Social Health and Participation Laboratory

General Laboratory Description

Dr. Jessica Kersey directs the Social Health and Participation Laboratory, conducting community-engaged research to enhance social health (isolation, connection, loneliness) and participation outcomes among people with acquired brain injury. Dr. Kersey’s research focuses on understanding the broad environmental and social factors that influence participation outcomes, including social support, social determinants of health, and systems/services. She also aims to examine the effect of participation on health. The perspectives and priorities of consumers are at the forefront of the research being conducted in the Social Health and Participation Laboratory. Research is grounded in consumer-driven conceptualizations of participation and the environmental factors that influence it; consumer-driven measurement approaches; and co-designed community-based intervention.

General Description of Student Activities

Students in the Social Health and Participation Laboratory will have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the research process, including literature reviews, recruitment, screening, assessments, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and scientific writing and presentations. Students will also be involved in developing and growing community collaborations. We encourage students from all backgrounds to join the Social Health and Participation Laboratory, including students with disabilities and from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and gender identities. Flexible hours are available for some research activities. Additional learning opportunities will focus on developing a deeper understanding of social and environmental influences on outcomes, the social model of disability, and community-engaged research methods.

Examples of Projects

• ENGAGE-TBI is a community-based intervention that relies on social learning, guided discovery and skilled practice to improve community participation outcomes after brain injury. Students will have the opportunity to be involved in a feasibility clinical trial through administration of research assessments and support for group community outings.
• Dyadic Social Support is the development of a new intervention that involves both a person with a brain injury and a close family member who work to develop strategies for a sustainable, meaningful, reciprocal relationship to continue to support each other through life with a brain injury. Students will have the opportunity to build the intervention protocol and refine it based on feedback from participants and interventionists.
• Monitoring Social Health After Brain Injury is a study of changes in social health during the first year after a new traumatic brain injury. Data collection is nearly complete. Students will have the opportunity to participate in qualitative or quantitative data analysis, and scientific writing and presentations.
• Long COVID Repository is a collaboration with WashU Medicine Occupational Therapy's Clinical Division. This study collects a standardized battery of assessments on clients seeking clinical occupational therapy due to complications related to long COVID. Assessments focus on changes in activity and participation outcomes. Students will have the opportunity to be involved with data collection, data management, data analysis, and scientific writing and presentations.