Kersey to join faculty Jan. 1

On Jan. 1, the Program in Occupational Therapy will welcome Jessica Kersey, PhD, OTR/L, instructor in occupational therapy and neurology (PDA), to its faculty. She will serve as a mentor in our Clinical Doctorate of Occupational Therapy degree program and our PhD in Rehabilitation and Participation Science degree program.

Kersey earned her bachelor’s degree in health science in 2008 and her master’s degree in occupational therapy in 2009 from the University of Florida. She earned a second master’s degree in health administration in 2015 from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and her PhD in 2021 from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2022.

She was a graduate student researcher in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh from 2017-2021. Before that, Kersey’s clinical experience included serving as a staff therapist at Rehab Care (2010-2014) and Palomar Medical Center (2011-2012) in Escondido, Calif. She was a team lead therapist from 2015-2016 at HCA Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and the owner of Beyond Boundaries: Neurorehabilitation Specialist from 2015-2017 in Las Vegas.

Kersey’s research focuses on the measurement of participation, examination of environmental factors that influence community participation outcomes, and design of interventions to maximize environmental supports and overcome environmental barriers to promote better community participation. Her goal is to develop greater tools for occupational therapy practitioners seeking to ensure that their clients have access to, opportunities for, and skills to achieve their desired level of participation in the community.