

Megan Woodbury, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Megan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Puerto Rico Testsite for Emerging Contamination Threats (PROTECT) Center as part of the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program under the guidance of Drs. Emily Zimmerman and Akram Alshawabkeh. Her research with PROTECT primarily focuses on understanding the relationships of non-nutritive suck (NNS) with prenatal exposures and later cognitive outcomes. Megan earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University before pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where her dissertation work focused on the relationships of prenatal exposures to a class of endocrine disrupting chemicals called phthalates and acetaminophen with early language development and attention. In her free time, she enjoys spoiling her nephew, painting her nails, reading, listening to true crime and history or political/comedy podcasts, and spending time with her husband and their cat, Curie.

Alaina Martens, M.S. CCC-SLP
PhD Student & Researcher

Hannah Phillips, B.S.
Study Coordinator

Morgan Hatfield, M.S. CCC-SLP
Study Coordinator

Morgan Hines, B.S.
Research Associate

Alicia Iizuka
Research Associate

Alex Newman, B.S.
Mechanical Engineer

Sophia Shaughnessy
ROUTES Co-operative Education Student
Sophia is the current ROUTES co-op student in the SNL lab. She is a 2nd year majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish on the Pre-Med track. Her combined interests in language and how the brain develops drew her to the work being done in the lab. During her co-op, she hopes to explore various factors that impact neurodevelopment, and more specifically environmental influences that may affect developmental outcomes. Further, she hopes to learn about how Non-Nutritive Suck predicts speech outcomes and other developmental milestones. She plans on going to medical school following her undergraduate years. Outside of the lab, Sophia enjoys swimming, volunteering, and exploring Boston.

Meklite Belete
ROUTES Co-operative Education Student
Meklite was the Co-op student in SNL lab in Fall 2022. She is majoring in Marine Biology with a minor in Environmental Science on a Pre-Med Track. She is passionate about pediatric health, specifically in how environmental factors may affect development. This niche interest is what drew her to the work being done in the lab. During her co-op, she aspires to learn about the multiple intricate elements that play a part in infant’s development, and furthermore the potential in how Non-Nutritive Suck can be used as a measurement of early infant neurodevelopment. She plans on going to medical school and becoming a pediatrician following her undergraduate years. Outside of the lab, Meklite enjoys spending time in nature and reading books.

Amal Elmady
ROUTES Co-operative Education Student

Taylor Extavour
ROUTES Co-operative Education Student
Last updated: 1/24/23