Meet Our Doctoral Students
Leire Escalada Cebadero (She/Her/Hers)
Ph.D. Student, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research Discipline/Bio
Leire Escalada-Cebadero is a doctoral student in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University. Leire joined the Communication, Technology, and Language Diversity Lab at Teachers College in the Fall semester of 2024. Her research interests focus on the detection of speech and language impairments in Parkinson' s Disease (PD) and how to control them through the use and development of applications. Leire is also strongly interested in increasing conversational intelligibility in the English-Spanish bilingual community suffering from PD to improve their quality of life. She is currently working on identifying how language skills are impacted in PD.
Educational Background
Master’s Degree in Theoretical and Experimental Linguistics from the University of the Basque Country, 2023.
Master’s Degree in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, 2022.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Languages with a double major in English Studies and Linguistics from the University of Deusto, Bilbao, 2019.
Honors/Awards
Doctoral Fellowship-Tuition by Teachers College, Columbia University (September 2024-May 2028)
Doctoral Fellowship Apprenticeship Allowance by Teachers College, Columbia University (September 2024-May 2028)
Graduate Education Fund by the University of Illinois at Chicago (March 2022)
Student Presenter Award by the University of Illinois at Chicago (April 2022)
Last Updated: Oct 7, 2024
Kelly Veit (She/Her/Hers)
Ph.D. Student, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research Discipline/Bio
Kelly Veit MS, CCC-SLP is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests focus on the evaluation and treatment of airway protection impairments (cough and swallowing) to maximize quality of life and improve health outcomes. She is also interested in implementation science to translate research findings into practical applications for clinicians.
Educational Background
Masters of Science, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, 2022
Last Updated: Jun 5, 2025
Katya Villarreal Cavazos
Ph.D. Student, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Research Discipline/Bio
Katya Villarreal MS., CCC-SLP is a doctoral student in the department of Bio-behavioral Sciences. Her research centers on the assessment and management of cough and swallowing impairments in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases. She has a particular interest in the role of saliva in these populations and its influence on eating, drinking, and overall quality of life.
Educational Background
MS in Speech Language Pathology, Teachers College, 2021
BS in Neuroscience, Emory University, 2016
Last Updated: Jun 10, 2025