About the Brain Resilience Through Active Communication and Engagement (BRACE) Lab

Principal Investigator

Jamie Mayer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a professor in Allied Health and Communicative Disorders. Mayer received her Ph.D. and clinical master’s degree in speech-language pathology (SLP) from Indiana University (Bloomington). Before coming to NIU, Mayer worked clinically in an outpatient rehabilitation and then as part of the inpatient medical SLP team at University of Wisconsin Hospital (Madison, WI). Mayer’s expertise includes behavioral treatments for acquired, neurogenic cognitive-communicative disorders including aphasia and dementia. She has also explored the roles of cognitive stimulation, strategy use, and brain health education for maximizing cognitive resilience and thus slowing or preventing cognitive decline for older adults.

Mayer teaches graduate speech-language pathology courses covering acquired neurogenic cognitive-communicative disorders and medical speech-language pathology, as well as undergraduate courses in neuroscience, aging, and dementia. She is also the founder and faculty supervisor of NIU’s Music and Memory Student Association.

Meet Our Team

Michael Hauge, M.S., CCC-SLP, is currently employed as an assistant professor in the speech-language pathology department at West Coast University. He has previously worked at Fontbonne University as the director of clinical education for Communication Disorders and Deaf Education and at Saint Louis University as an adjunct clinical instructor. Currently, Hauge is pursuing his Ph.D. in health sciences from Northern Illinois University where he is currently co-writing a large scoping review targeting how researchers assess and define severe aphasia. His areas of research interest are within the scope of speech language pathology and include areas of study related to acquired alexia, community accessibility for individuals with acquired communication impairments, and pedagogical approaches to teaching and supervision.

Jeffrey W. Hornof, M.A., CCC-SLP, is currently employed as a lecturer in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at Saint Xavier University. Prior to working in academia, he was an acute care speech-language pathologist at a level one trauma hospital in Chicago, where he provided services in dysphagia, aerodigestive, cognitive communication, and acquired disorder of speech and language. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in health sciences at Northern Illinois University, and has primary research interests in improving caregiver/family knowledge of the relationship between dysphagia and dementia, investigating decision-making and dysphagia management for this population, and improving SLP student training of this area through experiential learning and simulation.

Jamie Ward, B.S., SLP graduate student, is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in speech-language pathology at Northern Illinois University. With a background in communicative disorders (B.S.), Ward is involved in research focusing on neuroprotective education and cognitive training for healthy older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairments. Under the mentorship of Jamie Mayer, Ph.D., she contributes to projects aimed at enhancing brain health across generations through structured interventions, interactive brain games and fostering social engagement. Ward's research interests include communication disorders across the lifespan and increasing community access to brain health education and resources.

Jessica Conn, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a Ph.D. candidate in health sciences at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on music listening and functional communication outcomes of people living with dementia. She is currently involved in scoping reviews exploring passive music listening outcomes and measures of functional communication in dementia, as well as an ongoing feasibility study of how personalized music listening impacts communication of those with dementia.

Conn is currently employed as a faculty member in the graduate speech-language pathology and undergraduate communication sciences and disorders programs at Stephen F. Austin State University. Prior to moving into academia, Conn worked as a speech-language pathologist with adults and children in a variety of settings including outpatient, acute care, inpatient rehab and skilled nursing facilities.

Ryanne Anderson is currently pursuing her master's degree in speech-language pathology with a multicultural certificate at Northern Illinois University. With her background in communicative disorders, Anderson involves herself in research focused on neuroprotective education and neurodegenerative detection and care. Under the mentorship of Jamie Mayer, Ph.D., she contributes to a variety of community outreach projects to enhance the care of older adults and educate about neuroprotection across generations. Anderson's research interests include communication disorders, neurodegenerative and acquired disorders, and the impact of socioeconomic standings on access to speech and language services.

Makenna Green, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a Ph.D. candidate in health sciences at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on strength-based approaches to dementia care and the integration of neurodegenerative disease pedagogy in health professional education. She has published in high-impact journals, including the Journal of Public Health Policy and the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and has presented her work at national conferences such as the Gerontological Society of America Scientific Meeting and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Conference.

Green serves as a clinical supervisor in the speech-language pathology department at NIU and is an adjunct instructor at both NIU and Western Michigan University. In addition to her academic roles, she maintains an active clinical practice with expertise in neurodegenerative diseases, acquired brain injury, swallowing disorders, and tracheostomy and ventilator dependence.

Selected publications:

Green, M.R., Hughes, M.C., Afrin, S., Vernon, E. (2024). Caregiver policies in the United States: a systematic review. J Public Health Policy.

Mayer, J. F., Green, M.R., White, L. W., and Lemley, T. (2023). Perspectives of speech-language pathologists and students on providing care to people living with dementia: A scoping review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32(5), 2351–2373.