PhD student

Abby is a PhD student in the Participation, Environment, and Performance Laboratory. She earned in her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her MSOT from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include fall prevention, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults, and the role of the gut microbiome in Alzheimer disease progression. She conducts home visits as needed for COMPASS II, falls & AD, and other studies.

Audrey Keleman recently completed the Rehabilitation and Participation Science PhD program under the mentorship of Dr. Susy Stark. She also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in exercise science from Youngstown State University, and she earned her Master of Science in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis. Audrey recently received the Poletsky Award, which is intended to enhance the career development of a promising student or fellow working toward a career focusing on aging and dementia, from the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center. Audrey will complete her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver, Colo., continuing her research on falls and functional cognition in early Alzheimer disease.