Tara Lanning is a Research Assistant for the Hoth Lab. Tara graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She joined Hoth Lab in July 2023 and works with a range of research projects in the lab, including the Sarcoidosis study, Cochlear Implant study, and the COPD and the Brain study. Tara’s research interests include cognitive neuroscience, neurodegenerative diseases, vestibular system disorders, and language acquisition. She plans to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience following her time in Hoth Lab.

Aimee Marino, a Research Associate in the Department of Otolaryngology, has been actively engaged with the Hoth Lab on the Cochlear Implant and Human Ecology project since September 2023. Aimee holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Iowa, where she completed an honors thesis in developmental psycholinguistics. Aimee began a diverse professional journey by working for three years in the University of Iowa's Mechanisms of Audio-visual Categorization Lab before taking the opportunity to play a meaningful role in establishing and later directing a non-profit, faith-based counseling program in the community. After nearly a decade in counseling, Aimee returned to academia in 2023, driven by a passion for language, people, and science. Her academic interests focus on speech and hearing, psycholinguistics, research design, and fostering interdepartmental collaboration for more comprehensive research outcomes.

Cari Linkenmeyer is a medical student at the University of Iowa who previously worked as a Research Associate in the Hoth lab. She is currently involved in a study examining the role of the social determinants of health on cognitive impairment among individuals with a history of cigarette smoking exposure.

Johanna Theeler is a medical student at the University of Iowa.  She started working with the Hoth lab in the spring of 2023 as a senior biomedical engineering major.  She has completed 2 summer research fellowships in the lab and continues her research involving Long COVID and cognitive impairment in COPD.

Kamryn is a Speech and Hearing Science major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa with a minor in psychology. She joined Hoth Lab in Fall 2023 and is working on the Cochlear Implant Project as an undergraduate research assistant. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in Audiology both as a practicing audiologist and researcher. 

Emerson Holmes completed a summer undergraduate research assistantship in 2021 to conduct her senior individualized project required as part of her biology major at Kalamazoo College. Currently, she is working with the Hoth lab to research the impact of insulin resistance, measured by triglyceride-glucose index level, on cognition in individuals with heavy smoking exposure.