Our Research Team

Karla McGregor is a Senior Scientist and the Director of the Word Learning Laboratory in the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language, and Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital. She is also a Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa, a Fellow of the American Speech, Language, Hearing Association, and a clinical speech-language pathologist with board certification in child language. She loves words, dogs, and a good cup of tea. Dr. McGregor's full curriculum vitae can be viewed here.

Favorite words: shenanigans, waft

Tim Arbisi-Kelm  is a Research Scientist I in the Word Learning Laboratory and the Language in Motion Laboratory. He earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests are in phonological and lexical development and the role of prosody in language disorders. He can run farther than anyone else in the Word Learning Lab (a low bar).

Favorite word: so'sol ch'iich'

Nichole Eden is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with a background in early language intervention. She has served as a Research SLP in the Word Learning Laboratory since 2006. Nichole thoroughly enjoys her work and feels fortunate to spend her days interacting with and learning from colleagues, collaborators, kids, and caregivers. In her downtime, you can find her delighting in her kids, puzzling over a jigsaw or a Wordle, or contemplating the absurdity and brilliance of life with dear friends.

Favorite word: mischievous

Jacob Oleson is a Professor in Biostatistics, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of the Statistics/Analytics Core at the Institute for Public Health Practice, Research and Policy at the University of Iowa. He conducts biostatistical methodologic research and collaborative clinical research for various research ventures. He has been the lead biostatistician on numerous hearing, speech, and language-related projects, working closely with team members on study design, statistical methods, analysis, and results. This experience includes longitudinal, spatial, spatiotemporal, mixed models, growth curves, Bayesian models, missing data, and functional data analysis. He knows more than the average bear about speech, language, and hearing disorders. Visit Dr. Oleson's website.

Favorite word: merry

Margo Appenzeller is the Word Learning Lab Manager. She earned a Ph.D. in Specialized Education Services at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing who taught children in early intervention to elementary to high school in various settings.  Outside of work she enjoys socializing with family and friends, reading a good book, or working on her Duo Lingo streak.

favorite word: gibberish

Colin Guibault is a licensed and certified research speech-language pathologist with a background in adolescent language intervention, neurologic communication disorders, and cognitive wellness research. He has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for over seven years. He takes great pride and joy in providing service for others and would be hard-pressed to pass on a conversation to deepen a relationship, especially over a cup of coffee.

Favorite word: gnarly

Emma Hennessey is our research assistant in the Word Learning Lab. She assists team members with data collection and analysis. She is currently completing a bachelor's degree in psychology at Creighton University. In her free time, she enjoys painting and photography. 

Favorite word: Discombobulated