University of North Texas 
Team Members
Hedieh Hashemi Hosseinabad, PhD, CCC-SLP
Principal Investigator
Dr. Hashemi Hosseinabad is the director of the Cleft Palate Speech lab at the University
of North Texas. Prior to her joining UNT, she served on the faculty of Eastern Washington
University between 2018 and 2022. She completed her academic training (B.S. (2009),
M.A. (2011) in speech-language pathology in Iran, and Ph.D. (2018) in Speech and Hearing
Science at the University of Cincinnati.
UNT Speech and Hearing Center Room 239
Chelsey McFarland
Doctoral Student
Chelsey is a doctoral student in the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
She has 15 years of experience in the field of medical speech pathology. Chelsey is
a wife and mom of four, balancing the demands of her family life with her academic
pursuits. She enjoys reading, cooking, skydiving, watching movies, and spending time
with her loved ones
Nicole Ebel
Master Student
Nicole Ebel completed her Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
in May 2024 at UNT. In her undergraduate career, she was an undergraduate ambassador
for the ASLP program and a member of several organizations such as NSSLHA. She is
now continuing her education at UNT as a first-year graduate student. She enjoys going
on trails, spending time with loved ones, and reading in her free time.
Alyson Charnas
Undergraduate Student
Alyson is a 3rd-year Undergraduate UNT student majoring in Audiology and Speech-Language
Pathology with a minor in Psychology. Alyson was part of the Belize Study Abroad group
in 2024 and provided speech therapy to a community in Belize. Currently, Alyson is
working with Dr. Hashemi Hosseinabad on a study analyzing the effects of age, ethnicity,
and gender on nasality. Outside of school, she works as a nanny for two children,
being outside, reading, and with friends and family!
Maggie Stanfield
Undergraduate Student
Maggie is a 3rd-year undergraduate majoring in Audiology-Speech Language Pathology,
with double minors in Chemistry and Biological Sciences. Currently, she is collaborating
with Dr. Hashemi Hosseinabad on two studies: analyzing the effects of dialect on nasality
and the effects of rate of speech on nasality. She enjoys reading, traveling, and
spending time with her friends, family, and dogs in her free time!