Bridging Disciplines, Restoring Lives

This presentation explores the University at Buffalo’s interdisciplinary response to Long COVID and the UB Long COVID Recovery Center. By integrating medical, rehabilitative, and psychosocial care, the center provided comprehensive support to individuals experiencing persistent symptoms after COVID-19 infection. Presenters Jacob McPherson, PhD '22, DPT '11, and Janice Tona, PhD '03, will discuss the team’s collaborative model, with a particular focus on aspects related to rehabilitation.  Speakers will also present findings from an occupational therapy pilot study examining the impact of lifestyle modification-focused interventions on daily function and quality of life.

About Jacob McPherson and Janice Tona
Jacob I. McPherson, PT, DPT, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and a member of the UB Concussion Management and Research Center team. He holds a board certification in neurologic physical therapy through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. His research focuses on the effects of sport and non-sport related concussion on vestibular function as well as the interdisciplinary clinical management of concussion. He has also performed basic science research related to neurotrophic factors involved in mild-TBI.

McPherson joined the faculty after over a decade of clinical practice in outpatient neurologic and vestibular rehabilitation and he continues to treat patients on a limited basis. His teaching focuses on restoring function in individuals with neurologic impairment, neuromuscular pathology, vestibular dysfunction and critical analysis of patient care.

Janice Tona, PhD, OTR, CLA, FAOTA, is an occupational therapist and an educational psychologist, with over four decades of experience as an OTR and three decades of experience in academia. In addition to expertise in curriculum design and scholarship of teaching and learning,  Dr. Tona is a pioneer in understanding the functional implications of acute-onset neuropsychiatric disorders and is particularly interested in working with children with sensory and motor difficulties as well as children with behavioral challenges. Her research seeks to improve quality of life for children with disabilities and their caregivers, including individuals with Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), a post-infections neuropsychiatric disorder. She is now extending her research to helping adults with Long COVID, a similar post-infectious disorder with neuropsychiatric symptoms.  Dedicated to improving primary care experiences for individuals with developmental disabilities, Dr. Tona also practices collaboratively with dental health practitioners to modify the dental environment, improve access, and optimize comfort for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the dental office,  and was instrumental in the development of the occupational therapy program at University Pediatric Dentistry in Buffalo.