Meet the Lab
Elyse Sussman, PhD
primary investigator
My research is in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience and is focused on understanding the neural bases of auditory information processing in adults and children. Our laboratory’s research uses a combination of non-invasive recordings of human brain activity (event-related potentials [ERPs]) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in conjunction with behavioral performance measures, to specify the processes and brain structures that contribute to the organization, storage and perception of a coherent sound environment.
Mark Wagshul, PhD
Associate professor
Mark’s lab studies the effects of neurological disorders on the brain, as they relate to both motor and cognitive function. They use MRI as a tool to understand the relationship between changes in brain structure and function, and neurological impairments in brain disorders from children as young as 5 years old to older adults. Current research is focused on the structural brain substrates of gait and cognitive impairments in older adults with MS and HIV, and brain function as it relates to cognitive deficits in childhood survivors of leukemia, and in older adults undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Our work is multidisciplinary, with collaborations with faculty members in Neuroscience, Psychology, as well as clinical faculty in Pediatrics, Oncology and Neurosurgery.
Elizabeth Dinces, MD, MS
associate professor
Elizabeth’s basic science research focuses on understanding how the brain processes sounds into meaningful language and includes auditory scene analysis in the elderly, sound intensity processing in children, and development of auditory processing after cochlear implantation. The value of learning the role of attention and understanding the active and passive processes of stream segregation in aging populations will be to help develop therapeutic strategies to improve listening and understanding in noisy sound environments of aging adults.
Howard Moskowitz, MD, PhD
associate professor
Howard is an attending physician and Associate Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery at Montefiore-Einstein. His clinical focus is on the medical and surgical treatment of ear and skull base disorders in adults and children, which includes chronic ear disease, hearing loss, dizziness, cochlear implants and tumors of the ear and skull base. Dr. Moskowitz’s research focuses on the development of novel treatments for skull base disorders, management of vestibular disorders, quality improvement in medical education and understanding the neural bases of auditory processing. His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, books and abstracts, as well as presented nationally.
Joshua Sturm, MD, PhD
Assistant professor
Josh is an attending physician at Montefiore Einstein and Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at our Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Sturm is a neurotologist who specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of ear and skull base disorders in adults and children. His clinical interests include the surgical management of hearing loss, chronic ear disease, cochlear implants, cerebrospinal fluid leaks and skull base tumors. Dr. Sturm’s research is focused on understanding the neural basis of auditory processing in health and disease. He has particular interests in the neural mechanisms of phantom auditory perception in tinnitus and on central auditory processing in cochlear implant users.
Siddharth Nayak, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow
Sid received his doctorate degree from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan. He moved to Cornell University in June 2021 as a postdoctoral associate in a computational neuroscience laboratory where he looked at the impact of functional neuroimaging and PET scans on behavior. Sid joined the Sussman Lab in June 2023 as a postdoctoral fellow to broaden his research direction in EEG and functional MRI spanning various cognitive domains and patient groups. His goal is to someday start his own research group and ask fundamental questions in neuroscience to improve mental well-being of humans. When he is not overwhelmed with research, Sid loves to cook and play badminton.
Ivana Arzic
psychology assistant
Ivana received her B.A. degree from New York University with a major in Psychology and minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. During her undergraduate studies, she pursued research in the Social Cognitive Affective Neurodevelopmental Lab at NYU Langone Health, contributing to studies evaluating fetal neurodevelopment under maternal stress, as well as studies aiming to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes in children who were exposed to COVID-19 in-utero. Since receiving her degree, she aims to continue contributing to neurological research within the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. At the Sussman lab, she helps with recruiting and screening participants, administering neuropsychological tests, and analyzing data. Her goal is to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology so she can both continue her research and practice mental health care.
Sara Chemel
Clinical interviewer
Sara received her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Yeshiva University. Throughout her undergraduate career, she studied the critical regulation of spermatogenesis achieved by Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) proteins. Since joining the Sussman Lab in May 2023, she has been studying the cognitive effects of cancer treatments in childhood survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and prostate cancer patients. Her goal is to attend medical school and pursue a pediatric specialty.
Jenna Freund, MS
PhD candidate
Jenna obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Rowan University in 2016 and went on to become a research specialist at The University of Pennsylvania. There she studied and published work on the immune function of upper airway taste receptors. She also has published work on the genetics of dendritic arborization in C. elegans. Jenna joined Einstein’s graduate division in 2018, as a Tishman Scholar, obtained her master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences in 2020, and joined the Sussman Lab in 2023. She now studies auditory attention in individuals with ADHD.
Vivek Gogineni
Medical Student
Vivek acquired a B.S. in Biological Sciences, and B.A.s in Public Policy and Liberal Studies at the University of Delaware in 2022. While at UD, he studied the lytic and latent phases of Marek’s Disease Virus, a poultry-born, lymphoma causing herpesvirus. He has since pursued a medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, expecting to graduate in 2027. Vivek joined the Sussman Lab in 2023, where he primarily studies cognitive effects of cancer treatment in childhood survivors of acute lymphatic leukemia.
Lucie O'Brien
Psychology assistant
Lucie received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College with majors in Psychology and Sociology. During her undergraduate studies, she pursued research in a neurophysiology lab that studied facial perception and an attachment lab that studied mental health in adolescents. Since receiving her degree, she moved on to researching child development at the Cognitive Development Lab at NYU and working with clinical populations at The Motherhood Center of New York. At the Sussman lab, she has been working on data acquisition and analysis across projects. Her goal is to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.