Esztella joined the lab in 2012 during her undergraduate career, during which time she completed an honours thesis with Dr. Russo on emotional facial expressiveness in Parkinson’s disease. Esztella is now a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program and, alongside her clinical training, set up a choir for people with Parkinson’s disease for her previous Master’s thesis that has since become a highly valued independent program in the Parkinson’s community. She intends to continue research in the area of emotional communication for her doctoral dissertation. Outside of university life, Esztella works as a rehabilitation support worker for people with traumatic brain injury, conducts psychological assessments, and enjoys spending time with her husband, young daughter, friends and two spoiled cats.
