People

 Principal Investigator 

Dr. Julia Drouin is an Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences. She joined UNC in Fall 2022. She completed her Au.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut and clinical externship at Yale Hearing and Balance Center in the Yale School of Medicine. Prior to joining UNC, she worked as a faculty member at California State University Fullerton. 

Dr. Drouin’s research program examines factors that optimize spoken language development in individuals with normal hearing and listeners with hearing loss. In particular, she is interested in the perceptual mechanisms that support spoken word understanding for listeners adapting to degraded speech signals, with a focus on cochlear implantation. Her research program uses both a basic science approach and a clinical translational approach. As a researcher, Dr. Drouin is committed to making research accessible to scientists, clinicians, and the general public and uses the Open Science Framework whenever possible. In addition to research, Dr. Drouin teaches the Pediatric Assessment course for first year Au.D. students and the Research Methods course for Au.D. and SLP students. julia_drouin@med.unc.edu

 Au.D. Students

Talia Mango is a second-year in the Doctor of Audiology program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She currently holds a master’s degree in severe and multiple disabilities and deafblindness from Boston College. While at Boston College, she worked as a special education teacher and gained research experience as an assistant on an action research project at Boston College and as a graduate research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital. Upon graduating, Talia completed a Fulbright research grant in Rome, Italy, where her work analyzed the impact of early intervention on the communication of children who are deafblind. Prior to attending UNC, she worked for the deafblind project in New England. She is interested in pediatrics and the early identification of hearing loss in children with multiple disabilities. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, and spending time outdoors.

Sarah Bayer is a second-year in the Doctor of Audiology program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She currently holds a bachelor’s of Science from Loyola University Maryland. Sarah majored in biology/ speech language hearing sciences and minored in biomedical physics. While at Loyola, she conducted independent research on the correlation between bilingualism and multitasking ability. Additionally, Sarah was a member of NSSLHA and the prevention and intervention for early learners (PIEL) club throughout undergrad. She has also played division 1 soccer for both Loyola and UNC. Sarah’s interests include vestibular function and auditory processing. In her free time, Sarah enjoys being active, including running, yoga, and soccer, as well as reading and drawing.

Emily Jedlowski is a second-year in the Doctor of Audiology program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is from Chicago, Illinois and earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Northwestern University where she majored in Human Communication Sciences and Disorders. Emily is a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Trainee and has a particular interest in language development in those with hearing loss and working with pediatric populations. In her free time, Emily enjoys watching Audrey Hepburn movies, (re)reading Jane Austen novels, bullet journaling, knitting, and exploring new cafes in search of the perfect matcha latte.

Bethany Rose is a first-year in the Doctor of Audiology program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is from Houston, Texas and received her Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Oklahoma with a major in Communication Sciences and Disorders. During her time in undergrad, Bethany took ASL classes which developed her interests in cochlear implantation and language acquisition in children with hearing loss. Additionally, she was a part of 2 research labs at Oklahoma and presented a poster at the American Auditory Society (AAS) conference in 2023, which gave her a love for research. In her free time, Bethany enjoys hiking, reading, and adventures with her friends!

 M.A. Students

Molly Whiteman is a first-year in the Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She holds a Bachelor’s of Education from UNC in Human Development and Family Science, with a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences. During her time in undergrad, she worked on a research team focusing on identifying behaviors in early autism diagnosis. Molly is interested in early language development and the role that hearing loss plays in speech and language. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks, swimming, and traveling. 

Delaney Orr is a first year in the Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences Program at UNC Chapel Hill. She holds a Bachelor’s of Communications Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Child Development from Appalachian State University. Her specific interests within the field include working with pediatric populations as well as the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new music to listen to, running, hiking and all things outdoors!

Undergraduate Students

Cameron Thomas is a Senior at UNC-Chapel Hill. He’s completing his bachelors of arts in Psychology with a minor in cognitive science. He’s the secretary of UNC’s HGAPS organization (Helping Give Away Psychological Science), focusing on synthesizing and sharing psychological science to those who can benefit from it. Cameron is interested in the psychology of speech production and interpretation, and the impact of hearing loss on mental health. In his free time, he enjoys mindfulness, swimming, and watching documentaries with his cat. 

Kayla Huynh is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UNC Chapel-Hill. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina and is double majoring in Psychology and Human Organizational Leadership and Development. Kayla‘s interests involve the cognitive processes that support perception and language development. In her free time, Kayla enjoys hiking, reading, thrifting, and going to coffee shops.

Meghan Brianas is an undergraduate sophomore at UNC majoring in Neuroscience. She hopes to someday go to medical school to become a pediatrician. Meghan is particularly interested in cognitive development of neural pathways related to speech and hearing. Outside of school, she works as a babysitter, camp counselor, and spends time helping out at her local pediatric therapy clinic. In her free time, Meghan enjoys baking, reading, going to the gym, and visiting the beach.  

Anne-Estelle Strawn is a Junior at UNC-Chapel Hill from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is majoring in Human Development and Family Science, with a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Anne-Estelle is philanthropy chair of UNC’s National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NSSHLA). After graduating, she aspires to earn a Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences and become ASHA certified in Speech-Language Pathology. She is interested in the impacts of hearing loss on the cognitive processes and language development of individuals. In her free time, Anne-Estelle enjoys playing softball, going to yoga, traveling, and spending time with family. 

Julianna Winfree is an undergraduate student from Greensboro, North Carolina studying Linguistics and Human Development and Family Sciences. She is currently on the board of the American Sign Language Club serving as the Event Coordinator and works part time at Chapel Hill Early School. After graduation she plans to continue her education in a Master’s of Speech Language Pathology program and pursue a career in Pediatric Speech Therapy. In her free time, she enjoys doing cycle fitness and yoga, watching thriller movies, baking, and crafting.

NCSSM Scholars

Ella Laws is a senior at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics from Kill Devil Hills, NC. She is learning the inner-working of the research process as a member of the ALLears Lab through the NCSSM Mentorship Program. She is deeply interested in how the individual mind interacts with and shapes the world around it,  which she gets to investigate as a member of the lab. Looking ahead, she hopes to study cognitive science and sociology when she moves on to college. In her free time, Ella loves watching college football, reading books, taking dance classes, and hanging out in her dorm with her friends!

 Lab Mascot

Leon the dog is the furriest member of the ALLears lab! He enjoys long walks, playing with his ball, and swimming in the ocean. His primary role in the lab is to be a good boy. 

 Lab Alumni

CSUF Student Alumni  – Please keep in touch and let us know what you’re up to!

• Selwa Hassen (2022, SRE Scholar)
• Jessica Melik (2022, SRE Scholar)
• Alice Ramirez (2022, SRE Scholar)
• Nisha Joseph (2022, SRE Scholar)
• Natasha Bui (2022, Postbac RA): SLP Program at CSUF
• Sharokeena Atanus (2022, Postbac RA)
• Amy Von Brock Pierce (2022, Undergrad RA)
• Laisha Valle (2022, Undergrad RA): SLP Program at CSUF
• Theo Tran (2022, Undergrad RA): SLP Program at SJSU
• Valerie Lopez (2022, Undergrad RA)
• Stephanie Lacroix (2022, Undergrad RA)
• Bethany Jung (2022, Undergrad RA)
• Laura Putnam (2021 – 2022, Postbac RA): SLP Program at USC
• Jose Rojas (2021 – 2022, Postbac RA): SLP Program at SDSU
• Tristan Tran (2021 – 2022, Undergrad RA; SUReA Scholar): AuD Program at SJSU
• Stephany Flores (2022 Honors Scholar): SLP Program at CSUF
• Christine Jeong (2021, Postbac RA): AuD Program at SDSU/UC San Diego
• Alicia Barragan (2021, Undergrad RA): SLP Program at CSUF
• Talia Soto (2021, Undergrad RA): SLP Program at CSUF