes in biochemical, biomechanical, MRI, clinical and patient-oriented outcomes. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science and the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

Carissa Wengrovius, PT, D.P.T., Ph.D., examines the effects of mind-body practices such as yoga for promoting physical, mental and social health. She is particularly interested in advancing understanding of interoception’s role in developing healthy lifestyle behaviors such as sleep, physical activity and self-regulation. Her work aims to create effective, easily disseminated programs that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in school, community and healthcare settings.

Karen Westervelt, Ph.D., PT, ATC, NBC-HWC, focuses her research on health promotion using an integrative, whole-person approach. Current projects include working with students to promote physical activity for Vermonters with arthritis through the evidence-based Walk With Ease program. She is also researching the use of healthcare students to provide health coaching for employees and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Westervelt is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist, a fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists, and a board-certified health and wellness coach.