The Department of Kinesiology and Community Health
College of Applied Health Sciences
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Lab Members
Principal Investigator
David Strauser
Started the lab in: 2009strauser@illinois.edu
Dr. David Strauser is the Director of the Work and Disability Lab and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995. He has provided consultation to community based rehabilitation and mental health programs in the area of career development and employment of individuals with disabilities. He has published over 70 articles in national and international journals and has presented at regional, national and international conferences. He is the editor for the book entitled Career Development and Employment in Rehabilitation: From Theory to Practice published by Springer. His current research interests include the career development, vocational behavior and employment of young adult cancer survivors. He is the past editor of the Journal of Rehabilitation and currently serves on the editorial board of Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, Journal of Rehabilitation, Journal of Violence and Trauma Research. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education. He is Past-President of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE). He has received the James Garrett Distinguished Career Research Award from ARCA, the New Career in Rehabilitation and Researcher of the Year Award from NCRE, and numerous research awards from ARCA and NRA.
Graduate Students
Ashleigh Jones
Started in the lab: 2009Expected graduation date: 2015
Email address: aejones2@illinois.edu
Ashleigh is pursuing doctoral studies in Community Health. She plans to become a professor at a research-intensive university and hopes to contribute to the scholarly literature while also improving the quality of life for people with disabilities, their families, and their communities. Ashleigh completed her bachelor's and master's degree in Community Health at Illinois.
Ashleigh's main research interest is in the psychosocial factors that can lead to personal distress of cancer survivors related to interpersonal relationships and career development. She is generally interested in career development and psychosocial skills as a means to increase satisfaction with and the quality of life of individuals with disabilities. She is a course instructor and teaching assistant in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health and works as an academic coach for students with disabilities.
Ashleigh has a variety of publications in press and this year co-authored a book chapter. She has also presented at conference of organizations such as the American Educational Research Association, NCRE, and American Psychological Association. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling and attending sporting events.
Sara Khosravinasr
Started in the lab: 20011Expected graduation date: Summer 2014
Email address: khosrav1@illinois.edu
My Name is Sara Khosravinasr. I am a PhD candidate and Research Assistant in Rehabilitation program at department of Kinesiology and Community Health of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My undergraduate degree is in Food science and nutrition and I have a Master degree in Kinesiology (Kinesmetrics). My current research is focused on Modern Assistive Technology abandonment among people with disabilities. I love using modern technology to make life more comfortable and am enthusiastic about designing cellphone application for increasing the quality of life of people with disabilities.
Dustin D. Lange
Started in the lab: 2009Expected graduation date: 2014
Email address: dlange2@illinois.edu; dlange2@gmail.com
Dustin Lange is a PhD student in Community Health with an administration and rehabilitation emphasis. He received his M.S degree in Health Administration from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2009. His research interest includes the vocational personality and career development of various populations from cancer survivors to college students. He is a Lead Instructor for the department's Drug Use and Abuse in Modern Society course. In which, he has taught over 24 sections with 40-215 students per section. He is also a teaching assistant for the Disability in American Society class and an Academic Coach for the Division of Rehabilitation and Educational Services. He is a student member of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) and Illinois's Veterans Committee. In the past he has been a research hourly for the Dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences for initial research on the Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education. He has been named to the "List of Teachers ranked Excellent by Their Students" for 11 semesters, a 2009-2010 James Scholar Faculty/Staff Award recipient, and a 2012-2013 recipient of the Robert P. Larsen grant for research in Career Development. He has various military awards from his 8 year stint in the United States Marine Corps.
Jenna Reid
Started in the lab: 2011Expected graduation date: Spring 2017
Email address: jennareid183@gmail.com
I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology at UIUC in 2011. I entered the Counseling Psychology program in August 2012 with an expected graduation date of Spring 2017. I started working in the lab as an undergraduate student in 2011 and have been contributing to projects ever since. My research interests include disability studies with a focus on college students and their career readiness. Currently, I am working on a project exploring disabled and nondisabled students perceived career readiness. In my spare time, I enjoy being with my family, going on walks, biking, traveling, eating out, and watching movies!
Ellen Ritter
Started in the lab: Fall 2012Expected graduation date: Spring 2016
Email address: esritte2@illinois.edu; ellen.s.ritter@gmail.com
My educational background begins as an undergraduate at Missouri State University where I double majored in Sociology and Psychology. After I graduated I worked for 2 years with individuals with traumatic brain injuries at a non-profit called Alternative Opportunities, Inc. where I was a pre-vocational instructor and job developer. Since then I have attended the University of Illinois and gained my Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling. At the University of Illinois I have been a teaching assistant, editorial assistant, research assistant, and have gained relevant practical experience at the University of Illinois Disability Resources and Education Services (DRES). I've taught classes of 200 students as well as counseled students on a one-on-one basis. My area of research specialization is in the field of work and disability. I currently oversee data entry, complete IRB applications, compile research materials, and facilitate communication between students and faculty on a regular basis for several work and disability lab projects.
Susann Heft Sears
Started in the lab: 2009Expected graduation date:
Email address: sheft@illinois.edu
Susann Heft Sears is a part-time PhD student in Community Health with a Rehabilitation emphasis. Her research interests include investigating the area of career transition and students with disabilities in higher education. She works for the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES), the service unit of the College of Applied Health Sciences (AHS). She determines eligibility for services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for currently enrolled students with physical, low vision, and chronic illness-related disabilities. She also serves as the liaison with The Career Center (TCC) and Study Abroad offices on campus for all students registered with DRES. She is a current member of the IL-IA Association of Higher Education and Disability (ILLOWA AHEAD), Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), and Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) consortium.
Undergraduate Students
Jad Bahhur
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2016
bahhur2@illinois.edu
Elizabeth Chan
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2015
echan11@illinois.edu
Erin Goode
Started with lab Spring 2013Graduation date May 2014
goode1@illinois.edu
Stacey Hanson
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2014
hanson24@illinois.edu
Vitoria Jercich
Started with lab Spring 2013Graduation date May 2016
jercich2@illinois.edu
Caitlin Johnson
Started with lab Spring 2013Graduation date May 2014
cmjohns4@illinois.edu
Joseph Kim
Started with lab Spring 2013Graduation date May 2014
jkim188@illinois.edu
Yen Le
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2014
yenle1@illinois.edu
Daina Mathew
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2014
dmathew92@gmail.com
Callan McDermott
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2015
mcdrmtt2@illinois.edu
Jasmine Steed
Started with lab Spring 2013Graduation date May 2016
jlsteed2@illinois.edu
Tommy Szmelter
Started with lab Fall 2013Graduation date May 2014
szmelte2@illinois.edu
Alumni
Deirdre O'Sullivan
Worked in the lab: 2005-2009
Email: dmo11@psu.edu
Current position: Assistant Professor, Penn State University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education
Assistant Professor
The Pennsylvania State University
Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education
312 CEDAR Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-4594
dmo11@psu.edu
Alex Wong
Worked in lab: 2009-2012
Current Position: Postdoctoral Health Services Research Fellow, Center for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Postdoctoral Fellow
Center for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
345 E. Superior Street
312-238-2910
wwong@ric.com