Current Staff
Neuropsychologists
Dr. Busi Zapparoli
Neuropsychologist
Dr. Zapparoli is a Clinical Neuropsychologist. She obtained her PhD in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at York University before completing postdoctoral fellowships in Clinical Neuropsychology at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).
In the Knight Lab, she does neuropsychological assessments with youth with lupus. Dr. Zapparoli is also a member of the Mabbott Lab at SickKids, where she provides neuropsychological assessments to children in the oncology department.
Outside of her work at SickKids, Dr. Zapparoli is an active member of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) Cross Cultural Committee where her work has focused on determining best practices for adapting and translating neuropsychological tests. Dr. Zapparoli is passionate about promoting cultural sensitivity in neuropsychological practice and research.
Justine Ledochowski
Neuropsychologist
Dr. Ledochowski is a Clinical Neuropsychologist. She received her PhD in Clinical Developmental Psychology with Neuropsychology Specialization from York University, and completed her predoctoral residency (Pediatric Psychology) and Postdoctoral Fellowship (Pediatric Neuropsychology) at The Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Ledochowski collaborates on several projects in the Knight Lab focusing on cognitive and mental health in cSLE. She is currently working on projects comparing different methods of measuring of executive functioning and attention, examining associations between serum makers of brain injury and inflammation and executive functioning, and investigating interactions between exposure to adverse childhood events (ACEs), inflammation, and mental health.
Outside of the lab she enjoys exploring creative pursuits and outdoor activities.
Dr. Ashley Danguecan
Dr. Danguecan is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Co-Investigator in the Knight Lab. She completed her graduate training in Clinical Psychology (with specialization in Neuropsychology) at the University of Windsor, and residency and fellowship training in clinical neuropsychology at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).
In the Knight Lab, she collaborates on research projects focused on brain and mental health co-morbidities in childhood-onset lupus. As a Filipino-Canadian clinician-scientist, her research has recently focused on how to address disparities in mental health service provision in diverse youth with lupus.
Alongside her research with the Knight Lab, Dr. Danguecan is clinically appointed to the Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Clinic at SickKids, where she provides supervision and clinical consultation for developmental assessments of children with early brain injuries and other complex medical histories.
Managers
Lawrence Ng
For Lawrence, patients’ and families’ well-being as participants in research is of utmost importance. As a Clinical Research Project Manager, he has dedicated his career to helping find new treatments and predictors for children and young people suffering from childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (cSLE). For over 20 years, Lawrence has managed multiple clinical trials and studies, coupled with his laboratory management experience and multi-discipline communication skills to make research processes highly functional and easily understood.
Lawrence volunteers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) internal and external committees to provide feedback and insights in the area of electronic health records on research use, research staff professional development, family engagement in research and clinical research advisory.
Lawrence enjoys 10k runs, participates in half marathons and is one of the many leaders in the SickKids Running Club who assisted in coaching the 5/10 km training clinic.
Fellows
Diana Valdes Cabrera
Dr. Valdes Cabrera is a Neuroimaging Postdoctoral Fellow at the Knight Lab and she is affiliated with the Neurosciences & Mental Health Research Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alberta, with a focus on diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applied to neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis.
In the Knight Lab, her neuroimaging research work will aid in understanding the pathological mechanisms that trigger cognitive dysfunction in youth with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). Diana’s main research interests are to find neuroimaging biomarkers associated with diseases like SLE and to examine the role of inflammation in the developing brain.
Her hobbies include biking, hiking and enjoying time with her doggie.
Research Coordinators
Asha Jeyanathan
Clinical Research Project Coordinator
Asha Jeyanathan is a Clinical Research Project Coordinator in the Neurosciences & Mental Health program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She received her Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto with a focus in Neuroscience, Physiology and Immunology.
She assists in qualitative, quantitative, and quality improvement studies focusing on the impact of childhood-onset lupus on neurocognitive health, brain structure and development. A growing interest of hers is to find ways to improve mental health in the pediatric population. She is a member of the Childhood Arthritis & Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA).
Outside the lab, Asha enjoys dancing, skiing and reading.
Research Assistants
Ellaine Tohan
Clinical Research Project Assistant
Ellaine is a Clinical Research Project Assistant at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Dr. Knight’s Research Lab. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, with a focus in Neuroscience, Psychology and Biology.
Ellaine’s research interests center on understanding the neuropsychiatric effects of lupus and juvenile dermatomyositis within the pediatric population. She is particularly interested in how these conditions influence cognitive functioning and brain development, with the goal of advancing knowledge that can inform more effective treatments and improve long-term outcomes for affected children.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Ellaine enjoys spending time with her dogs, going to the gym and exploring new matcha spots across the city.
Vanessa Carbone
Clinical Research Project Assistant
Vanessa is a Clinical Research Project Assistant at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Dr. Knight's Research Lab. She holds a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health Science and a Master of Science in Kinesiology from York University.
Vanessa's interest in pediatric rheumatology research stems from her own diagnosis with juvenile myositis, allowing her to bring a meaningful patient perspective to each project she works on. She is currently assisting in the development of a national research agenda aimed at guiding studies that address mental health needs of youth with rheumatologic conditions. She is also involved in a project focused on designing and evaluating a cognitive-behavioural program to support brain health in children with lupus.
Beyond her work at SickKids, Vanessa is a patient partner and research collaborator with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA). In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, reading novels, and exploring new restaurants around the city with family and friends.
Emmett Peng
Clinical Research Project Assistant
Graduate Students
Jida Jaffan
PhD Candidate
Jida is a PhD Candidate at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Dr. Knight’s Research Lab. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Developmental Psycholinguistics and holds a master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Toronto.
Jida enjoys all forms of interdisciplinary research in Cognitive Science. In Dr. Knights lab she assists with data analysis and writing up findings across different projects. She hopes to integrate more linguistic analysis into the mental health field, especially with children.
She enjoys spending time with her family and playing/listening to music.
Undergraduate Students & Volunteers
Jasmine Jing
Clinical Research Volunteer
Jasmine is a student currently studying Life Sciences at the University of Toronto. She is double majoring in Human Biology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, with a minor in Immunology.
At The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), she is volunteering with Dr. Knight’s team to help with lupus research, which incorporates studies in psychology, rheumatology and immunology. She loves helping the team out with clinical studies, patient visits, and abstracting data. Going forward, she hopes to continue pursuing her interests in the field of immunology and human health, as well as research developments in the intersection between medicine and technology.
During her free time she enjoys playing volleyball and the piano, as well as walking her dog.
Susan Zhou
Clinical Research Volunteer
Susan is pursuing her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) at Queen’s University, with a learning track specialization in Applied Research Methods. Currently, she is undertaking an undergraduate thesis project with the Knight Lab and was previously a student in the 2024 SSuRe program.
Her summer project focused on understanding the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) disease outcomes, particularly patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). With an avid interest in neuroscience and translational medicine, she is excited to continue working in the Knight Lab and learning about the interconnectivities between brain inflammation, structural brain changes, and cSLE patient outcomes.
Prior to working in the Knight Lab, Susan was an 2023 Emily Stowe Scholar at the Women’s College Hospital and she currently serves on the Canadian Centre for Addiction & Mental Health’s national youth advisory council. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, marathon-training, and writing free-verse poetry.
Ganesh Ramanathan
Clinical Research Volunteer
Adjélé Wilson
Clinical Research Volunteer
Lab Alumni
- Tala El Tal
- Ibrahim Mohamed
- Santiago Arciniegas
- Sondos Ayyash
- Sona Sandhu
- Olivia Hendrikx
- Luana Flores Pereira
- Victora Lishak
- Louise Boulard
- Isabella Zaffino
- Joanna Law
- Paris Moaf
- Santhija Jegatheeswaran
- Jordan Proctor
- Bethany Greenland-Johnson
- Jovana Asante-Tutu
- Oscar Mwizerwa
- Hunter Hogarth
- Stephanie Fevrier