People

Meet the Gray Matter Lab team

Lab Director

Dr. Teresa Gray

Teresa Gray

teresag@sfsu.edu

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

Sarah Ballerda

Sarah Jane Ballerda

Education

  • 2025 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
    San Francisco State University 
  • 2011 B.S. Speech Pathology 
    University of the Philippines Manila

 

Research Interests
I am a first-year, Tagalog-English bilingual graduate student. I am interested in learning about how the bi- and multi-lingual brain processes language and how we can best support these processes in rehab treatment programs. Currently, I am part of the Tagalog-English translanguaging team. We are delivering a truly bilingual naming treatment intervention, examining its efficacy, and comparing results with more traditional bilingual naming interventions where treatment is delivered in monolingual contexts.

Kaitlin Ridad

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. 

Loriel Roman

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.  

Morgan Spears

Morgan Spears

Education

  • 2025 M.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
    San Francisco State University 
  • 2023 B.S. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with a minor in education
    San Francisco State University 

 

Research interests

Speech and language play a dynamic role in learning, social connections, and communicating one’s thoughts and feelings. My fascination in SLHS comes from my interest in a) helping others enhance their quality of life and b) learning more about communication modalities in aphasia. In the lab, I co-facilitate the English Conversation Club, developing agendas and leading discussions.

Undergraduate

Danielle Griffith

Danielle Griffth

Education

  • 2024 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences
    San Francisco State University 

Research Interests

I am interested in advocacy research for Black adults with aphasia to increase quality of life and services for this population. I co-facilitate the lab’s conversation club for Black adults with aphasia, and I am also involved a new conversation analysis study that examines the overarching themes of our Black conversation club, with a goal to better understand what makes the group so meaningful for its participants.

Devora Jimenez

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.

Martha Vergaray Leon

Martha Vergaray Leon

Education

  • 2025 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
    San Francisco State University

Research Interests

As a first language Spanish speaker who learned English as a second language, I’m passionate to help others feel heard, validated, and supported. Currently, I co-facilitate the Spanish Conversation Club (SCC). At SCC, we support a safe and inclusive space for individuals with aphasia to practice conversation in their first language, form meaningful connections and establish support systems. Witnessing the positive impact of SCC, I’m looking forward to contributing to the B/AbSANT (Bilingual Abstract Semantic Network Training) project.

Vassilissa Manokhina

Vassilissa Manokhina

Education

  • 2024 B.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 
  • San Francisco University 

Research Interests

As a bilingual Russian-English speaker, I have always been fascinated by the brain’s ability to code-switch between two languages and the parallel development of both. The area of research I am interested in is developing accessible language treatment for multi-lingual patients in English, as well as the non-English language(s). Communication is an essential skill for people to live their lives to the fullest. I am eager to contribute to research for multi-lingual adults with aphasia to recover after a stroke and regain their confidence in language and other areas of life. 

Priscilly Medrano

Priscilly Medrano

Education

  • 2025 B.S. Candidate; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
    San Francisco State University

Research interests

I am a Spanish-English bilingual, first generation student who is interested in how we improve communication for individuals with hearing and language impairment. My goal is to work with folks in the BIPOC community to highlight the voices of everyone, which is something that is being done here in the Gray Matter Lab. I deliver a Spanish monolingual version of abstract semantic associative network treatment (AbSANT). We know that AbSANT is effective with monolingual English speakers, and we are extending this treatment to non-English languages.

Mariela Vega Ramirez

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.

Arissa Melaine Alfaro Ventura

Arissa Melaine Alfaro Ventura

Education

  • 2025 B.S. Candidate in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
    San Francisco State University 
  • 2023 A.A. Liberal Arts - Arts and Letters at De Anza College 

 

Research Interests:

Language and its integral ties to one's identity has always fascinated me. I am drawn to the field of speech and language pathology because the ability to communicate and be understood is a fundamental aspect for existence and participating in a community. In the Gray Matter Lab, I am part of the Tagalog-English translanguaging AbSANT Project. I am a Filipino immigrant and language use and experience is key to my daily interactions. Thus, working on a mixed language project such as translanguaging AbSANT is fulfilling. I know firsthand how translanguaging in therapy has the potential to improve quality of life for Tagalog-English people with aphasia.

Research Assistants