Principal Investigator

Dr. DeMarco is an Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, and director of the DeMarco Advanced Research in Neurorehabilitation (DARN) Lab. He is a cognitive neuroscientist and licensed and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist. His recent NIDCD K99/R00 award focuses on a novel technique, functional anomaly mapping, which may hold promise as a reliable, individualized biomarker for stroke-related dysfunction throughout the brain.

Lab Manager

Sophie graduated from the University of Michigan in 2024 with a B.A. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. Her current research interests include the social determinants of stroke-aphasia outcomes and semantic memory. She aspires to pursue a PhD in clinical neuropsychology. Outside of research, Sophie loves crafting, finding great coffee shops around DC, reading classic novels, and is an avid movie critic.

Research Associate

Zoe graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 2024 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Chemistry. Zoe is currently interested in using neuroimaging and cognitive testing to understand how brain injury (or stroke) relates to aphasia. In the next few years she hopes to attend a graduate school program in a related field. Outside of the lab Zoe enjoys exploring new parts of the city, cheering on UNC basketball, being on the water, and going to yoga classes.

PhD Candidate

Rahul Gurram graduated with high honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021, with a B.S. in Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and French. Rahul is currently interested in real-time mechanisms of spoken language processing, and how these mechanisms may differ in typical versus disordered populations. When not in lab, Rahul enjoys reading philosophy and science fiction, brewing specialty coffee and tea, and playing tennis and board games with his friends.

Research Assistant

Wongel is a sophomore at Georgetown University majoring in Biology of Global Health and minoring in Economics. Her interests are particularly at the intersection of neuroscience and data science particularly in combining behavioral, imaging, and graph theory approaches to analyze language processing and executive function in post-stroke aphasia subjects. Outside of lab, Wongel enjoys tinkering with tools and projects, reading historical texts, and practicing her latte art.

Research Assistant

I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Neurobiology and minoring in French. I am interested in how continuous cognitive testing and activity can accelerate and improve patient recovery following brain injuries. Outside the lab, I enjoy reading, cooking, baking, music, and exploring DC with my friends.

Research Assistant

Emilio is a junior at Georgetown University double majoring in Computer Science and Neurobiology. His primary interest revolve around data and database management for research purposes, especially in creating efficient systems to maintain, analyze, and share large datasets. Outside of lab, Emilio enjoys teaching young people a wide range of subjects from theology to biology and C++, fostering an early interest in interdisciplinary learning. 

Postdoctoral Scholar

Sarah Phillips completed her Ph.D. in Linguistics at New York University before coming to GUMC in 2022. Her research is primarily focused on the principled mechanisms, and their neural bases, that support our ability to de-/compose linguistic expressions. She is currently working with Dr. DeMarco on a project investigating differences in linguistic and emotion prosody processing among right hemisphere stroke survivors. Outside of the lab, Sarah enjoys film photography and live jazz.

Postdoctoral Scholar

Ryan is a cognitive neuroscientist. He received his PhD in psychology from Rutgers University - Newark, and his research leverages modeling and neuroimaging to understand the computational mechanisms and neural substrates that support healthy language processing and language recovery following stroke. His time outside the lab is spent reading, playing guitar, and lifting weights.

Recruitment and Retention Coordinator

Karina went to Syracuse University and got her B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology. After graduating she worked as an EMT in the Bay Area, California during the pandemic. She then came to GUMC and completed her M.S. in Physiology and Biophysics. She intends to go to medical school to become a surgeon and hopefully one day be able to help people who suffer from stroke. In her free time, she loves soccer, skiing, hiking, and just about anything outdoors. Fun fact: She is trilingual; fluent in English, Spanish and Chinese (Traditional).