KESSLER FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Research Scientist / Department
Ada X. Chen, PhD, MPH, CRC, is an associate research scientist in the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. She was originally a member of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the Foundation. She received her PhD in rehabilitation counselor education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her master's degree in public health from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor. Her research interests include the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework; demand-side employment practices; and evidence-based vocational rehabilitation practices.
Education
PhD - Rehabilitation Counselor Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
MPH - Public Health, The University of Edinburgh
Aditi Arora, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Autism Research at Kessler Foundation. She is also a research assistant professor at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School. She is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods, and experimental designs.
Expertise
Autism
Job Titles:
- Senior Engineer
- Senior Engineer / Department
Akhil Bheemreddy is a senior engineer in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Research Technician
- Research Technician / Department
Alana Scaglione is a research technician in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Assistant
- Senior Research Assistant / Department
Alexa Bartalotta is a senior research assistant in the Center for Outcomes & Assessment Research at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Research Assistant / Department
Alfonse M. Gaite is a research assistant in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation.
Education
BA - Rutgers University
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Technician
- Senior Research Technician II / Department
Amanda Quintero is a senior research technician II in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation. She received a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology with a minor in health studies from William Paterson University. Her clinical internship focused on pediatric concussion at RWJBarnabas Health all while working at an activity based gym training individuals with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and more.
Education
BA - Exercise Physiology, William Paterson University
Job Titles:
- Associate Director / Center for Outcomes and Assessment Research
Job Titles:
- Research Technician
- Research Technician / Department
Andrew Strumolo is a research technician in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation.
Education
BA - Rutgers University
Job Titles:
- Research Coordinator
- Research Coordinator / Department
Angela Leonte is a research coordinator in the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research at Kessler Foundation. Angela graduated from Rutgers University where she was involved in research focused on an animal model of drug self-administration. This work studied neural activity and reactivity to cues during drug addiction, withdrawal, and relapse. Angela began working for Kessler Foundation in December 2020.
Education
BA - Psychology, minor in Sociology, Rutgers University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Advisor to the President
Autumn Pope is a research coordinator in the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director / Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director / Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research
- Assistant Director / Department
- Assistant Director of the Center for Neuropsychology
Brian M. Sandroff is an assistant director of the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation and is the director of the Center's Exercise Neurorehabilitation Research Laboratory. Dr. Sandroff earned his Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and further completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Kessler Foundation in Neuropsychology and Neuroscience. His research focuses on the intersection of exercise, cognition, mobility, and brain structure/function/connectivity in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. Dr. Sandroff has authored over 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has received over $2.5 million in grant funding as a principal investigator in this area.
Expertise
Exercise
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Assistant
- Senior Administrative Assistant / Department
Brian Saba is a senior administrative assistant in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Assistant
- Senior Research Assistant / Department
Brittany Maronna is a senior research assistant in the Center for Outcomes & Assessment Research at Kessler Foundation.
Education
BA - Psychology, Gettysburg College
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Secretary
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice Chairman
Job Titles:
- Research Recruitment Assistant / Department / Research Operations
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist
- Research Scientist / Department
Carly Wender, PhD, is a research scientist in the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation. Her research to date has focused on combining virtual reality and exercise to overcome exercise-induced pain in healthy individuals. She uses her expertise to focus on special populations who will benefit most from this unique treatment modality since exercise is a powerful tool to improve the physical and mental health of individuals struggling with chronic pain conditions.
Education
PhD - Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
BS - Union College, Schenectady, NY
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Research Assistant / Department
Caroline Armknecht is a research assistant in the Center for Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation. She was previously an intern at the Foundation in Summer 2021.
Education
BA - Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA
Job Titles:
- Physical Therapist
- Physical Therapist / Department
Christina Dandola, PhD, is a physical therapist in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation.
Education
PhD - Physical Therapy, Thomas Jefferson University
BA - College of the Holy Cross
Job Titles:
- Research Technician
- Research Technician / Department
Christopher Meola is a research technician in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation.
Education
MS - Exercise Physiology, William Paterson University
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director / Department
- Assistant Director / Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation
- Assistant Director of the Tim
Claudia Angeli, PhD, is assistant director of the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation. She is a leader in combining spinal cord epidural stimulation and activity-based therapy to promote functional recovery following motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI).
Dr. Angeli conducts research to study the neural mechanisms responsible for human locomotion. Her research is also focused on developing the best strategies for promoting neuroplasticity following SCI. While working at the University of Louisville she was part of the first human proof of principle study using spinal cord lumbosacral epidural stimulation for the recovery of standing and stepping in individuals with motor complete SCI. She has expertise in the application of spinal cord epidural stimulation for the restoration of motor and autonomic function.
Over the past decade, Dr Angeli has published over 25 articles and book chapters on the use of epidural stimulation for the recovery of motor function and the modulation of autonomic function following SCI. Most noticeable are her publications in Brain, demonstrating the recovery of voluntary movement in the presence of epidural stimulation in individuals with motor complete spinal cord injury, and NEJM, demonstrating the recovery of walking following task-specific training with epidural stimulation in two individuals with motor complete SCI.
Dr. Angeli is also an associate professor in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation department at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Expertise
Neuroplasticity
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Research Assistant / Department
Corey Greene is a research assistant in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Research Recruitment Assistant / Department / Research Operations
- Research Recruitment Assistant in the Research Operations Department
Cory Pierre is a research recruitment assistant in the Research Operations department at Kessler Foundation.
Education
BA - Psychology, Stony Brook University
Job Titles:
- Research Coordinator
- Research Coordinator / Department
Courtney D. Bell is a research coordinator in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation. She joined the Foundation in July 2021 as a research assistant in the Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center. Courtney's research background includes work at the Computational Cognitive Development Lab at Rutgers University, the Speech Communications Lab at Montclair State University, and clinical work at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital.
Expertise
Crisis Intervention
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist / Department
Cristina A. F. Roman, PhD, is a research scientist in the Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center and the Center for Multiple Sclerosis Research at Kessler Foundation. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Research Assistant / Department
Daniel Sullivan is a research assistant in the Center for Autism Research at Kessler Foundation.
Education
BA - Communication Studies, The College of New Jersey
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Neuroscience Research / Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President / Center for Grantmaking / Communications
Job Titles:
- Director / Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation / Associate Director
Job Titles:
- Director / Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center
Job Titles:
- Director / Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Job Titles:
- Associate Director / Center for Autism Research
Job Titles:
- Senior Physical Therapist
- Senior Physical Therapist / Department
Janelle Carnahan is a senior physical therapist in the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Neuropsychology Research / Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Research and Training / Research and Training Director
Job Titles:
- Director / Center for Employment and Disability Research
Job Titles:
- Associate Director / Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Wellness Research / Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research
Job Titles:
- Vice President and Director Human Resources / Research Center Directors
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
- Vice President
Job Titles:
- Director / Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research / Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Treasurer
- Vice President, Finance / Operations and Administration
Job Titles:
- Director / Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research / Co - Director
Job Titles:
- Occupational Therapist
- Visiting Scientist / Department
Yael Goverover, PhD, OTR/L is a Visiting Scientist in the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation. She is an associate professor at New York University. She has studied cognitive components and their associations with activities of daily living in individuals with acute brain injuries. Her current interests include developing interventions aimed at improving everyday functioning and quality of life in individuals with brain injuries and multiple sclerosis (MS).
Dr. Goverover has received the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Fellowship award (84.133F). This fellowship -- also known as the Mary E. Switzer Fellowship supported the study, "Improving Self-Awareness and Functional Independence for Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Investigation of the Efficacy of a New Therapeutic Technique". She also received a National Multiple Sclerosis Society grant to support her research related to improving learning and memory of functional tasks in MS.
Expertise
Occupational Therapy
Dr. Goverover is an occupational therapist whose main clinical and research interests focus on cognitive and functional impairments resulting from brain injuries and multiple sclerosis.