About Us

GRAD ASSISTANT

Victoria is a first-year graduate student in the Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) Master’s Program at USC. Previously, she graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in CSD, along with a concentration of family child sciences. Her career goal is to become an effective and astute speech pathologist with a focus on developmental disabilities in a pediatric facility. Victoria is thrilled to be one of Dr. Hogan’s graduate assistants in the CANDi Lab!

GRAD ASSISTANT

Erica is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Master’s Program at USC. Her career goal is to work in a school setting as a speech-language pathologist. She is interested in language and literacy for children and adolescents with severe or multiple disabilities as well as within low-income communities. She is particularly interested in diversity, inclusions, and dialects and examining the effects these factors have on language and literacy in minority groups. The CANDi lab provides Erica an opportunity to learn how to interpret and store data in addition to viewing the behind-the-scenes work that goes into research projects firsthand.

GRAD ASSISTANT

Emily is a first-year graduate student in the Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) Master’s Program at USC. Previously, she graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of Arts in CSD, along with a concentration in social sciences. Her career goal is to work in a pediatric facility with medically fragile patients. The focus on communication throughout the CANDi Lab allows for multiple opportunities and engagements that Emily is excited to gain experience in!

UNDERGRAD RESEARCHER

Gillian is a junior undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at USC. She plans on attending medical school after graduation and is interested in pediatrics and psychiatry. She is interested in autism research because she wants to work with children with neurodevelopmental disorders and study child development. Gillian is a Magellan Scholar who is working on her own research that explores the early behavioral and physiological signs of social anxiety in young children with autism. She hopes her work can not only help her better understand correlations between these disorders, but also promote the importance of early intervention for these children.

UNDERGRAD RESEARCHER

McKenna is a junior undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience at USC. Her career goal is to become a pediatric psychiatrist. She is interested in autism research because she wants to be an advocate for children with disabilities and mental illness. The first step in aiding the children is through prevention and intervention. McKenna loves the CANDi lab and the opportunity for more experience in this field!

UNDERGRAD RESEARCHER

Tanvi is a first-year undergraduate student in the Honors College at USC and is from Greenville, SC. She is majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Business Administration. Her career goal is to become a neurologist and to travel to different parts of the world to provide healthcare to rural areas! She is fascinated with how the brain influences behaviors and is excited to be assisting with this in the CANDi lab!

UNDERGRAD RESEARCHER

Hannah is a sophomore undergraduate student pursuing a Biological Sciences degree with a minor in Neuroscience at USC. Her career goal is to become a physician assistant in allergy and immunology. Hannah is thrilled to be one of Dr. Hogan's undergraduate assistants in the CANDi Lab!

UNDERGRAD RESEARCHER

Hailey is a sophomore undergraduate student studying Neuroscience with a minor in Medical Humanities and Culture at USC. She grew up in Maryland and lived right on the Chesapeake Bay. In the future, she hopes to become a pediatrician in a hospital, or work as a neonatologist. This is Hailey’s first research assistant position, and she is so excited to further her involvement in the lab!

UNDERGRAD RESEARCHER

Karina is a first-year undergraduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences at USC. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Spanish. She aspires to become a neuroscience researcher, specializing in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. Karina is delighted to be one of Dr. Hogan's undergraduate research assistants in the CANDi Lab.

Conner is a sixth-year doctoral student currently on APPIC internship at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. His internship focuses on intellectual and developmental disabilities in children, including both inpatient and outpatient assessment and intervention. Conner's research utilizes biobehavioral approaches to examine early markers of common comorbid psychiatric conditions (i.e., anxiety) to decrease the age of diagnosis and provide potential targets of intervention. During his free time, Conner enjoys being outdoors hiking, preferably followed by a local craft brewery.

Abigail graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in August of 2022. She worked in the CANDi Lab during her second year in the Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate program. Abigail participated in the Pivotal Response Training research study by coding videos of children interacting with their caregivers. She was able to learn about the presentation of autism characteristics in a variety of children along with seeing the impact of caregiver training on a child's speech and language development. After graduating, she is completing her clinical fellowship as a speech-language pathologist at Sprout Pediatrics. Abigail works with children ages birth to 18 in their natural environment on a variety of language, speech, AAC, social, and feeding goals.