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

Amanda Adams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Alex Ortiz

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

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

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.

Research Assistants