Director: Scott M. Hayes, Ph.D.
Dr. Hayes graduated from Skidmore College (Biology, Psychology) and completed his doctoral work in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology) at the University of Arizona. He completed an NRSA-funded cognitive neuroscience-clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University and the Bryan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Duke University Medical Center. As a Department of Veterans Affairs Career Development Awardee, Dr. Hayes worked at the Boston University Memory Disorders Research Center and served as the Associate Director for the Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center at VA Boston Healthcare System. A licensed psychologist, Dr. Hayes clinical interests include neuropsychological assessment of age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, microvascular disease, and frontotemporal dementia, as well as medial temporal lobe amnesia. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, competing in Spartan races, and watching the Buckeyes! email: hayes.1074@osu.edu twitter: @scotthayesphd
Graduate Students
Jessica Stark is a clinical psychology graduate student. Her research interests are focused on early identification of cognitive decline and interventions to promote healthy aging. Jessica’s goal is to promote individualized treatments to prevent or ameliorate cognitive dysfunction, and to educate our aging population through community outreach. In her free time, Jessica enjoys spending time with friends and family, running, and exploring new cities.
Matthew Stauder is a graduate student in Clinical Psychology. He graduated in the Ohio State University Class of 2018 with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience. After graduation, Matthew coordinated clinical trials in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research interests involve advancing our understanding and promotion of brain health – physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning – throughout the adult lifespan. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys all sorts of exercise and sports, reading about history and current events, and listening to comedy podcasts.
Research Assistants
Kelly Hiersche, B.S. joined the B-BAL in the summer of 2019. She completed her undergraduate degree in Physics at Adelphi University and then spent two years teaching high school math at Middlesboro High School in KY. Her research interests include the role of computational approaches to advance our understanding of neural processes supporting learning and memory and the connection between physical fitness and neurological health. In her free time, Kelly enjoys reading, knitting, and traveling.
Alex Hasselbach, B.S. joined the B-BAL in 2019 after graduating from the Ohio State University with a B.S. in biomedical engineering. He previously co-authored A Novel Methodology for Extracting and Evaluating Therapeutic Movements in Game-Based Motion Capture Rehabilitation Systems (2018) with the Brain and Neurorecovery lab at Ohio State. He is interested in clinical applications of neuroscience research and its potential to create new and better treatments. When he isn’t in the lab, he likes running, traveling, and building computers.
Undergraduate Students
Laney Saggar joined the B-BAL in the spring of 2019. She is a senior undergraduate student studying neuroscience at The Ohio State University and plans to attend medical school after graduation. She is interested in exploring the complex relationships between physical fitness, diet, stress, and neurological health, as well as their applications for improving quality of life. In particular, she is fascinated by the ways in which these factors play a role in the prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injury. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, teaching organic chemistry, playing tennis, traveling, and hiking.
Michael Melville joined the B-BAL in the spring of 2021. He is a Freshmen undergraduate student studying biochemistry at The Ohio State University and plans to attend medical school after graduation. Michael is interested in understanding the complex relationship between factors such as physical activity, exercise, BMI, cerebral spinal fluid biomarkers, and many more variables that may predict variance in cognitive and functional decline in older adults. He hopes to better understand this variance to facilitate timely intervention in clinical settings as well as raise awareness of certain modifiable factors that may result in better outcomes with cognitive and functional abilities. Outside of the lab, he enjoys working out, playing Euchre, reading books, mentoring, and going to coffee shops.
Shana de Wet joined the B-BAL in the spring of 2021. She is a freshman undergraduate student studying neuroscience at The Ohio State University and plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology after graduation. Shana is interested in investigating the effects of exercise and diet on neurological health, particularly how these factors influence cognitive function and memory. She hopes to gain a better understanding of these relationships in addition to helping advocate for healthy practices that will improve cognitive ability and quality of life. In her free time, Shana enjoys spending time with friends and family, swimming, watching movies, and traveling.
Collin Todd joined the B-BAL in the spring of 2021. He is a sophomore undergraduate student studying neuroscience at The Ohio State University with plans to attend medical school after graduation. Collin is interested in exploring the relationship between an array of fitness markers and cognition in older adults. Specifically, he aims to apply his knowledge of cognitive decline to help form a precision medicine model, in which cognition, fitness, and neuroimaging factors are considered when tailoring treatment for individuals. In his free time, Collin enjoys playing Spikeball with his friends, learning about the history of his hometown, and shooting baskets with his brothers.
Lab Alumni
Undergraduates
Alexis Berry: Spring 2020 – Fall 2020
Nicole Tacsar: Fall 2019 – Spring 2020
Jess Horvat: Fall 2018 – Summer 2019
Sam Kalmar: Fall 2018 – Spring 2019
Collaborators
Jasmeet Hayes, The MINDSET Lab at The Ohio State University
William Kraemer, Neuroscience/Neuromuscular Lab at The Ohio State University
Mieke Verfaellie, Memory Disorders Research Center at VA Boston