Lab Director
Dr. JoAnn Silkes
Dr. JoAnn Silkes earned her B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Indiana University and her M.S. in Communicative Disorders from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. After working as a clinical speech-language pathologist with adults in medical settings for 10 years, she earned her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington. Her research focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms of aphasia and devising ways to improve treatment for the word retrieval problems that are typical of aphasia. Dr. Silkes is the Dr. Sadanand Singh Endowed Professor in Speech and Language Sciences in the SDSU School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Doctoral Students
Christina Sen
Christina is a third-year Joint Doctoral Program student at SDSU and UCSD. She received her BA in Speech Sciences from the University of British Columbia. Her current research explores the mechanisms of cognitive and linguistic processing in people with aphasia. She uses a combination of eye-tracking, pupillometry, and behavioral methods in her research. She is also in the process of obtaining her clinical certification in speech pathology, in hopes of expanding the research on aphasia treatment.
Master’s Students
Jesse Marie Di Carlo-Wagner
Jesse (she/they) is a second-year graduate student at SDSU studying Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University, and her Post-Bac in Speech-Language Pathology online from California State University San Marcos. They currently serve as the VP of Membership/Community for the SDSU NSSLHA Graduate Chapter. Their future career goal is to work as a Speech-Language Pathologist with the adult population in the outpatient setting.
Michelle Lew
Michelle is a second-year graduate student at SDSU studying Speech Language and Hearing sciences. She received her BA in Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her BS in Communication Sciences online at Utah State. She has enjoyed working with both the pediatric and adult populations, and is excited to continue learning from her professors and supervisors.
Jessica Pablo
Jessica is a second-year graduate student at SDSU studying Speech Language and Hearing Science. She earned her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Deaf Studies at California State University, Fresno. Her future career goal is to work as a Speech-Language Pathologist with the adult population in the hospital setting.
Undergraduates
Marlene Chavez Corona
Marlene (she/her/ella) is a fourth-year Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences major pursuing a minor in Counseling and Social Change. She is excited to delve into the world of research with the ultimate goal of working and collaborating with neurologic communication disorder populations as a speech-language pathologist. Outside of academia, you can find Marlene browsing a library, laying in a soft patch of grass, or exploring new recipes.
Harper Kim
Harper is a fourth year Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences major with a minor in Sustainability. This is her second year in the CLAL, and she is excited to contribute to new projects and learn from those she is working with. She aims to pursue her Master’s degree in Speech Pathology after graduating and hopes to someday work in a medical setting. Outside of Speech Pathology, she loves going hiking and making different types of coffee.
Savannah Ricciardulli
Savannah is a fourth year Speech, Language, and Hearing Science major here at San Diego State University. Savannah previously completed her Associate degree in Linguistics and looks forward to pursuing a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology once graduated. She also is involved with multiple volunteer organizations within the SDSU community. In the future, she hopes to work with an adult population in a hospital setting.
Aryanna Talamantes
Aryanna is a fourth-year undergraduate student at San Diego State University studying Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. After graduation, Aryanna hopes to attend a graduate school program, with the aspiration of becoming a bilingual Speech-Language pathologist, specifically, in the medical setting. While working in the CLAL, she is excited to expand her knowledge on aphasia.
Ame Tariq
Ame is an undergraduate senior at California State University, Northridge and is studying Communicative Disorders & Sciences, with an emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology. She is interested in working with adult populations in a medical setting and enjoys engaging in research to better understand the knowledge that informs clinical practice. Ame has joined the CLAL for a research experience under the auspices of the NIH-funded BUILD-PODER program at CSUN.
Past Lab Members
- Julie Abitbol
- Claire Falkus
- Hanna Hartzler
- Lindsay Hill, M.A., CCC-SLP
- Brittany Moreno
- Anna Mucher
- Serena Mueller, M.A., CF-SLP
- Ashlie Pankonin
- Anna Pero
- Danielle Rosoff
- Emily Simon, M.A., CCC-SLP
- Jillian Sorenson
- Rana Tabrizi, M.A., CCC-SLP, M.M.T., MT-BC
- Rachel Wagner
- Stephanie Wan, M.A., CF-SLP
- Breanna Williams