Congratulations to our fourth-year BiSC Lab members, Gabi and Elishka, for successfully completing their capstone projects and presenting at CWRU’s December Intersections!

Gabi Vacarro ’25: Palatal Myoclonus and Dysphagia: A Literature Review

Gabi is a double major in Communication Sciences and Biological Anthropology. Gabi’s capstone project examined the relationship between Palatal Myoclonus (PM)–a rare movement disorder characterized by rapid spasms of the palatal muscles–and dysphagia. Gabi worked on this project from August through December of 2024, and at CWRU’s December Intersections, she was awarded 1st place in the Social Sciences category. Gabi will be starting a doctoral program in occupational therapy in the fall.

Elishka Bailey ’25: Dysphagia in Patients with the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia: A Systematic Review 

Elishka is majoring in Communication Sciences. Her capstone project was a systematic review on dysphagia in people diagnosed with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). In the summer of 2024, Elishka received SOURCE funding from the Undergraduate Research Office for this project, and this work was continued as her capstone in the Fall of 2024. Elishka will be starting a masters program in speech-language pathology in the fall.