Katz School
of Science and Health
""

Marissa Barrera

Assistant Dean of Health Sciences
Program Director and Associate Professor, M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology

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Expertise and Research Interests 

Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist (MSCS) with expertise in the evaluation and treatment of medically complex patients and acquired neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke (CVA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and other movement disorders. Specialized expertise in the clinical application of rehabilitation modalities for speech and swallowing disorders, including neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI), surface electromyography (sEMG), and neuromuscular taping.

Marissa Barrera, PhD, MSCS, CCC-SLP 

Marissa.Barrera@yu.edu  I  205 Lexington Avenue, 7th FL, NYC

Dr. Marissa A. Barrera is an internationally recognized medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist (NY/NJ) & Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist (MSCS) with extensive training in the evaluation & treatment of individuals with neurological conditions. She is a recognized expert on the use of modalities (NMES, sEMG, neuromuscular taping, ultrasound) for speech and swallowing rehabilitation and provides clinical training courses globally. 

As a researcher and author, Dr. Barrera has lectured in over 15 countries on a wide array of clinical topics ranging from dysphagia, NMES, motor speech disorders, cognition and neurogenerative diseases. She has several peer reviewed publications and over 80 research abstracts. She has been featured in Women’s Health, Vice Magazine, ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathology and MTV’s Funny or Die. For the past 10 years Dr. Barrera has enjoyed serving as an expert medical witness in addition to providing comprehensive IME evaluations. Dr. Barrera has previously worked in a variety of settings including, hospitals, outpatient rehab, home care & private practice. 

Dr. Barrera serves as the Assistant Dean of Health Sciences as well as the Program Director at Yeshiva University's Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology at the Katz School of Science and Health. She is a member of the prestigious Clinical Advisory Committee of the National MS Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Advisory Board. In 2010, she was the recipient of the MS Rehabilitation Fellowship and since 2012, Dr. Barrera has served as distinguished faculty for the Consortium of MS Centers. In 2019, Dr. Barrera was awarded the Healthcare Professional Champion award from the National MS Society. Dr. Barrera is also the founder and owner of the New York Neurogenic Speech-Language Pathology.

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Quotes

“Speech-language pathologists bring a specialized lens, particularly when it comes to communication and cognition, that is absolutely essential.” 

“Effective clinical care is not about fixing or forcing—it’s about creating space, honoring each patient’s pace and believing that every form of communication is meaningful." 

“We’re training speech-language pathologists who are prepared to meet the most complex clinical needs. That includes patients with Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury and other neurological disorders.”

-- Dr. Marissa Barrera

Specialties 

Primarily works with individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, however, actively treats patients with Parkinson’s Disease, Aphasia, Traumatic Brain Injury, Dementia, Primary Progressive Aphasia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Spinal Cord Injury, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Huntington’s Disease, Myasthenia Gravis, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Expert medical witness, IME evaluations. 

Recent courses 

  • Acquired Motor Speech Disorders 
  • Adult Dysphagia and Airway Management 
  • Aphasia and Adult Language Disorders

Selected Publications

Gudesblatt, M., Dhakal, B., Covey, T. J., Peterson, D. S., Zanotto, T., Weinstock-Guttman, B., Barrera, M. A., Ofori, E., Wilken, J., Bergmann, C. S., Jackson, D. A., Morrow, S. A., Plummer, P., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Doniger, G. M., Penner, I.-K., Weller, J., & Golan, D. (Submitted). Multiple sclerosis and fear of falling: A complex interaction between cognitive network function and EDSS. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Queisi, M., Tawil, A., Jawad, S., Weller, J., Morrow, S.A., Cipriani, V., Covey, T., Penner, IK., Barrera, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Golan, D., Zarif, M., Wilken, J., Bogaardt, H., Hancock, L., Mattoo, A., Gudesblatt, M. (Submitted).  Multiple Sclerosis, Fatigue and “Discordant” Patient Reported Outcomes: Sleep Quality (Sleep-NeuroQoL), Neurological Disability and Depression. Multiple Sclerosis Journal.

Nicholson, R., Jackson, D. A., Bergmann, C., Wilken, J., Kaczmarek, O., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Zarif, M., Penner, I. K., Hancock, L. M., Golan, D., Doniger, G. M., Bogaardt, H., Barrera, M., Covey, T. J., Marrow, S.A., & Gudesblatt, M. (Submitted). Multiple Sclerosis and the Impact on Social Role Participation: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Queisi, M. M., Tomatsu, S., Jacobs, Z., Dada, M., Wuppalapati, S. N., Posada, F., Weller, J., Wilken, J., Hancock, L., Penner, I., Golan, D., Morrow, S., Bogaardt, H., Barrera, M. A., Feinstein, A., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Covey, T. J., Cipriani, V., Attarian, H., & Gudesblatt, M. (2026). Depression severity and discordance between fatigue patient-reported outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 110, 107192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2026.107192

Jackson, D. A., Bergmann, C. S., Wilken, J., Weller, J., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Joe, M., Barrera, M. A., Penner, I.-K., Morrow, S. A., Hancock, L. M., Bogaardt, H., Covey, T. J., Doniger, G. M., Golan, D., & Gudesblatt, M. (2026). Using cognitive testing to predict employment status in multiple sclerosis: A comparative study of the SDMT and a computerized cognitive assessment tool. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 108, 107069. DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2026.107069

Alayaseh, I. M., Subramaniam, P., Razak, T., Natour, Y. S., Barrera, M. A., & Sharma, S. (2026). Effectiveness of combined rehabilitation approaches in post-stroke dysphagia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Dysphagia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-025-10919-y

Barrera, M. (2025). Mind Over Matter: Rethinking Cognitive Health in Multiple Sclerosis. MS Focus, 27(4):6-7.

Zanotto, T., Pradeep Kumar, D., Golan, D., Wilken, J., Doniger, G. M., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Weller, J., Morrow, S. A., Penner, I. K., Hancock, L., Covey, T. J., Ofori, E., Peterson, D. S., Motl, R. W., Bogaardt, H., Barrera, M., Bove, R., Karpatkin, H., … Gudesblatt, M. (2025). Does cognitive performance explain the gap between physiological and perceived fall-risk in people with multiple sclerosis?. Multiple sclerosis and related disorders, 95, 106322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2025.106322. 

Covey, T. J., Golan, D., Sergott, R., Wilken, J., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Kaczmarek, O., Doniger, G. M., Penner, I. K., Hancock, L. M., Bogaardt, H., Barrera, M. A., Morrow, S. A., Galetta, S., & Gudesblatt, M. (2024). Peering further into the mind's eye: combining visual evoked potential and optical coherence tomography measures enhances insight into the variance in cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology, 271(2), 658–673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-12075-5

Barrera, M.A. & O Connor Wells, B.A. (2024). Dysphagia & MS: The Overt and Subtle Symptoms of Swallowing Dysfunction. MS Focus, 26(4):16-18.

Abraham, R., Waldman-Levi, A., Barrera, M.A., Bogaardt, H., Golan, D., Bergmann, C., Sullivan, C., Wilken, J., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, MJ., Covey T.J., Doniger, G., Penner, IK., Hancock, L.M., Morrow, S.A., Giroux, E., Gudesblatt, M. (2024). Exploring The Relationship Between Manual Dexterity and Cognition in People with Multiple Sclerosis: 9-Hole Peg and Multiple Cognitive Functions. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2024.105696

Bergmann, C., Becker, S., Sullivan, C., Wilken, J., Golan, D., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, MJ., Kaczmarek, O., Covey, T.J., Doniger, G., Penner, IK., Hancock, L.M., Bogaardt, H., Barrera, M.A., Morrow, S., and Gudesblatt, M. (2023). Multiple Sclerosis and Quality of Life: The Role of Cognitive Impairment on Quality of Life in People with Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2023.104966

Petrou, C., Anestakis, D., Barrera, M., and Konstantinidou, P. (2023). The Association of Trigeminal Neuralgia with Multiple Sclerosis: A Comprehensive Review of Neuropathic Pain Treatment. Journal of Multiple Sclerosis Research, 3(1):1-8. DOI: 10.4274/jmsr.galenos.2023.2023-1-1

Bogaardt, H., Golan, D., Barrera, M. A., Attrill, S., Kaczmarek, O., Zarif, M., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Wilken, J., Doniger, G. M., Hancock, L. M., Penner, I. K., Halper, J., Morrow, S. A., Covey, T. J., & Gudesblatt, M. (2023). Cognitive impairment, fatigue and depression in multiple sclerosis: Is there a difference between benign and non-benign MS? Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 73, 104630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2023.104630

Jackson, D. A., Nicholson, R., Bergmann, C., Wilken, J., Kaczmarek, O., Bumstead, B., Buhse, M., Zarif, M., Penner, I. K., Hancock, L. M., Golan, D., Doniger, G. M., Bogaardt, H., Barrera, M., Covey, T. J., & Gudesblatt, M. (2022). Cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis: Perception vs. performance - factors that drive perception of impairment differ for patients and clinicians. Multiple sclerosis and related disorders, 69, 104410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2022.104410

Barrera, M.A., & O’Connor Wells, B. (2019). Presbyphagia Versus Dysphagia: Normal Versus Abnormal Swallowing Symptoms in Older Adults With Parkinson Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Topics of Geriatric Rehabilitation. 35(3): 217-233. DOI: 10.1097/TGR.0000000000000237

Also see:

Media 

Honors and Awards

  • National Association of Professional Women, VIP Woman of the Year – Circle for Scientific Achievement, 2015
  • Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, MS Rehabilitation Fellow Recipient, 2010
  • Asha Media Outreach Champion, 2020
  • ARTY Award for Best Practices in MS Rehabilitation, 2023
  • Provost Research Fund Award Recipient - Yeshiva University
  • Healthcare Professional Champion - National MS Society

Student Work

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Student Urges Medical SLPs to Address Veterans' PTSD-Related Cognitive Deficits

Dr. Barrera said Smith’s work is a powerful call to action.

Learn More
Return

Student Urges Medical SLPs to Address Veterans' PTSD-Related Cognitive Deficits

At the Katz School’s Graduate Symposium on Science, Technology and Health, Brooke Smith, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, explored an overlooked frontier in veteran rehabilitation: the cognitive communication impairments that shadow Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Her research, “Cognitive Crossroads: PTSD, Executive Function, and the Role of the Medical Speech-Language Pathologists,” used a mixed-methods approach, systematically reviewing literature, including a meta-analysis of 18 studies involving over 1,000 participants, including 422 individuals diagnosed with PTSD. The findings were clear: across the board, PTSD significantly impaired executive function when compared with both trauma-exposed and healthy control groups.

Read More 

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Group Therapy Holds Untapped Promise for Children with Mild Autism Speech Deficits

Group therapy may hold untapped potential.

Learn More
Return

Group Therapy Holds Untapped Promise for Children with Mild Autism Speech Deficits

At the recent Graduate Symposium on Science, Technology and Health, Sharon Matalon, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, presented findings that could reshape how clinicians approach articulation therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her research, “Maximizing Speech Outcomes in Children with ASD: Group vs. Individual Therapy,” tackles a vital question in speech-language pathology: Can group therapy be just as effective as individual therapy, and under what circumstances?

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In Autism Therapy, Kasey Giordano Uses Silence to Connect with Students

Giordano enrolled at the Katz School not just with a dream but with a mission.

Learn More
Return

In Autism Therapy, Kasey Giordano Uses Silence to Connect with Students

In a bright therapy room filled with toys, Kasey Giordano waits with quiet determination. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t prompt. She doesn’t rush to fill the silence. She waits—10 seconds, 12 seconds—until the young boy across from her, a child with autism and minimal verbal skills, meets her gaze, looks at the bubbles in her hand, then back at her again. He doesn’t say the word “more,” not yet. But his body speaks for him. And for Giordano, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, that small exchange is nothing short of profound.

Read More

''''

Student Urges Medical SLPs to Address Veterans' PTSD-Related Cognitive Deficits

Dr. Barrera said Smith’s work is a powerful call to action.

Learn More
Return

Student Urges Medical SLPs to Address Veterans' PTSD-Related Cognitive Deficits

At the Katz School’s Graduate Symposium on Science, Technology and Health, Brooke Smith, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, explored an overlooked frontier in veteran rehabilitation: the cognitive communication impairments that shadow Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Her research, “Cognitive Crossroads: PTSD, Executive Function, and the Role of the Medical Speech-Language Pathologists,” used a mixed-methods approach, systematically reviewing literature, including a meta-analysis of 18 studies involving over 1,000 participants, including 422 individuals diagnosed with PTSD. The findings were clear: across the board, PTSD significantly impaired executive function when compared with both trauma-exposed and healthy control groups.

Read More 
'''''

Group Therapy Holds Untapped Promise for Children with Mild Autism Speech Deficits

Group therapy may hold untapped potential.

Learn More
Return

Group Therapy Holds Untapped Promise for Children with Mild Autism Speech Deficits

At the recent Graduate Symposium on Science, Technology and Health, Sharon Matalon, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, presented findings that could reshape how clinicians approach articulation therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her research, “Maximizing Speech Outcomes in Children with ASD: Group vs. Individual Therapy,” tackles a vital question in speech-language pathology: Can group therapy be just as effective as individual therapy, and under what circumstances?
'''''

In Autism Therapy, Kasey Giordano Uses Silence to Connect with Students

Giordano enrolled at the Katz School not just with a dream but with a mission.

Learn More
Return

In Autism Therapy, Kasey Giordano Uses Silence to Connect with Students

In a bright therapy room filled with toys, Kasey Giordano waits with quiet determination. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t prompt. She doesn’t rush to fill the silence. She waits—10 seconds, 12 seconds—until the young boy across from her, a child with autism and minimal verbal skills, meets her gaze, looks at the bubbles in her hand, then back at her again. He doesn’t say the word “more,” not yet. But his body speaks for him. And for Giordano, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, that small exchange is nothing short of profound.

Read More
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