The Minga Right Hemisphere Communication Lab is dedicated to understanding the communication impairments, particularly those concerning language production, that can occur following acquired damage to the right hemisphere after stroke. Dr. Minga co-developed the RHDBank database and protocol as a foundation for increasing scientific inquiry and understanding of language production after a right hemisphere stroke. We are dedicated to improving knowledge about specific hemispheric contributions to language as a basis for engineering population specific diagnostic and treatment approaches that will improve the quality of life of survivors, their loved ones, and caregivers. We are committed to accomplishing these goals with the support of survivors, community and educational partners.

Our goal is to engage in research that will:

1. Identify reliable patterns of communication during structured and unstructured language production tasks for improved diagnostic outcomes.

2. Contribute to the discovery and understanding of brain-behavior relationships for language production using neuroimaging.

3. Facilitate client-centered and driven discussions with survivors of right hemisphere stroke community (survivors, family, friends, and support entities). 

Funded Grants

• RHDBank development (rhd.talkbank.org); the largest repository of language samples for the study of discourse after right hemisphere stroke
• Identified question-asking as an area of deficit after right hemisphere stroke
• Piloted treatment focused on enhancing awareness of communication challenges after a right hemisphere stroke

• Simon Davis, PhD
• Wayne Feng, MD, MS
• Jennifer Groh, PhD
• Brian MacWhinney, PhD

2019-2021 Clinical Research Coordinator 

• Marcia Rodriguez M.SP., CCC-SLP

Former Speech-Language Pathology Student Research Assistants

• Alexandra "Lexie" Ortiz, Undergraduate 
• Jada Elleby, MS 
• Mallory Parke, MS
• Megan Hollembaek, MS
• Emily McGinn MS
• Joyah Morris MS
• Kayla Valentine, MS
• Taravia McLawhorn, MS
• Jennifer Nelthropp, CCC-SLP
• Julia Black, CCC-SLP
• Kaitlynne Julie Bryan, CCC-SLP
• Whitney Hewitt, CCC-SLP
• Juliet Bourgeois-Berwyn, CCC-SLP
• Olivia DeStefano, MS
• Stephanie Furimsky, CCC-SLP
• Samantha Tyson, CCC-SLP
• Leilani Burgess, CCC-SLP
• Sarah Stidham, CCC-SLP
• Ashton Wainright, CCC-SLP
• Frank Brown, CCC-SLP
• Traci Bright, CCC-SLP
• Sarah Baker, MS
• Sarah Allen, MS
• Zhaojing Liu, MS