Hengru Liu began the PhD in Rehab Sciences program 2025. Her current mentor is Marziye Eshghi, PhD in the Speech, Physiology, and Neurobiology of Aging and Dementia Lab. Her primary research interest is how aging and aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), can affect motor control in speech and swallowing tasks. She is also interested in exploring how cognitive decline relates to age-related changes in speech motor function, as well as the underlying neuropathological mechanisms. She hopes to conduct impactful research that directly informs patient care.
- BA, Psychology & Cognitive Science, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
- MS, Communication Sciences & Disorders, MGHIHP, Boston, MA
Dadgostar, M., Hanford, L. C., Tavakoli, M., Arnold, S. E., Salat, D. H., Sitnikova, T., Kivisakk Webb, P., Green, J. R., Liu, H., Richburg, B. D., Tkeshelashvili, M., & Eshghi, M. (2026). Detecting preclinical Alzheimer’s disease risk in cognitively normal adults using speech acoustics: Validation with plasma p-tau217 and APOE-ε4 status. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.15.26344226