Lab Members | Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory

Principal Investigator
	Dr. Kathleen Cienkowski is an associate professor of and program director of Audiology in SLHS. She is also the UCONN LEND Audiology Discipline Coordinator. She studies comprehensive aural rehabilitation (AR) for individuals with acquired hearing loss with an emphasis on care across the lifespan. She currently is investigating factors underlying successful hearing device use including the impact of health literacy and patient centered care. Contact: cienkowski@uconn.edu Click here to follow on Research Gate
Research Faculty
	Dr. Brittney Carlson is a research associate in the Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory and Director of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Elms College. Her research interests include aural rehabilitation, the impact of dual sensory impairment, and the investigation of outcome measures for amplification.
	Dr. Kristin Dilaj is a research associate in the Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory and the Director of the New England Center for Hearing Rehabilitation. Her research interests include early hearing detection and intervention, programming strategies and outcome measures for patients with cochlear implants, and enhancing listening environments through FM use. Contact: kristin.dilaj@uconn.edu
	Dr. Jackie DiFrancesco is a research associate in the Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory. She is also a research audiologist at Michael & Associate in State College, PA. Her research interests include optimizing hearing protection for workers with hearing loss. Contact: jackie.difrancesco@gmail.com
	Dr. Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin is a research associate in the Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory. She is also a research scientist in the HELLO Lab at UCONN Storrs. Passionate about bolstering the voices of stakeholders, Torri Ann implements qualitative methods to highlight the power and value of individual voices in making change. Contact: tawg@uconn.edu
Students
	Lauren Bauer is a third-year Doctor of Audiology student completing her capstone project in the Aural Rehabilitation Lab. Her research is focused on cCMV (congenital cytomegalovirus) knowledge and cleaning precautions. The current study looks to establish the knowledge that early childcare providers in the state of Connecticut have regarding CMV and cCMV prevention, and how cCMV can impact hearing and childhood development.
	Mackenzie Brogan is an undergraduate student of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences pursuing an honors thesis! Her research interests primarily focus on special populations – Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, as well as those with mild cognitive impairments – and how hearing assessment, management strategies, and listening fatigue affect their quality of life and communication strategies.
	Zane Carey is a third-year Audiology Doctoral Graduate student completing his capstone research in the Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory. In the past, he was a preschool teacher in VT and CT. His research interests include interdisciplinary care and holistic audiologic care. In his free time, he practices Aerial Silks and takes his Deaf/Blind cat Rasva on walks.
	Katharine Cartwright is a Doctoral Student of Audiology who has been a member of the Aural Rehabilitation Lab since 2021 and has contributed to a range of projects. Most notably, she worked on the ADA Access Guide, which she presented as a virtual poster at ASHA in 2024 and as an in-person presentation at the Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation’s Twelfth International Adult Aural Rehabilitation Conference in May 2025. Katharine’s research interests include accessibility, particularly in reducing barriers and improving equitable access to hearing healthcare and rehabilitation services.
	Aaron Herrera received his B.A. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 2025. He is currently a doctoral student of audiology. His research interests lie in the accessibility and readability of early hearing detection and intervention services and materials along and how listening effort and fatigue affects those with hearing loss and auditory processing differences across the life span.
	Ashley Paul is a third-year student in the Doctor of Audiology program completing their capstone project in the Aural Rehabilitation Lab. Their project focuses on the listening effort experiences of adults with hearing loss. Their interests include working with individuals with hearing differences across the lifespan in settings that emphasize holistic patient- and family-centered care.
	Mia Pedigo is an undergraduate student of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences who assists with research projects, currently focused on listening effort in adolescents. She hopes to continue this work while also becoming involved in other areas of aural rehabilitation research. She is especially interested in all aspects of aural rehabilitation, as well as the emerging advancements in hearing aid technology.
	Lizbet Zelocuatecatl is an undergraduate student of Allied Health Sciences who is currently working on a listening effort project, examining how adolescents describe experiences of listening effort in educational and social settings using publicly accessible online sources.