Students

Jon Kelly

PhD Candidate

Mr. Kelly received his Master’s in Kinesiology from Penn State in 2022 and Bachelor’s in Kinesiology in 2018 from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. His interest in researching concussions stems from a strong background in contact sports, including a passion for boxing. Through his own experiences with the sport of boxing, he developed a keen interest pertaining to the effect that repetitive head impacts have over time, particularly concerning vision. While pursuing his Doctoral degree, he looks forward to working with a wide variety of athletes across many different sports at Penn State.

Riley Taylor

Master’s Candidate

Ms. Taylor is a Kinesiology Master’s Candidate with an interest in the psychological implications that stem from athletic injuries. She graduated from Old Dominion University in 2021 with a B.S in Sport Management where in addition to her studies she was also on the Executive Board of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. Along with her academic identity as a graduate student she is also a member of the Field Hockey Team at Penn State under head coach Char Morrett-Curtiss. Her own athletic background is what sparked an interest to pursue a professional career in the field of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Undergraduate Intern

Mr. Hollenbeck is currently a senior majoring in general science and health professions options, with the ultimate goal of going to medical school to become a physician. His interest in concussion research was spawned by his own experiences with concussions as a lacrosse player and wrestler in high school. He’s witnessed countless teammates and friends struggle with concussions and is interested in learning more about the long-term health effects.

Abby Vurraro

Undergraduate Intern

Abby is currently a senior majoring in Kinesiology. This is her third semester volunteering with the lab. Having been an athlete her whole life, her interest in concussions spawned from personal experience and observation from her teammates and friends. She hopes her time in the lab will give her firsthand experience on how concussions are studied within a research-centered environment, and provide background for when she transitions into the sideline and clinical work of athletic training. Following graduation, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Athletic Training at the University of South Carolina.

Bogdan Ivanov

Undergraduate Intern

Bogdan is currently a senior Schreyer Honors College scholar majoring in Biology and getting his Smeal Business Certificate. He aspires to go to medical school and practice as a physician in the future. He has been involved in sports his whole life, and is an EIVA conference champion as a member of the PSU volleyball team that made the NCAA quarterfinals. He joined the lab for the opportunity to work with high level athletes while also diving deep into medical research that allows him to examine the long term effects of injuries on athletes.

Elle McNally

Undergraduate Intern

Elle is currently a junior majoring in Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. Elle hopes to go to physician assistant school and work with pediatrics in the future. This is her third semester volunteering with the lab. Having been a student-athlete in and out of the athletic trainers room her whole life along with a big interest in kinesiology, her interest in concussions has only grown in recent years. She hopes that her time in the lab will help increase her knowledge of concussions and preventative measures related to soccer since her brother plans on going professional in the sport and she hopes to help prevent her brother from brain injury.