Miriam Lense, PhD
Dr. Lense is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She co-directs the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab where she leads the Music, Social Engagement, and Development workgroup. Lense is a clinical psychologist and researcher with expertise working with infants, children, and adults with or at risk for developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. She created the Serenade program, which incorporates parent training, peer inclusion, and musical play to support social engagement and behavior in families of children with and without ASD.
Camila Alviar, PhD
Dr. Alviar is a Research Scientist in the Music Cognition Lab. Her expertise is in the dynamics of interpersonal multimodal coordination and how they change in different contexts and populations. Her current research focuses on parent-child interactions and interactions in autistic and non-autistic individuals. She received her PhD in Cognitive and Information Sciences from the University of California, Merced.
Amy Smith, PhD, MT-BC
Dr. Smith is a research scholar and music therapist in the Music Cognition Lab. With 15 years of experience as a music therapist in pediatric healthcare, she has strong foundation in supporting the developmental needs of children. She collaborates with researchers and music therapists and multiple institutions in the design and study of parent-child music interventions to support child development and parenting skills.
Reyna Gordon, PhD
Dr. Gordon is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery at VUMC and directs the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab, where she leads the Rhythm, Language, and Genetics group. She has faculty appointments at the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Department of Psychology, and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. She oversees research into the genetics of musicality as part of the VUMC NEA Research Lab.
Collaborators Across Vanderbilt
Pablo Juarez, M.Ed., BCBA
Juarez is the Director of the Vanderbilt Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) and a Behavior Analyst in Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He collaborates with colleagues and stakeholders to develop, implement and sustain programs for behavior analytic services, early intervention, educational assessment, intervention, and support, as well as community engagement and research program focused on supporting the needs of individuals with ASD, their families, educators, and community providers.
Mark Wallace, PhD
Dr. Wallace is the Dean of the Vanderbilt Graduate School and a Professor Hearing and Speech Sciences, Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Pharmacology. Wallace directs the Multisensory Research Lab at Vanderbilt with research into the neural underpinnings and behavioral correlates of multisensory processing in typical and atypical development.
Elisabeth Dykens, PhD
Dr. Dykens is a Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt. Dr. Dykens has extensive research and administrative expertise to foster collaborations and strengthen translational research across diverse partners. Her work identifies how new disciplines can be integrated with disability research, including research focuses on psychopathology and areas of strength in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and treatment of stress, health, and mental health problems in parents of children with developmental disabilities.
Lauren Weaver, MS, BCBA
Weaver is the Coordinator of Organizational Outreach at the Vanderbilt Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD). She is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst with experience across settings and populations. Through Organizational Outreach and the Inclusion Network of Nashville, Weaver works to increase the capacity of community organizations to service those with ASD and related disorders.
Srishti Nayak, PhD
Dr. Nayak is an Assistant Professor in the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab in the Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, where she leads the Behavior, Health, Speech, and Hearing Group. She is also a visiting scholar at Middle TN State University (MTSU) Psychology department and affiliated faculty at the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute. She is an interdisciplinary scholar with research in brain, behavior, cognition, development, hearing health, and genetics. She is a member of the VUMC NEA Research Lab's Technical Working Group.
Our NEA Research Lab team at VUMC also includes many students, trainees, and music therapists in the Music Cognition Lab and broader Nashville community.