Davetrina Seles Gadson, PhD

Dr. Davetrina “Seles” Gadson is a neuroscientist and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist with expertise in adult neurological rehabilitation and health outcomes. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from South Carolina State University and Master of Science degree from Towson University in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Dr. Gadson was the first African-American to graduate with a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Georgia. Her published dissertation research centered on health-related quality of life in Black American stroke survivors with and without aphasia.

Dr. Gadson completed her post-doctoral training at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Neurology with Dr. Peter Turkeltaub. During this fellowship, she studied conceptual and technical neuroimaging research methods to understand the contribution of spared brain structures to recovery in stroke survivors. As a clinical researcher, she is interested in the influence of health disparities on minority stroke survivors and the effect of such disparities on brain functioning, behavioral performance, and health-related quality of life. Dr. Gadson’s research will focus on health equity in stroke recovery, specifically the relationship of race and socioeconomic status to language, cognition, and quality of life in people with aphasia.