Researcher Bios

Gabi Conecker, MPH

Executive Director & Co-Founder

Gabi co-founded DEE-P Connections to drive research, resources, and support for families of children with severe developmental epileptic encephalopathies. She leads efforts to improve understanding, treatment, and outcomes, advocating for the most affected families within the SCN8A and DEE communities.

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Gabi is mom to Elliott, now 12 years old, who struggles with one of the most severe SCN8A mutations. At diagnosis, the family received the one published article on SCN8A in children offering little to no guidance on care, treatment, or prognosis. Gabi founded Wishes for Elliott to fight for better treatment and research for SCN8A families. Even though she was still working full time building maternal/child health programs in sub-Saharan Africa and caring for a severely medically fragile child, she was inspired to bring the passion and urgency of SCN8A families to the nascent but growing community of SCN8A researchers and clinicians – and do everything possible to improve understanding for better treatment and outcomes for all SCN8A children.

She co-founded DEE-P Connections, in 2019, out of desperation to see better tools, resources and research for the most severely affected families, like her own

JayEtta Hecker, MS

Board Chair & Co-Founder

JayEtta, an economist with a 44-year federal career, co-founded the International SCN8A Alliance and DEE-P Connections. She leads initiatives to accelerate research and improve outcomes for those with DEEs, building innovative collaborations to drive progress in the field.

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JayEtta is an economist who specialized in independent public policy analyses over a 44 year career with the federal government. She served in multiple federal agencies, the Carter White House, and as a senior executive within the Congressional research arm of the Government Accountability Office. She was a frequent witness before Senate and House committees providing evidence from evaluations she directed on major public policy issues.

Elliott was her first grandchild and she was an active caregiver and partner in his diagnostic odyssey. She partnered with Gabi, her daughter and Elliott’s mother, to form Wishes for Elliott to advance SCN8A research and create a lasting legacy for Elliott, who continues to serve as an inspiration for all who know him. She is Co-founder and Executive Director of the International SCN8A Alliance and DEE-P Connections, helping build innovative collaborations to accelerate research and to improve the outcomes of all those struggling with DEEs.

Jenny Downs, PhD

The Kids Research Institute Australia

Jenny leads disability research at Telethon Kids Institute, focusing on rare and common developmental disorders. She develops outcome measures for Rett syndrome and CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, aiming to reduce impairments and improve quality of life for affected children.

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Dr Jenny Downs is Head of the Disability Research Program and Co-Head of the Child Disability Team at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth. Her current programs include research on rare disorders including Rett syndrome, the CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, MECP2 Duplication syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome, as well as Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy which occur more frequently.

Dr Downs led the development of gross motor and hand function measures for Rett syndrome, and a quality of life measure for children with intellectual disability, the Quality of Life Inventory – Disability. (QI-Disability). She is lead PI for the Australian site of an NIH funded US-Australian study developing and validating outcome measures for the CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder.

Her vision is that all children with developmental vulnerability or disability will live with reduced impairments and optimal quality of life, and that research findings will be distributed equitably across the community.

Chere Chapman, MBA/MHSc

CEO Ardea Outcomes

Chère has worked globally in epidemiology, consultancy, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Now CEO of Ardea Outcomes in Nova Scotia, she champions patient-centered research, entrepreneurship, and innovation while balancing life in Halifax with her husband and four kids.

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With an Honours BSc in biology, Chère Chapman set out for a year in rural Japan as part of a global teaching and cross-cultural exchange program of the Japanese government. Following two years back in Canada for her Master’s of Health Science in Community Health and Epidemiology from University of Toronto, Chère returned in Asia as an HIV/AIDS epidemiologist at the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) in Singapore. Over the next decade, Chère did her MBA at London Business School before returning to Asia once again to establish a consultancy in Singapore and Vietnam developing multi-stakeholder partnerships with international NGOs and Fortune 100 companies. Chère has negotiated complex projects from Papua New Guinea to India to Bangladesh for organizations such as CARE International, Chevron, Visa, and The Clinton Foundation.

Chère’s East Coast Canadian roots eventually pulled her back to Nova Scotia where she is now CEO of Ardea Outcomes, a specialist contract research organization focused on patient-centered outcomes. Chère is a past board member for the University of King’s College and Touch Sala Bai, a charity fighting human trafficking in Cambodia. Chere is currently an associate at Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic, a founder of Sandpiper Ventures, and the chair of ONSIDE, a multi-stakeholder organization driving inclusive innovation-driven entrepreneurship in Eastern Canada.

Chère lives in Halifax with her husband Gord, their four crazy kids, and adorable pandemic puppy.

Natasha Ludwig, PhD

Kennedy Krieger Institute

Natasha is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins and specializes in neuropsychological evaluations for children with medical and neurodevelopmental conditions, focusing on congenital/genetic disorders, epilepsy, and brain injury rehabilitation.

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Dr. Natasha Ludwig received her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Union College and her master’s and doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with emphasis on neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience from Georgia State University. Dr. Ludwig completed an APA-accredited internship in neuropsychology rehabilitation/pediatric psychology and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Ludwig joined the Neuropsychology Department at Kennedy Krieger Institute in 2019 and is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Clinically, Dr. Ludwig provides neuropsychological evaluations for children with a wide variety of medical and neurodevelopmental conditions from birth through adulthood, primarily within the Congenital/Genetic Conditions Clinic and the Epilepsy and Brain Injury Rehabilitation Clinic.

Mary Wojnaroski, PhD

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Mary is a clinical psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Assistant Professor at Ohio State who specializes in neurodevelopmental disabilities, particularly in epilepsy. Her research and clinical work focus on early diagnosis, inpatient consultation, and improving access to developmental care.

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Mary Wojnaroski, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University. She provides assessment and treatment of children and young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, ADHD, and cognitive delay. She has further specialization in assessment and treatment of children with neurodevelopmental conditions and medical conditions, especially epilepsy.

Dr. Wojnaroski’s research and clinical interests have focused on early assessment and diagnosis of autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in children with epilepsy, developmental and behavioral assessment for children with severe to profound developmental disabilities, and psychological and behavioral consultation for children with developmental disabilities during hospital admission. Her career has been dedicated to improving developmental and behavioral care for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and medical conditions, including creating an inpatient consultation/liaison service designed to direct treatment after discharge, increase access to developmental evaluation for families with psychosocial barriers, and increase children’s participation in required medical procedures.

Rebecca Hommer, EdD

Connections Beyond Sight and Sound

Dr. Rebecca Hommer, an Education Specialist at the University of Maryland’s Connections Beyond Sight & Sound DeafBlind Project, specializes in visual impairment and deafblind education. She provides assessments, interventions, and academic support for students with dual sensory loss and cortical/cerebral visual impairment.

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Rebecca is a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairment, an Orientation Mobility Specialist, and a Teacher of Students with DeafBlindness. She earned her Doctor of Education from North Central University, her Master of Education degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Maryland, and the University of Utah. She has received vision related certifications from Salus University and the University of Utah.

Dr. Hommer joined the University of Maryland’s DeafBlind Project, Connections Beyond Sight & Sound in 2018 as an Education Specialist. Through her role as Education Specialist, Dr. Hommer provides assessments, evidence-based interventions, and academic support for students with dual sensory loss. In addition to providing support to students with deafblindness, she assesses students with cortical/cerebral visual impairment and assists teams with developing interventions that support the student’s visual access to their educational materials as well as their academic, community, and
home environments.