Krystal Werfel
Director of the Research Participant Services Core
Dr. Krystal L. Werfel, CCC-SLP is the Director of the RPSC and a Lab Director in the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language, and Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital, where she also directs the Written Language Lab. Dr. Werfel has a bachelor’s degree in Child Development from the University of Tennessee, and completed her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology and her PhD in Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University, where she researched the language basis of literacy in children with language disorders and children with hearing loss. Her current research is focused on identifying early predictors of literacy for children with hearing loss and designing and optimizing early intervention that may prevent later literacy difficulties. Dr. Werfel’s research has contributed to our understanding of preschool language and emergent literacy difficulties for children with hearing loss, as well as intervention modifications that are effective for this group.
Sophie Ambrose
Manager of the Clinical Measurement Program
Dr. Sophie E. Ambrose, CCC-SLP is the manager of the Clinical Measurement Program. Dr. Ambrose completed her master's degree and PhD in speech-language pathology at the University of Kansas. Prior to moving into her current role, she had her own program of research at BTNRH that examined factors that contribute to the outcomes for children with hearing loss. In her current role, she and her team support scientists at BTNRH with all aspects of their study protocols that relate to clinical measurement, including selecting and completing clinical assessments of speech, language, hearing, and cognition.
Merry Spratford
Manager of the Research Recruitment Program
In her role as Manager of the Recruitment Program, Dr. Spratford supports the participant research experience from start to finish. She maintains the BTNRH volunteer registry and supports streamlined recruitment and scheduling for participants. Once a study is done, she helps scientists share their study findings with families, clinicians, and other scientists. She is passionate about translating evidence into clinical practice and advancing the field of research audiology. Dr. Spratford has worked at BTNRH since 2008 as a research audiologist on the Outcomes of Children with Hearing Loss research projects. She currently supports the Audibility, Perception, and Cognition Laboratory (directed by Ryan McCreery, PhD) on projects designed to improve the way audiologists fit hearing aids for children.
Trinity Williams
Supervisor, Research Community Engagement Program
Trinity Williams is the Supervisor of the Research Community Engagement Program. In this role, Trinity manages the community engagement efforts that facilitate community relationships, participant recruitment and outreach for Boys Town Research using a community-engaged research framework to include underserved and hard to reach populations in research. Trinity has degrees in Healthcare Management and Liberal Arts, and a passion for and over 20 years' experience in community outreach and engagement, teaching and training, and working with teens and adults in the juvenile and adult justice systems. Trinity also serves as an Adjunct Faculty Instructor at a local college.
Sarah Al-Salim
Senior Research Audiologist
Sarah Al-Salim is a Research Audiologist in the Translational Auditory Physiology and Perception Lab and in the Clinical Measurement Program at Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH). She completed her Au.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, during which time she worked in the Human Sensory Physiology Lab at BTNRH with Drs. Michael Gorga and Steve Neely. She completed her clinical externship in audiology in Chicago, Illinois and spent 4 years working with adults and children with hearing loss in a multidisciplinary clinic prior to returning to Omaha and BTNRH. Currently, her primary research interest lies in the development of communication in children with hearing loss. Of particular interest are clinical assessment tools and intervention strategies used to promote language development leading to improved academic and social outcomes in this population.
Melissa Henry
Research Audiologist
Melissa R. Henry is a Research Audiologist in the Child Auditory Technology Lab & Auditory, Perception and Cognition Lab at Boys Town National Research Hospital. She also provides audiology services for the Clinical Measurement Program. Dr. Henry received her Au.D. from Vanderbilt University in 2022, where she specialized in early intervention and management of children with hearing loss. She completed a T-35 traineeship in electrophysiology under the direction of Dr. Linda Hood. Dr. Henry worked as a clinical audiologist in Detroit, MI providing diagnostic and intervention services across the lifespan prior to joining Boys Town. She is passionate about improving outcomes for children with hearing loss through advancements in treatment and technology.
Natalie Mason
Research Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual: Spanish/English)
Natalie Mason is a speech-language pathologist in the Research Participant Core. She completed her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Tulsa. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and her professional experiences prior to joining BTNRH have centered around providing best-practice assessment and intervention for learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse. These experiences support Mason in her roles on the Clinical Measurement Program as she administers speech, language, and cognitive measures using standard and equitable procedures, as well as the Community Engagement Program, in which she administers community speech/language screenings and supports relationship-building efforts with various community partners.
Jamie Petersen
Research Participant Engagement Specialist
Jamie has completed her M.S. at University of Nebraska Lincoln. Jamie has a Deaf father and a younger sister with unilateral conductive hearing loss as well as a vast network of d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing friends across NE. She has worked as a Research Assistant in various labs at BTNRH while in college and is now joining the Participant Core team as a full-time employee. Her roles mainly include focusing on coordinated recruitment efforts across multiple labs and research groups as well as behind-the-scenes maintenance of the BTNRH research participant database.
Barb Peterson
Manager, COBRE Clinical Measurement Program
Barb Peterson is the Manager of the Clinical Measurement Program. She has 30 years of experience working with research laboratories, family recruitment, and coordinating special populations. Barb has a passion for working with the deaf and hard of hearing communities.
Suresh Portillo
Research Participant Engagement Specialist
Suresh Portillo is an engagement specialist in the Research Participant Core. He completed his B.A. in Spanish-English Translation and Interpretation at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. He also earned a Specialized certificate in Spanish-English Translation from the University of California San Diego. He has years of experience bridging cultural and linguistic gaps among different communities. In his role, he provides lab assistance in recruitment and data collection for projects involving linguistically diverse populations, as well as building and maintaining relationships and make research opportunities more accessible for all members of the community as part of his duties on the Community Engagement Program.
Kayla Skaggs
Senior Speech-Language Pathologist
Kayla Skaggs is a senior speech-language pathologist for the Clinical Measurement Program. She completed her M.A. in speech-language pathology at Indiana University. Her role on the Clinical Measurement Program includes administering speech, language, and cognitive measures following standard protocol to ensure the best data possible. Skaggs also works as part of the clinical staff at Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH), evaluating and treating children and adults with a variety of communication needs. She is Hanen Certified - It Takes Two to Talk®: Making Hanen Happen, a program designed to coach parents to improve communication in young children.
Victoria Sweeney
Staff Research Audiologist
Victoria Sweeney is a research audiologist in the Functional Hearing Laboratory and in the Clinical Measurement Program at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Sweeney completed both her BA and Au.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her clinical externship at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Sweeney is interested in better understanding how children and adults who use hearing devices listen in challenging listening environments and the development of clinical strategies to improve performance in these environments.
