Our Team
Quadralynx is composed of a highly specialized team of researchers, clinicians, technologists, and business experts developing revolutionary wellness products to improve the quality of life for those suffering from neurological diseases and disorders.
Founders & Executive Team
Dr. Mark VanDam
Co-founder & President
Dr. VanDam is Associate Professor and Director of the Speech & Language Lab in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University. He also holds courtesy appointments at Eastern Washington University, Arizona State University, and the Washington Center for Muscle Biology. A respected rainmaker in his field, Dr. VanDam has spent the last 20 years investigating pathological speech production in at-risk and disordered populations, automatic speech recognition, and complex modeling for real-time biofeedback technologies.
Gavin La Rowe
Co-founder & CEO
Mr. La Rowe is the co-founder and CEO of Quadralynx. Mr. La Rowe has over 20 years of experience in the academic, commercial, and government sectors as a successful hands-on tech entrepreneur, government contractor, CEO, CTO, PI, Co-PI, and Director of Data Science. He holds an M.Sc. from Indiana University with a focus on large-scale machine learning and natural language processing and has multiple patents. Having served as the Co-PI on Quadralynx's NSF Phase I SBIR award, he currently serves as the PI on their Phase II SBIR award, amongst other roles.
Catherine Kashork
COO
Catherine Kashork serves as the Chief Operations Officer at Quadralynx. Prior to joining Quadralynx, she served as VP of Operations at Signature Genomic Laboratories and Site Director of Paw Print Genetics, both start-ups in the life sciences industry. In addition to her experience in life sciences, she has enjoyed time in healthcare as a Program Manager with Providence and University of Washington School of Medicine. Her interest in healthcare and business inspired her to pursue her master's in healthcare administration from the University of Providence. Catherine is invested in her community by serving as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Spokane Public Radio.
Advisors & Experts
Dr. Subhanshu Gupta
Advisor — Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences
An Associate Professor in School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at Washington State University, Pullman, Dr. Gupta received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA in 2011 and was part of the RFIC/Mixed Signal group at Maxlinear from 2011–14. The current Director of the Systems-on-Chip Lab at WSU, Dr. Gupta was a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2019, the Department of Defense DURIP award in 2020, and the Cisco Faculty Research Award in 2017.
Dr. Daryush Mehta
Advisor — Voice Science & Technology
Dr. Mehta is Director of the Voice Science and Technology Laboratory at the MGH Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation, Assistant Professor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and faculty affiliate in the Harvard Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health to investigate the relationship between the motion of the vocal folds and the acoustics of voice production. In 2015, Dr. Mehta received the prestigious Award for Early Career Contributions in Research from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Dr. Cara Stepp
Advisor — Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering
A professor at Boston University, Dr. Stepp directs the Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering Lab. Her research integrates engineering, neuroscience, and speech science to develop innovative assessments for voice and speech disorders, including those resulting from Parkinson's disease, laryngeal dystonia, and hyperfunctional voice disorders. She is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Dr. David Jenson
Advisor — Speech Electrophysiology
Dr. David Jenson is Associate Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, where he directs the Speech Electrophysiology Lab. Dr. Jenson's research explores the neurophysiology of speech perception and production, with a particular focus on stuttering and sensorimotor integration. An active member of ASHA and the National Stuttering Association, he is widely published, co-author of a leading textbook, and has held adjunct faculty appointments at Eastern Washington University.
Dr. Brian Gates
Advisor — Geriatric Pharmacology
Dr. Gates is an accomplished researcher and educator at the Washington State University (WSU) College of Pharmacy. An instructor of record and teacher of the year for courses focused on geriatric populations for the PharmD program at WSU, Gates was awarded the Young Pharmacist of the Year from the Washington State Pharmacy Association in 2003. He is a past president of the Washington State Chapter of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.
Christopher Hartzog
Advisor — Regulatory Compliance
With over 30 years of experience, Chris Hartzog is an expert in regulatory compliance — from medical device regulation focusing on premarket submissions such as US FDA 510(k), De Novo, Health Canada, and CE Marking, to quality management systems (including ISO 13485, FDA QSR, and ISO 9001). His certifications include ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) and Lead Auditor for both ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015. Additional competencies include training in MDSAP, expertise in medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, and UDI labeling compliance.
Keith Steichen
Advisor — Durable Medical Equipment
An accomplished executive with over 25 years of management and sales experience, Keith Steichen has a proven track record of success in the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) industry. Keith has a demonstrated ability to develop and implement creative strategic plans which support winning cultures and drive increased sales and efficiency for established DMEs and startups alike. His involvement with multiple startups, small, mid-size, and large businesses has given him a broad A-Z perspective on all the challenges and opportunities within the DME world.
Dr. Noah Silbert
Advisor — Data Science
Dr. Noah Silbert is a data scientist and ex-academic. He received his PhD in Linguistics and Cognitive Science from Indiana University in 2010, after which he was a research scientist at the University of Maryland, working on a number of government funded research projects. He was a professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Cincinnati from 2013 to 2018, after which he transitioned to data science, first at Netflix, then at Tubi, and currently at Instacart.
Daniel Furman
Advisor — AI & Machine Learning
A former NASA intern, Daniel graduated from the University of Idaho with a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Currently working as a Computer Vision Engineer developing AI models and algorithms for video generation and augmentation, Daniel's specific areas of expertise include digital signal processing, micro-electronics engineering, natural language processing (NLP), acoustic and video feature extraction, and general AI/ML.