People
Meet the Gray Matter Lab team
Lab Director
Teresa Gray
Education
- 2015 Ph.D., Boston University
- 2008 M.A., San Jose State University
- 2000 B.A., University of California at Santa Cruz
Research Interests
Teresa Gray, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is the director of the Gray Matter Lab. Her research interests are focused on exploring the relationship between lexical access and verbal and nonverbal control mechanisms in aphasia and improving the effectiveness of language intervention for bilingual populations with aphasia. Her clinical expertise includes assessing and providing language and executive function treatments for monolingual and bilingual populations with aphasia and traumatic brain injury.
Graduate Students
Amanda Adams
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2022 B.S. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
I have always been fascinated with linguistics and the complex nature of the brain. I joined Gray Matter Lab in Fall 2020, and it has been a great opportunity to explore language rehabilitation after brain injury. In the AY2020-2021, I administered the AbSANT (Abstract Semantic Associative Network Treatment) protocol to a monolingual adult with aphasia. I am currently co-leading Conversation Club and contributing to the development and data analyses of projects that examine the role of cognitive control in bilingual and monolingual aphasia. Being a part of Gray Matter Lab has helped develop my clinical acumen, strengthened my ability to help participants communicate effectively, and provide interventions that boost quality of life for persons with aphasia.
Allysa Chin
Education:
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2022 B.S. Communication Sciences and Disorders
Sacramento State University
Research Interests:
My research interests are focused on bi-/multi-lingualism and how the brain integrates information to achieve successful verbal and nonverbal communication. In the lab I am working on the AbSANT project, delivering an intensive naming based therapy to a monolingual adult with aphasia.
Kenly Doyle
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Diego State University - 2022 B.S. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
Coming soon!
Valerie Gregorash
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Diego State University - 2016 B.A. Linguistics / Japanese
Indiana University Bloomington
Research Interests
I have always been interested in language and received my B.A. in linguistics and Japanese from Indiana University, Bloomington. After three years of teaching English in Osaka, Japan, I completed a post-baccalaureate program at California State University, Los Angeles. My main area of interest is dysphagia, but I am also interested in neurological speech and language disorders, which is why I joined the Gray Matter Lab. I am currently working on Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training (AbSANT) with a monolingual English-speaking adult with aphasia.
Maryvi Morales
Lab Manager 2021-2022
Education
- 2023 M.S Candidate in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2020 B.S in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
Growing up bilingual led me to become invested in gaining a deeper understanding of language and communication. This eventually brought me to the field of speech and language pathology where my interest for multilingualism and the brain increased. For this reason, I joined the Gray Matter Lab because my desire was to gain more knowledge on aphasia and have the opportunity to work with a culturally and linguistically diverse population. In the lab, I currently administer a bilingual semantic feature naming therapy to Spanish-English bilingual adults with aphasia in collaboration with Boston University. I also co-lead the Spanish-English Bilingual Conversation Club that supports improving quality of life and communicative effectiveness for people with aphasia.
Bryce Olivares
Lab Manager 2022- present
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2022 B.S. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
Coming soon!
Kaitlin Ridad
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2022 B.S. Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences & B.A. Child and Adolescent Development San Francisco State University
Research Interests
Language and communication hold power in self-expression, connections, and societal navigation. The different impacts on the brain after injury has always piqued my interest—specifically how to maximize participation and engagement in life. As a future clinician, it is my mission to prioritize and enhance the quality of life for people with aphasia. In Gray Matter Lab, I will be contributing to the AbSANT project and Conversation Club.
Annel Rojas
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2021 B.S. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
University of Arizona
Research Interests
As a bilingual speaker of English and Spanish, I became passionate about bi/multilingualism research after learning about the lack of adequate diagnostics, assessments, and treatment methods for multilingual populations. Through the Gray Matter Lab, I look forward to contributing to research, learning more about aphasia, and working with Spanish-speaking patients. Currently I co-facilitate the Spanish Conversation Club and deliver Spanish AbSANT.
Loriel Roman
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2021 Post-Baccalaureate in Speech-Language Pathology
California State University, San Marcos
- 2018 M.A. in Teaching
University of Southern California - 2012 Double B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology
University of California, Irvine
Research Interests
As a former teacher, I have always been interested in how people learn, process information, and communicate. I am especially interested in how we can develop strategies to best support and honor individuals and their experiences from diverse and multilingual backgrounds. As a child of Filipino immigrants, I am looking forward to joining Gray Matter Lab and working alongside Tagalog/English-speaking adults with aphasia to gain more insight into translanguaging and how we can utilize individuals’ full language repertoires and the impact that can have on overall communication goals and quality of life.
Karina Tampa
Education
- 2023 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2019 Post-Baccalaureate in Speech Language Pathology
California State University, San Marcos - 2015 B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior with a minor in Criminology, Law, and Society
University of California, Irvine
Research Interests
Her research interests include bilingualism, early intervention, and adult neuro rehabilitation. Currently, she co-facilitates the Spanish-English Bilingual Conversation Club which gives people with aphasia and related neurological communication disorders the opportunity to make friends, practice conversation skills, and establish a support system. Her professional experience is in early intervention, telehealth, and school settings. Her future aspiration is to be a bilingual clinician working with underserved and marginalized communities.
Alana Tran
Education
- 2024 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2017 B.A. Cognitive Science/Computer Science, UC Berkeley
Research Interests
Prior to joining the field of speech-language pathology, I received my bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science and Computer science at UC Berkeley. In the Gray Matter Lab, I'm currently administering various linguistic and non-linguistic cognition tests as part of GML's E-Prime team.
Undergraduate
Devora Jimenez
Education
- 2024 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
I am multi-lingual, and the languages I speak play a significant role in the composition of my identity. Losing one’s language(s) after stroke can be life-changing, as well as identity-changing. I joined Gray Matter Lab because I want to learn how to help bilingual adults with aphasia re-learn language and recover parts of their pre-stroke identities that are tied to language loss.
Alexiz Ortiz
Education
- 2023 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
My overall research interests are focused on improving language treatment outcomes after stroke and exploring how access to services impacts the rehabilitation process. In the lab, we work with people with aphasia who identify as BIPOC. Their experiences navigating the world of rehabilitation are quite different than their White counterparts, and I'd like to better understand this difference. Currently I co-lead the English-speaking Conversation Club and administer an intensive language intervention as part of project AbSANT (Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training).
Mariela Vega Ramirez
Education
- 2024 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University - 2016 A.S. Speech Language Pathologist Assistant
San Juaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA
Research Interest
As an immigrant from Mexico, and learning English as a second language, I have always translated for my parents and family members. Being able to break the language barrier for communication for my parents has been very rewarding in that they have felt heard and acknowledged in situations where they would’ve otherwise not been. As a bilingual speech language pathologist assistant for 6 years, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible need there is for therapy, materials, and activities that are crafted to meet the needs of bilingual families. My research interests within the Gray Matter Lab is to find the most efficient, evidence-based therapy approaches for bilingual patients.
Marielle Louise Tesorero Razon
Education
- 2024 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
San Francisco State University
Research Interests
I am fascinated with the brain and language and how the brain can recover from stroke. I am also Tagalog-English bilingual and am passionate about how to best increase access to bilingual therapy materials for marginalized communities. In the lab I currently co-facilitate the English speaking conversation club and co-treat a Tagalog-English bilingual adult with aphasia on a new project that is exploring an intensive bilingual treatment delivery.