Postdocs and Staff
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Jasmine Hope, PhD (Postdoc)Jasmine Hope earned her PhD in Neuroscience from Laney Graduate School of Emory University. Her research focused on determining the underlying neurological mechanisms of ankle control and spasticity in persons with spinal cord injury at the Shepherd Center. Prior to this, she conducted cognitive research with nonhuman primates at the Emory Primate Center and Zoo Atlanta. As a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Motion Lab, Jasmine will utilize her 7 years of experience of assessing spinal reflex and brain circuitry to better understand how to improve ankle control for safer ambulation in people with stroke. Outside of lab, Jasmine is a leader, alongside her Husband James, in her community in the Westside of Atlanta, enjoys being bad at kickball, and playing with her two Rottweilers. |
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Vyoma Parikh, PT, PhD (Postdoc)Vyoma earned her PhD in Physical Therapy from Texas Women’s University. Her research focused on determining the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the motor cortex versus cerebellum on lower limb neurophysiology and balance outcomes. Outside of lab, Vyoma enjoys being a mom to 2 kids, reading, and watching TV. |
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Alex Slusarenko (Research Coordinator)Alex completed her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University. Witnessing the profound impact that strokes can have on individuals and their families, Alex became determined to make a positive impact in the realm of stroke research. She has a deep passion for contributing to the scientific community’s understanding of the complexities of stroke, improving patient outcomes, and advocating for the rights and well-being of individuals with disabilities. She has had the privilege of helping Dr. Kesar manage multiple NIH-funded research projects and leads the planning and execution of a cross-functional team to coordinate study procedures and collect multi-session data in stroke survivors. More specifically, she helps implement gait training intervention sessions and collects gait biomechanics data.
Outside of the lab, Alex enjoys staying active, doing anything creative, trying new recipes, and spending time with her family in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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Jorjie Wilson (Research Coordinator)Jorjie completed her M.S. in Biomechanics from Virginia Tech. She helps manage gait biomechanics collections and data-processing for multiple NIH-funded research projects in the lab, and works with Dr. Nicole Rendos on projects related to evaluating and treating gait impairments in people with diabetic neuropathy. She is interested in innovating in the world of motion capture, and using her leadership skills and engineering background to contribute to sports biomechanics. |
PhD Students
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Catie Mason (PhD Student, Emory Neuroscience Graduate Program)Catie received her BS in Biology: concentration in Integrative Physiology & Neurobiology from NC State University in 2018. She is currently a Neuroscience PhD candidate at Emory University (2020 cohort), and is co-mentored by Dr. Trisha Kesar and Dr. Lena Ting. Catie is also a member of Dr. Michael Borich’s Neural Plasticity Research Lab. Catie uses Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) during cognitive-motor dual-tasks to study cognitive-motor circuit interactions in the cortex that contribute to standing balance control. She is interested in elucidating how cognitive-motor cortical circuit changes may contribute to high fall risk in the elderly and in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Catie’s work is funded by the F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA). In her free time, Catie loves to play video games, sing Broadway show tunes, and explore the city! |
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Fisayo Aloba (PhD Student, Emory Neuroscience Graduate Program)Fisayo received her BS in Medical Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, then received her Master’s in Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, Massachusetts and her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University HSC School of Health Professions. Fisayo is licensed to practice both in Nigeria and the United States. Fisayo is currently a doctoral candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Emory University. Her research focuses on the use of novel spatial-motor techniques to treat spatial-neglect and gait deficits post-stroke. To do this, she uses different combinatorial approaches of prism adaptation therapy and electrical stimulation to treat; and use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to detect biomarkers for targeted stroke treatments. Fisayo’s research is supported by an NIH T32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award (NRSA) (2021-22) and NIH NINDS F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA) (2023-26). Outside of the lab, Fisayo loves to explore and travel. |
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Jake Spencer, DPT (PhD Student, GaTech Applied Physiology)Jake completed a B.A. in Economics at the University of Georgia in 2016 and his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Emory University in 2020. He is currently an Applied Physiology Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology with a minor in Neuroscience. Jake’s research involves the evaluation of acute changes in neurophysiological excitability induced by ambulation training in both post-stroke and able bodied individuals using a combination of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation(TMS), electroencephalography(EEG), and peripheral nerve stimulation. He hopes his findings will help explain interindividual variability in response to post-stroke gait training interventions and eventually help inform clinical practice. Jake’s research is funded by the F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA). In his free time, Jake likes to play guitar and Dungeons & Dragons. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Taylor, and dog, Ajax. |
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Camille Guzman (PhD Student, Biomedical Engineering Program)Camille received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering (BME) from Northwestern University (go cats!) in 2021. She is currently a BME PhD student at Georgia Tech and Emory and a fellow in the GT/Emory NIH T32 Computational Neural Engineering Training Program. She is co-advised by Dr. Trisha Kesar and Dr. Michael Borich. Camille is using peripheral nerve stimulation to understand how spinal excitability is modulated during cognitive-motor dual-task conditions as a function of age. In her free time, Camille loves to play board games, watch TV (and force her labmates to watch her favorite shows), and taking naps with her dog, Ralphie. |
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Taylor Leone, BS, MPH Student (Part-time Research Assistant)Taylor received a BS in biology from Emory University in 2022. She is currently getting her Master’s degree in public health at Rollins School of Public Health. She is in the global health department concentrating in community health development and is also studying injury and violence prevention. Taylor has been a member of Dr. Kesar’s lab since January 2020. Taylor specializes in data analysis of neurophysiology data, and conducts transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) neurophysiology evaluations in various projects. She is currently working on analysis of how descending sensorimotor inputs interact with spinal reflex circuits and its association with balance function in healthy adults and post-stroke individuals. In her free time, Taylor enjoys swimming, reading, and spending time outdoors! |
Undergraduate Students
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Maithri Muthukumar Sujay Edavalapati Minuk Kim Anna Cho Matt Yoo Anna-Lee Lynch
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Alumni
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Dr. Alejandro Lopez, FIRST Postdoc fellow, Emory University Justin Liu, MD program, University of Tennessee Dr. Jiang Xu, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Zahin Alam, MD Program, New York University Oliver Daliett, Research engineer, Shepherd Center, Atlanta Christopher Schenck, MD student, Yale University |