Staff

Maisha Khan, MSc, CCRP – Lab Manager (on maternity leave)
Maisha Khan is the Manager of the Swallowing Lab and is actively involved in all current research studies. She is the site manager of the PRO-ACTIVE trial and is responsible for the day-to-day administrative and financial activities that keep the lab running smoothly. Maisha has a background in clinical pharmacology, having completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Toronto, Department of Pharmacology. She is also a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and has previously worked as a Research Coordinator on multiple clinical trials in psychiatry and mental health.

Veronica Rodriguez, MHSc, SLP – Clinical Research Coordinator / Speech-Language Pathologist
Veronica is currently working in the Lab as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She is involved in the Pro-Active Swallowing Study providing care to individuals with Head and Neck Cancer.
She completed her undergraduate degree in 2010 at McMaster University in Biology, and went on to complete her Masters in 2014 at the University of Toronto in Speech-Language Pathology.
Her previous work experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist has been within the acute care setting at the London Health Sciences Center and Trillium Health Partners.

Renzo Garcia, MSc, SLP – Clinical Research Coordinator / Speech-Language Pathologist
Renzo is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the PRO-ACTIVE trial, responsible for providing swallowing therapy to patients with head and neck cancer. He comes from Edmonton, Alberta where he completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Alberta. Prior to joining the Swallowing Lab, he worked clinically in Edmonton at the University of Alberta Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital, and at the Institute of Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine in both inpatient acute and outpatient settings.

Kieshan Amarakaran, MPH – Research Associate
Kieshan is a study coordinator and data manager with the PRO-ACTIVE trial. He completed his undergraduate degree in Human Biology and Psychology at the University of Toronto in 2018, as well as his Masters in Public Health at The Dartmouth Institute in 2020. Prior to joining the Swallowing Lab, he worked as a research assistant in the field of substance use disorders.

Trixie Reichardt, MHSc, RD – Clinical Research Coordinator
Trixie is a Clinical Research Coordinator and former Lab Manager, and has been with the Lab for 15 years — since its inception. She is involved in active research studies as well as administrative and financial activities.
Prior to joining the Lab, Trixie completed undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Toronto in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. She has also worked as a Research Analyst in the field of eating disorders and as a Research Coordinator in mindfulness meditation.

Aliaa Sabry, MD, PhD – Scientific Associate
Aliaa obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh) from Mansoura University, Egypt in 2006, earned her MSc in Speech-Language Pathology from Ain Shams University, Egypt in 2011, and her PhD, with specialization in Dysphagia, from Mansoura University in 2019. Aliaa has practiced clinically as a phoniatrician, specializing in swallowing disorders, and as a researcher in the swallowing lab, Dept of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh. Current research interests include non-invasive instrumental methods of swallow screening and management through signal processing of patients’ voice and vibratory signals generated during swallowing.
View Aliaa’s research profile on: ResearchGate