University at Buffalo

People

Principal Investigator

Mishaela (Shae) DiNino, Ph.D.

photo of PI

Shae DiNino joined the University at Buffalo in the fall of 2022 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences. She is also a faculty member in the UB Neuroscience Program and the UB Center for Cognitive Science. Her research combines her background in neuroscience and her motivation to better understand auditory perceptual impairments by examining how changes in the auditory system that occur with normal aging influence the ability to hear, particularly in background noise. In her free time, Shae likes travelling to new places, attending concerts (with earplugs!), and spending time with her daughter.

Research Manager

Mythili Thamilchelvam

Mythili graduated from SUNY University at Buffalo with a BA in Psychology. For her Honor’s Project, she studied the association between Emotional Intelligence (EI), Auditory Emotion Recognition, and Pitch Imitation. This sparked her interest in doing research in the auditory domain. She plans to pursue a PhD in the future.

Graduate Students

Gizzy Kelso

Gizzy is a second-year AuD student at the University at Buffalo. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Ohio University. After graduating, she would like to work with pediatrics in a hospital setting. In her free time, she likes to be outside, travel and spoil her kitten Maui.

Victoria Critton

Victoria is a second year AuD student at the University of Buffalo. She received her Post-Bachelorette in Communication Disorders at SUNY New Paltz. As a future audiologist, Victoria is interested in working with a multidisciplinary medical team to assist veterans and older populations. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with loved ones, and mystery-solving activities. A fun fact about her is that she is the vice-president of the University at Buffalo’s GSA Audiology organization.

Bernadette Deremiah

Bernadette is a first-year AuD student at the University of Buffalo. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of New Mexico. Post graduation, Bernadette will be on her career path in the US Army, hopefully as an Audiologist. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, going to the gym, and shopping. A fun fact about Bernadette is that she is a competitive powerlifter.

Than Than Tway

Than Than is a first-year Audiology student at the University at Buffalo. She holds a BA in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from D’Youville University. Than Than is still exploring areas she would like to specialize in, but is interested in working particularly with veterans and pediatric. A fun fact about her is that she speaks three languages and has been to four continents.

Hannah Corley

Hannah is a first-year Audiology student interested in medical audiology, and hoping to work in a hospital or an ENT office. She received her Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and hiking.

Jose Martinez

Jose is a masters student in neuroscience focusing on how anxiety and depression affect the selective attention of negatively vs. positively valenced stimuli. His broad interests include investigating how the neural mechanisms of sensation and perception differ across cultural and individual contexts, especially in people who have mood disorders.

Undergraduate Students

Lana Myszka

Lana is a senior undergraduate student in the Speech and Hearing Science department with a minor in Communications at University of Buffalo. She hopes to get into the Audiology graduate program at UB and work with newborns/younger children in a hospital setting. In her freetime, Lana likes to shop and travel with her friends and family and especially enjoys taking naps with her dog.

Gemma Marie Barberio

Gemma is a senior at UB pursuing a Speech and Hearing Science major with a Psychology minor. In the future she plans on going to graduate school in either Speech Language Pathology or Audiology, working in pediatrics. Currently, she works as a newborn hearing screening technician in a hospital and is the treasurer of UB’s Student Association for Speech and Hearing (SASH). In her free time, she loves singing opera, playing tennis, and making her own jewelry.

Owen Clemens-Regan

Owen Clemens-Regan, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry and received a certificate of Concepts of Foundational Medicine. He aspires to go to Physician Assistant school. Currently, he is in his gap year working in the hospital as a patient care technician. Owen has interest in neurodegenerative disease, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease. In his free time, he likes to go to the beach, golf, and watch Netflix.

Victoria Wedgewood

Victoria is a student in the Psychology department at the University at Buffalo.

Julianne Pelcak

Julianne is a senior at the University of Buffalo, where she is pursuing her degree in Speech and Hearing Science. She wants to go to graduate school to become an Audiologist.

Caitlin Keenan

Caitlin is a senior at the University at Buffalo getting her degree in Speech and Hearing Science.

Deanna Sharpe

Deanna is an undergraduate at Emory University, where she is studying Human Health & Spanish and Linguistics. She hopes to go to graduate school and in her free time she enjoys learning languages.