| Giorgia Picci, Ph.D., Named Haddix Endowed Chair in Developmental Neuroscience | https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/giorgia-picci-named-haddix-endowed-chair | Giorgia Picci, Ph.D., Named Haddix Endowed Chair in Developmental Neuroscience | 2025-03-06T06:00:00Z | <p>Boys Town is pleased to announce that Giorgia Picci, Ph.D., has been named the Susan and George Haddix Endowed Chair in Developmental Neuroscience. Dr. Picci is the Director of the Cognitive Affective Neurodevelopment in Youth (CANDY) Laboratory at the Boys Town National Research Hospital Institute for Human Neuroscience. Her research primarily focuses on how early life experiences, such as adversity and trauma exposure, influence neurodevelopment trajectories and adolescent mental health. The goal is to understand how childhood trauma and pubertal development impact adolescents' neural structure, function and adaptation to life.</p><p>“Findings show that if children are in unsafe environments, their bodies can undergo different developmental trajectories – either a quicker or slower pace of development. That's important because puberty instigates a cascade of neurodevelopmental changes and opens a window of risk for mental health problems. It's also a huge window of opportunity for intervention," Dr. Picci said. “It's this prime window that we're interested in studying so that we can help set up trajectories for kids to be healthier in the long term by identifying where these pivot points are that are really influential on mental health."</p><p>Dr. Picci has authored more than 35 peer-reviewed publications, featured in such premier outlets as
<em>PNAS, Psychological Science, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience </em>and<em> NeuroImage. </em>During her Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Picci's work was among the first to demonstrate that puberty impacts how teens perceive peer faces at a basic perceptual level. As a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Picci's research focused on two areas: the normative patterns of neurodevelopment, including effects of pubertal hormones, and how early life stress may modify neurodevelopmental trajectories and risk for psychopathology.</p><p>Dr. Picci joined as faculty at the Institute for Human Neuroscience in 2023. In the CANDY Laboratory, her work continues to emphasize examining multiple levels of biology, including hormones, s/fMRI (structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging)<strong> </strong>and MEG (magnetoencephalography). “Our lab is very proud of the fact that we're able to integrate multiple levels of biology and how they can influence mental health," Dr. Picci said.</p><p>Boys Town's ongoing commitment to enhancing translational pediatric neuroscience research – which means directly applying research discoveries made in the lab to improve outcomes in behavioral healthcare – was a driving force behind the creation of this endowed research chair in 2018. For generous benefactors George and Susan Haddix, this new era of neurobehavioral research coupled his interest in science and technology with her passion for helping children and families.</p><p>For more than 25 years, Susan Haddix has worked to help at-risk children and adolescents in the Omaha community. She has been a long-time volunteer and board member with the Child Savings Institute. She also serves on the Nebraska Foster Care Review Board and the more recently formed Probation Review Board. In 2018, she joined the Boys Town National Board of Trustees, serving on their national youth care committee. George Haddix, Ph.D., has been a prominent leader in computer engineering and software, having served as CEO for PKWare Inc., Applied Communications, CSG Systems International and US West.</p><p>“This endowed chair is an incredible honor because the Haddix family has such a long history of work in this space," Dr. Picci said. “The work Susan Haddix does is so impactful in a direct way for kids, so I think it's wonderful that they also see the value of research and how we can inform the spectrum of basic to translational understanding of early life stress. It's really an inspiration for our lab to be able to do this work in the Haddix name and carry on their tradition of being engaged with and serving at-risk youth."<br></p> | | |
| Boys Town Hosts World Cerebral Palsy Day Event | https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/world-cerebral-palsy-day | Boys Town Hosts World Cerebral Palsy Day Event | 2024-11-08T06:00:00Z | <p>The Boys Town National Research Hospital Institute for Human Neuroscience and Center for Human Performance Optimization hosted a rodeo-themed World Cerebral Palsy Day event on Oct. 6.<sup> </sup>Nearly 200 people gathered to celebrate and raise awareness for cerebral palsy.</p><p>“What we're trying to do is bring together the community and families that have children and adults who have cerebral palsy… just to celebrate them," said Max Kurz, Ph.D., director of the Physiology of Walking & Engineering Rehabilitation (PoWER) Lab.</p><p>The PoWER Lab is a neuroscience research lab that focuses on how people process sensory information and learn new motor skills. The research team collaborates with the Center for Human Performance Optimization to support the development of innovative, rehabilitative solutions for individuals with developmental disabilities.</p><p>The free event included a petting zoo, bounce houses, face painting, carnival games and plenty of sweet treats. Ability-inclusive games ensured that everyone was able to enjoy the day. </p><p>Local community sponsors also attended, hoping to raise awareness of services available to the cerebral palsy community in the Omaha area.<br></p> <br>
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| Karla McGregor, Director of Boys Town Hospital’s Word Learning Laboratory, Has Been Selected for an ASHA Lifetime Achievement Award | https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/karla-mcgregor-asha-lifetime-award | Karla McGregor, Director of Boys Town Hospital’s Word Learning Laboratory, Has Been Selected for an ASHA Lifetime Achievement Award | 2024-09-19T05:00:00Z | <p>The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has chosen Karla McGregor, Ph.D., lead scientist at the Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning Center at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Director of the Word Learning Laboratory, as their next recipient of the Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publications. </p><p>Named for the former director of ASHA publications, Alfred K, Kawana, this Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to scholars ASHA believes have a sustained history of exemplary publications with journal contributions spanning at least 10 years that are deserving in educational, scientific or clinical value. </p><p>Dr. McGregor’s nomination cited her decades of scholarship, research contributions to ASHA and other scholarly journals, as well as service to ASHA journals and other research-focused programs sponsored by ASHA. </p><p>“I am very surprised and incredibly honored to receive this award,” Dr. McGregor said. “When I look at the list of the previous recipients, I see the names of people who have been my mentors and people who are truly respected in the field, so I feel very humbled to be a part of that list.”</p><p>In addition to decades of scientific research into word learning in children, Dr. McGregor has made immense strides in making developmental language disorder (DLD) a more readily recognized and diagnosed developmental disorder. She is also a co-founder of the website
<em>DLD and Me</em>.</p><p>“Dr. McGregor’s research on developmental language disorder (DLD) has had a transformative impact on the field of communication disorders,” stated Ryan McCreery, Vice President of Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital. “The Kawana Award recognizes not only the volume of her contributions to our knowledge about DLD, but the quality and clinical impact of her research on the people that we serve. Dr. McGregor’s work is an exemplar of rigorous science that can change how we provide care to our patients. To receive this recognition from the largest organization of speech-language pathologists and audiologists in the world is an incredible accomplishment.”<br></p><p>The award will be given to Dr. McGregor on December 5th, during the Researcher-Academic Town Meeting, at ASHA’s 2024 National Convention. Dr. McGregor is the first Boys Town researcher to receive the prestigious Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publications. </p> | | |
| Boys Town New Endowed Chair in Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning to be Held by Lisa Goffman, Ph.D. | https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/new-endowed-chair-language-and-learning | Boys Town New Endowed Chair in Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning to be Held by Lisa Goffman, Ph.D. | 2024-07-19T05:00:00Z | <p>Boys Town welcomes Lisa Goffman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP as the new Endowed Chair in the Center on Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning. Her research focuses on how children with developmental language disorder (DLD) acquire language and motor abilities. She is interested in how interactions between language, cognitive, and motor skills may contribute to new and effective assessment and intervention approaches. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health for over 25 years. </p><p>“I am thrilled to join the Boys Town research team and a remarkable group of scientists focused on language disorders in children,” Dr. Goffman said. “We have eight researchers focused on DLD who all have unique perspectives. I study how language and action interact in complex learning, including of language. Other scientists in the Center consider DLD in relation to trauma; cognitive abilities, such as memory; auditory abilities and hearing; and literacy. We are interested in DLD across the lifespan. We share a passion for understanding mechanisms that underlie DLD and for identifying and developing new assessments and treatments to alleviate this disorder that affects so many children and adults. The excellent and multifaceted group at Boys Town was the big attractor for me to come here.” </p><p>Dr. Goffman was on faculty at Purdue University for 21 years, where she established her “Language in Motion” lab. Most recently, she served as the endowed chair in Early Childhood Communication Disorders in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. </p><p>Dr. Goffman received her clinical master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Purdue University, went on to work as an SLP in a highly interdisciplinary early intervention program, and then returned to Purdue for her doctorate. The inspiration for her return to research came from her clinical observations while working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in early intervention.
<br> “I had the opportunity to work closely with psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, occupational and physical therapists, audiologists, and educators. The interdisciplinary perspective I was exposed to inspired me to consider how social, cognitive, language, and motor factors all interact in the development of a child. This interdisciplinary, interactive, and family-centered approach fueled my desire to return to school for doctoral study and laid the groundwork for my excitement in joining the group at Boys Town.” </p><p>She is transitioning her “Language in Motion” lab to Boys Town and her plans for the endowed chair position include, “engaging in the array of research and clinical opportunities that are the essence of Boys Town.” Some of these opportunities include joint research with her colleagues in the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language, and Learning in investigating and establishing optimal treatments for people with DLD across the lifespan. She also has initiated interactions with new colleagues in the other Centers, as she establishes novel conceptual and methodological approaches for studying how children, especially those with DLD, learn. Dr. Goffman is extremely excited to be part of the Boys Town clinical research team.</p> | | |
| Boys Town Raises Awareness for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) | https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/boys-town-raises-awareness-for-development-language-disorder | Boys Town Raises Awareness for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) | 2023-10-20T05:00:00Z | <p>Today, October 20<sup>th</sup>, is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day. DLD Day was originated to bring attention to this neurodevelopmental condition that limits the learning, comprehension and expression of spoken language.</p><p>
<a href="/research/faculty/karla-mcgregor">Karla McGregor, Ph.D.</a>, senior scientist and director at Boys Town's
<a href="/services/center-for-childhood-deafness-language-learning">Center for Childhood Deafness Language, and Learning</a> answered a few common questions about DLD.<br><strong> </strong>
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<strong>What is DLD?</strong><br>DLD is a neurodevelopmental condition that limits the learning, comprehension and expression of spoken language. Like all neurodevelopmental conditions, DLD is life-long, although many people with DLD have gained skills and ways of compensating that allow them to function well as adults.</p><p>
<strong>What are common signs of DLD?</strong><br>DLD entails a spectrum of symptoms that vary from person to person and change with age. Problems with language patterns including the ways that words or sentences are structured, are common.</p><p>For a young child, the signs may include not being able to follow verbal instructions, using very short or incomplete sentences, or taking a long time to learn new words.</p><p>For older children, we see problems understanding classroom discourse and difficulties learning to read and spell, or to complete homework assignments. Even math can be hard because teachers explain mathematical concepts using language.</p><p>For adolescents and adults, organizing essays or reports, understanding fast-paced lectures that include less familiar terms and complex syntax, or following conversations that contain slang, figurative language (like metaphors), and verbal humor (like puns), can be difficult.<br></p><p>At all ages, DLD can affect social relationships and it is easy to understand why as spoken language is vitally important for negotiating, solving problems, making plans and expressing thoughts and feelings.</p><p>
<strong>How is DLD diagnosed?</strong><br>DLD is diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist in a school or clinic. The process involves collecting a case history, observations of the individual's communication skills, and administration of tests.</p><p>
<strong>What DLD resources does Boys Town National Research Hospital offer?</strong><br>Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH) has two speech-language clinics
<a href="/services/pediatric-speech-language-therapy">in Omaha, Nebraska</a>. Our staff speech-language pathologists are experts when it comes to diagnosing and treating DLD.</p><p>We also have a large language sciences research group that specializes in DLD research.
<a href="/research/participate">Volunteering for language research opportunities</a>, even if you do not have DLD, is a great way to advance understanding of the condition.</p><p>Finally, BTNRH is the home of
<a href="https://dldandme.org/" target="_blank">DLDandMe.org</a>, a website that offers written and audio summaries on various topics related to the disorder, that provide a valuable resource to parents, children and professionals.</p><br> | | |
| Boys Town’s Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D., Awarded the Early Career Research from the American Auditory Society | https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/kaylah-lalonde-awarded-early-career-research | Boys Town’s Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D., Awarded the Early Career Research from the American Auditory Society | 2023-04-24T05:00:00Z | <p>Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D., Director of the Audiovisual Speech Processing Laboratory, was awarded the Early Career Research Award at the 50<sup>th</sup> Annual Scientific and Technology Conference of the American Auditory Society (AAS) held in Scottsdale, Arizona, in early March.</p><p>Dr. Lalonde's primary line of study focuses on audiovisual speech enhancement, the way listeners use visual cues on a speaker's face to help understand speech and how the use of said cues changes over development from infancy to young adulthood. She also studies how pediatric hearing loss may change the way children learn to use those cues. </p><p>Dr. Lalonde attended this conference as a graduate student and feels fortunate to have been able to share about her own experience to students in attendance.</p><p>“I just felt so honored to be receiving this award, and it allowed me to talk to the students in the room about my journey and how we don't always feel like we are the most impressive, but that doesn't mean we aren't doing a great job and progressing in our careers and in how we contribute to the field," said Dr. Lalonde. </p><p>Dr. Lalonde first learned about Boys Town National Research Hospital and the Center for Hearing and Speech Perception while attending those early AAS conferences. Boys Town has historically had a significant number of scientists presenting research at the annual conference, so Boys Town was on Dr. Lalonde's radar early. </p><p>Being a Boys Town researcher may have helped Dr. Lalonde receive this prestigious award. </p><p>“Being at Boys Town has allowed me to be more productive than I might have been in a faculty position at a university," said Dr. Lalonde. “Being able to collaborate with so many people within Boys Town National Research Hospital has also been a big contributor to productivity."</p><p>Dr. Lalonde hopes that this productivity and the work being done with children who have hearing loss will change the way that we diagnose and treat these children. In the long term, it may even inform the signal processing that happens in hearing aids.</p><p>Also honored at the AAS conference was Monita Chatterjee, Ph.D., Director of the Auditory Prostheses and Perception Laboratory, who received the Carhart Memorial Award. </p><p>“Monita is my internal mentor," said Dr. Lalonde, “so that was really special to me."</p><p>To learn more about Dr. Chatterjee's award,
<a href="https://www.boystownhospital.org/news/monita-chatterjee-receives-award">click here</a>. <br></p><p>
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