Ola Ozernov-Palchik - Neuroscience, Risk and Dyslexia

Update: 2024-06-10

Description

Today's episode is our first as we delve into how neuroscience informs our understanding of dyslexia. We will touch on the evidence for a neurobiological basis that increases the risk of experiencing challenges with reading and spelling words.

Today’s guest is a leading neuroscientist in the field of literacy and dyslexia research. Dr. Ozernov-Palchik is a research scientist at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a senior research scientist at Boston University's Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. She also served as the program director and lecturer for the Mind, Brain, and Education master’s program at Harvard Graduate School of Education from 2019 to 2022.

Dr. Ozernov-Palchik received her Ph.D. in cognitive science and child development from Tufts University. Her research focuses on the neurocognitive mechanisms of reading and language comprehension, exploring how these processes vary across individuals and throughout development. She employs advanced cross-disciplinary methods, including adult and pediatric multimodal neuroimaging, randomized controlled trials, psycholinguistic experiments, and longitudinal modeling.

In addition to her research, Dr. Ozernov-Palchik has been a strong advocate for universal screening for early literacy and evidence-based literacy instruction, both locally and nationally. She has received the Early Career Award from the International Dyslexia Association and has an impressive publication record. Moreover, she has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences and meetings.