Kersey, Jessica, PhD, OTR/L

Clinical Interests

Dr. Kersey's areas of interest are acquired brain injury, social health (social isolation, social participation), community-based intervention, environment, social support, self-management, social determinants of health, and community service delivery models.

Research Interests

Dr. Kersey’s research focuses on rehabilitation approaches to enhance participation in social and community activities after brain injury. Her research program focuses on the measurement of social and community participation, the examination of social and environmental factors that influence participation, and the design of community-based interventions to promote full participation in the community. Using a community-engaged approach to research, Dr. Kersey works to ensure that occupational therapy research and practice reflect the values and priorities of clients and is feasible for implementation in a range of clinical and community settings.

Teaching Roles

Dr. Kersey mentors students in our Clinical Doctorate of Occupational Therapy degree program and our PhD in Rehabilitation and Participation Science degree program.

Education

2021: Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science, University of Pittsburgh
2009: Master of Occupational Therapy, University of Florida
2008: Bachelor of Health Science, University of Florida

Background

Dr. Kersey earned her Bachelor of Health Science (2008) and Master of Occupational Therapy (2009) from the University of Florida and her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Pittsburgh (2021). She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Chicago focused on community-based participatory research methods. Dr. Kersey’s clinical experiences in inpatient and community-based brain injury rehabilitation have driven her goal to enhance occupational therapy assessment and intervention approaches targeting community participation and the social and environmental factors that influence outcomes.

Selected Publications

Kersey, J., Alimi E, McArthur AR, Marquez H, Baum C, Skidmore ER, Hammel J. ENGAGE-TBI: Adaptation of a community-based intervention to improve social participation after brain injury. Brain Injury. 2025;36(6): 518-525.

Kersey, J., Wang W, Rojas Serrano N, Cunningham M, Hammond F, Corrigan JD. A qualitative examination of chronic care needs of individuals with traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2025;106(10):1548-1556.

Kersey, J., Rice H, Connor LT, Fields B, Hammel J. “They just love me” – an examination of social support experiences and values among people with TBI. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 2024;39(6):E507-E514.

Kersey, J., Le C, Evans E, Ahonle ZJ, Garcia P, Lequerica AH, Kumar D, Parrott D. Inclusion of racially and ethnically diverse samples in cognitive rehabilitation research: an ethnographic study of recruitment and retention practices. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2025;106(11):1665-1671.

Kersey, J., Garcia P, Evans E, Ahonle ZJ, Jethani P, Arango-Lasprilla JC, Kumar D, Lequerica AH, Morel Valdez GM, Salinas P, Parrott D. Underrepresentation of participants from marginalized racial and ethnic groups: a secondary analysis of the cognitive rehabilitation literature. Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation. 2025;7(2): 100431.

Kersey, J., Skidmore E, Hammel J, Baum C. Participation and Its Association with Health Among Community-Dwelling Adults with Chronic Stroke. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2023;77.

Kersey, J., Baum CM, Hammel J, Terhorst L, McCue M, Skidmore ER. Cut points and sensitivity to change of the Enfranchisement scale of the Community Participation Indicators in adults with traumatic brain injury. PM & R : the Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation. 2023;15:176–183.

Kersey, J.,  Kringle E, Rodakowski J. An Expansive View of the Relationship Between Meaningful Activities and Health: A Call to Action. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2022;23:1266–1267.