Our Team

BIPAMS-Cognition Project Coordinator
Emily received her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from UIC. Prior to her current role, she worked as a research assistant on a project that focused on promoting early childhood development. Emily also has experience as a Certified Medical Assistant, where she worked with individuals with various disabilities, further sparking her interest in clinical research.

Outreach Coordinator
Denise received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Saint Louis University.  Prior to her current role, she worked in various clinics as a medical assistant, rehabilitation aide, and patient services representative. Her experience working with patients as well as previous research fuel her interest in optimizing health outcomes in underrepresented communities.

Postdoctoral Fellow
Brenda received her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her prior experience involved working at land- and aquatic-based therapeutic exercise centers for individuals with various types of disabilities (stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury). Brenda’s doctoral dissertation focused on examining correlates of physiological walking efficiency including gait outcomes, spasticity, and body composition metrics in MS. Her current research aims to identify specific underlying vascular mechanisms that contribute to walking efficiency in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Le Thao Trinh (Lexi) holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a research interest in Public Health, Health Behaviors, and Behavior Change Intervention Implementation. Her doctoral work centered on examining the feasibility of a theory-based, remotely-delivered behavior change intervention to promote physical activity in individuals newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Presently, she focuses on expanding this research into larger-scale interventions, aiming to assess their effects on physical activity, health outcomes, and quality of life in those newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Louise Declerck completed her PhD in Physical Therapy and Motricity Sciences at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium. Her doctoral work focused on exploring the role of adaptive sports as a novel therapeutic ally in neurorehabilitation. For her postdoctoral position, Louise will delve into implementation and dissemination research, aimed at optimizing exercise promotion within the usual care of individuals with multiple sclerosis. She will also work towards developing updated evidence-based, international guidelines for exercise in MS.

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Parisa Najafi is a researcher with ten years of experience implementing exercise interventions for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). She earned her PhD in Exercise Science at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, focusing her doctoral work on the effects of tele-exercise programs for MS, examining biochemical, psychological, and physical outcomes. In her current postdoctoral position, Parisa integrates remote exercise interventions into MS care to support physical and psychological health and conducts meta-analyses and systematic reviews of the effects of Pilates for MS. She is now expanding her research to investigate how exercise influences psychological, physiological, and cognitive outcomes in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Petra Šilić, a native of Croatia, is an international doctoral student in the Kinesiology and Nutrition Program at UIC. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she had the privilege of working as a research coordinator in the ENRL at UAB. In this role, Petra coordinated large exercise clinical trials in MS. Her primary research interest is exploring exercise and physical activity as treatment for anxiety symptoms in persons with MS and anxiety disorders.

Sydney DeJonge is a doctoral student in the Kinesiology and Nutrition Program at UIC. She completed her Master of Science in Exercise Physiology at Ball State University where she examined the effects of using an active workstation to alleviate prothrombotic consequences of prolonged sitting. Sydney is interested in measuring vascular function using noninvasive methods. For her doctoral dissertation, she plans to observe the association between physical activity levels, vascular function, and cognitive performance in oncology patients.

Noah DuBose is a doctoral student in the Kinesiology and Nutrition Program and teaching assistant in the College of Applied Health Sciences at UIC. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Aurora University and his Master of Science in Kinesiology from UIC. Prior to his doctoral program, Noah conducted cardiovascular function research in special populations and plans to continue similar research during his studies. His current primary research interest is investigating the role of cerebrovascular function in the relationship between physical activity and cognition in persons with MS.

Trevor Martin is a doctoral student in the Kinesiology and Nutrition Program at UIC. He received his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from California State University, Bakersfield. He has worked as a teaching assistant for the Exercise Physiology course offered to undergraduate students covering a variety of physiological concepts related to exercise. His primary research interests are related to exploring the relationship between biomarkers levels and other variables of interest in MS.

Ariel received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2013 and her Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling in 2017 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  With over 10 years of experience working with a variety of populations across the lifespan, in both clinical and research settings, she has decided to continue her education at UIC to earn her Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Nutrition. Her prior education and experiences have driven her passion to conduct translational research that integrates mental health and physical health. Specifically, she hopes to explore the bio-psycho-social interactions related to eating behaviors as well as physical activity engagement amongst persons with multiple sclerosis. Through her research, she hopes to empower the voices of individuals as they attempt to navigate healthy behavior change. Furthermore, she is profoundly motivated to work with experts in these fields to advance rhetorical knowledge, as well as to make valuable and practical changes via the dissemination of meaningful interventions.

Natalie is a full-time Professor of Biology at Roosevelt University and has been teaching in higher education since 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Oakland University, a Master of Science in Anatomy and Cell Biology from Rush University, and an Associate of Applied Science in Surgical Technology from Roosevelt University. Natalie is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Surgical Technologist, Certified BLS Instructor, and Certified Health Coach. While teaching, Natalie recognized the need for more research within the field of exercise science, particularly in women’s health, which inspired her to pursue a PhD in Kinesiology and Nutrition. Her academic and research interests center on women’s health from an endocrine perspective, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, and the intersection of kinesiology and nutrition—particularly exercise psychology and lifestyle interventions that support adherence, compliance, and long-term prevention of chronic disease.

Andrew Argie is a doctoral student in the Kinesiology and Nutrition Program at UIC. He completed his Master of Science in Kinesiology at Kansas State University. Andrew’s research interests center on adherence and compliance rates in exercise trials for people with multiple sclerosis. Specifically, he is interested in identifying factors that influence whether an individual will adhere or comply to an exercise intervention, as well as how varying levels of adherence and compliance may be associated with psychological, clinical, and functional outcomes in MS. Through this work, Andrew aims to inform the design of future exercise trials by identifying strategies that support participant engagement and strengthen trial fidelity.

Former postdoctoral researcher Victoria Flores, PhD is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at University of La Verne.

Former postdoctoral researcher Peixuan Zheng, PhD is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Rutgers University.