Dementia and Aphasia Research and Equity Laboratory
Our work aims to reduce health disparities in dementia and aphasia research and care through community-based scientific investigations, educational outreach, and public advocacy.
Projects
Projects in the DARE Lab aims to improve the quality of and access to healthcare services for adults with acquired neurogenic cognitive and language disorders, such as dementia and aphasia, particularly from historically underrepresented communities. Our research seeks to identify the behavioral, neural, and sociolinguistic factors impacting diagnosis and treatment in adults with neurogenic communication disorders across diverse populations. We also conduct culturally-informed educational outreach to spread awareness of aphasia as well as early signs of dementia, highlight healthcare disparities in aphasia and dementia care and research, and explain the role of speech-language pathologists in the evaluation and intervention of aphasia and dementia.
Let’s Talk “Utak” (Brain) - Filipino Brain Health and Aging Seminar Slides (PDF)
Presented by Emmaluz Colorina at the Filipino Community of Salinas Valley on October 4, 2026
Current projects in the lab include:
Characterizing language and cognitive profiles in healthy aging and dementia in multilingual/multicultural individuals. This research is being done in collaboration with the de Leon Lab at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.
Identifying gaps in speech-language service delivery for multilingual/multicultural individuals with dementia or aphasia.
Spotlight [coming soon]
Lab Members
Director: Eduardo Europa, PhD, CCC-SLP
contact: eduardo.europa@sjsu.edu
Dr. Europa (he/him/siya) is Speech-Language Pathologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences at San José State University. He earned a B.A. in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley and M.A./Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University. He completed a Clinical Fellowship in Speech-Language Pathology and Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, both at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and the UT Austin Aphasia Research and Treatment Laboratory. [Personal website] [Google Scholar]
Graduate Student Researcher: Celeste Laing
contact: celeste.flaing@sjsu.edu
Celeste is pursuing a qualitative study for her master’s thesis, which investigates stroke care and recovery in the Ghanaian and Ghanaian-American community. Celeste is also a current MS-SLP student at San Jose State University.
Media Coordinator/VRA: Gela Costales
contact: angela.costales@sjsu.edu
Gela is both the media coordinator for the DARE Lab and volunteer research assistant (VRA). With this role, Gela manages the lab’s website and social media pages along with working on Language and Cognition in Underrepresented Communities. She is an MS-SLP student at San Jose State University.
Graduate Student Researcher: Emmaluz Colorina
contact: emmaluz.colorina@sjsu.edu
For her master’s thesis, Emmaluz is examining the knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to brain aging and dementia in the Filipino American community. Emmaluz is currently an MS-SLP student at San Jose State University.
Let’s Talk “Utak” (Brain) - Filipino Brain Health and Aging Seminar Slides (PDF)
Presented by Emmaluz Colorina at the Filipino Community of Salinas Valley on October 4, 2026
Graduate Student Researcher: Ada Vu
Ada is an MS-SLP student at San Jose State University interested in swallowing disorders (dysphagia) in individuals with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Her master’s thesis explores the extent to which graduate speech-language pathology programs train their students to work with such individuals.
Volunteer Research Assistants:
Michelle Deng
Miguel Ortiz-Rodriguez
Xitlali Zuniga-Gross
Alumni Volunteers:
Jairei (Jai) Olarte
Kayleen Rafael
Aylín Rojas
Bernardine Santos
Collaborators
Jessica de Leon, MD
(UCSF Memory and Aging Center)
Ivan Bondoc, PhD
(University of Toronto)
Maya Henry, PhD, CCC-SLP
(University of Texas at Austin)
Stephanie Grasso, PhD, CCC-SLP
(University of Texas at Austin)
Heather Dial, PhD
(University of Houston)
Eugenie Mamuyac, MS
(UCSF Memory & Aging Center)
Lab Alumni
Graduate Student Researchers: Alyson Jimenez
Undergraduate Student Researchers: Pav Chhina
Research Assistants: Angela Costales, Kaylina Moreno, Ryan Parham, Aylín Rojas
Volunteer Research Assistants: Gabriel Bernal, Jesus Carrillo, Rae Enriquez, Ruth Garcia Galvez, Samantha Gonzalez, Connor Hupp, Caryn Iwakiri, Sandra Flores Lopez, Allyssa Madriaga, Lizeth Manzo, Paige McFarlane, Kalana Parker, Alexandra Romo, Juniper Troyanker