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 2023 Spring Edition

Meet the Leadership

 

This year we asked our leadership to answer some “get to know you” questions. For a full list of the leadership, please view the Executive Committee and Task Forces on the ACRM Stroke ISIG website: https://acrm.org/acrm-communities/stroke/

Executive Board

Chair
Veronica T. Rowe, MS(R), CBIST, FNAP, PhD, OTR/L

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Lifeguard at a small community swimming pool
  2. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • A librarian 
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Ruth Bader Ginsberg
  4. Who inspires you?
    • Stroke survivors and my colleagues who work with them
  5. Why did you decide to join the Stroke ISIG?
    • My PhD mentor “volun-told” me to join, however, it has turned out to be one of the best requirements that I continue to be a part of now voluntarily!

 

Chair Elect
Maria C. Alpasan, MA, OTR/L 

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • An occupational therapist in a psychiatric facility and an OT instructor
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • A doctor
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Amelia Earhart
  4. Who inspires you?
    • I am inspired by my colleagues at the STROKE ISIG, because I know they all have a lot on their plates, and yet, they continue to be amazing human beings who I am proud to be working alongside with!
  5. Why did you decide to join the Stroke ISIG?
    • My mentor Pam Roberts got me involved in the stroke ISIG and I am happy with the relationships I have formed and the work that we do!!

 

Communications and Co-Chair Health and Wellness Task Force 
Suzanne Perea Burns, PhD, OTR/L

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • I worked at Sonic making ice cream treats and drinks
  2. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • An epidemiologist
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Jesus
  4. Who inspires you?
    • The strong women in my life like my mom and sister
  5. Why did you decide to join the Stroke ISIG?
    • I was looking for a way to get involved with the health and wellness task force as it aligned with my clinical and research interest. I contacted the chair at the time who was actively looking for a co-chair and now here I am. I have enjoyed co-chairing this task force and getting to collaborate with the incredible members of this group

 

Membership Officer
Brianne (Brie) E. Darcy, PT, DPT

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Growing up in the hot humid south, my first paying job was at our neighborhood swimming pool. I worked various jobs at the pool, including teaching swim lessons, serving snacks from the snack bar, and lifeguarding. I still consider it one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had!
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • I knew I was interested in healthcare at a very young age (my parents often recall that I asked to learn all the bones in the human body not long after I began to talk). I considered many avenues of healthcare (medicine, nursing) before ultimately determining that rehabilitation (specifically physical therapy for neurologic conditions) was where my passion lay.
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • While there are many remarkable individuals I’d love to connect with – as a lifelong Tar Heel and advocate of community through sports, legendary basketball coach and humanitarian Dean Smith is certainly high on my list
  4. Who inspires you?
    • Professionally, I am very fortunate to work with a group of kind, creative, intelligent, and passionate individuals that inspire me daily. However, when I find myself needing an extra dose of inspiration – listening to some of my favorite self-help podcasts, hitting a hot yoga class to clear my mind, or watching Ted Lasso re-runs usually sets me in the right direction.
  5. Why did you decide to join the Stroke ISIG?
    • I’ve spent quite a few years of my career working to support individuals with stroke – first as a clinician in acute and critical care settings and now in a clinical research capacity. I joined ACRM in 2019 and have felt welcomed and inspired by many individuals within the Stroke ISIG. I’m looking forward to “giving back” to the Stroke ISIG as the membership officer and getting to know many of its members along the way!

 

Member-At-Large 
Debra S. Ouelette, OTR/L, SCLV, BCPR

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • I worked at Knott’s Berry Farm running the parachute ride 
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
    • I always wanted to be in medicine, just not sure what 
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Ruther Bader Ginsburg
  4. Who inspires you?
    • So many people I meet on a daily basis both patients who work so hard on recovery and also so many in rehabilitation field who continue to make a mark on individuals through treatment, care and research 
  5. Why did you decide to join the Stroke ISIG?
    • Neuro is my passion and although my beginning years were focused mainly on treatment of patients with severe brain Injuries, over the years I have spent more and more time with stroke patients and found the stroke ISIG to have a fantastic energizing group of rehabilitation professionals

 

International Networking Group Liaison 
Xialei Hu, MD, PhD

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Physician
  2. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • I dreamed to be a physicist when I was a child
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Maria Curie 
  4. Who inspires you?
    • My mom and talented people around me
  5. Why did you decide to join the Stroke ISIG?
    • Lovely to meet people with similar interests from different disciplines

 

Task Force Chairs

Aphasia & Other Communication Disorders Task Force
Natalie Gilmore, PhD, CCC-SLP

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • I served ice cream in an ice cream shop.
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
    • A dentist
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet? 
    • Ruth Bader Ginsberg
  4. Who inspires you? 
    • My mom 
  5. Why did you decide to join the Aphasia & Other Communication Disorder task force? 
  • I decided to join the Aphasia & Other Communication Disorders Task Force and eventually become co-chair as I wanted to work toward increasing the representation of speech-language pathologists in this interdisciplinary organization.

Emily Braun, MS, CCC-SLP

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Like Natalie, my first paying job was also working at an ice cream shop
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
    • When I was a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Coretta Scott King 
  4. Who inspires you?
    • I am inspired by my clients with aphasia and their resilience and perseverance 
  5. Why did you decide to join the Aphasia & Other Communication Disorders Task Force?
    • I decided to join the Aphasia & Other Communication Disorders Task Force to increase resources for healthcare professionals across disciplines working with individuals with aphasia.

 

Movement Interventions Task Force
Susan Fasoli, PhD, CCC-SLP

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Babysitting 
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • A legal secretary 
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. Who inspires you?
    • My students whose desire to learn makes me a better instructor 
  5. Why did you decide to join the Movement Intervention Task force?
    • To meet, collaborate with other colleagues with similar interests – improving survivors’ ability to regain functional abilities and independence after stroke

Elena V. Donoso Brown, MS, CCC-SLP

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Babysitter
  2. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? 
    • When I was in middle school, I wanted to be a marine biologist
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Jesus 
  4. Who inspires you? 
    • My colleagues and collaborators who are all working together to identify better ways to provide rehabilitation to those we serve 
  5. Why did you decide to join the Movement Intervention Task Force?
    • I was new to ACRM and interested in meeting people with shared research interest and potential collaborators

 

Health and Wellness Task Force 
Suzanne Burns, PhD, OTR/L
(Refer to Executive Board response above)
Emily Kringle. PhD, OTR/L

  1. What was your first paying job? 
    • I worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home 
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • A veterinarian
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Anne Sullivan 
  4. Who inspires you?
    • My grandparents 
  5. Why did you decide to join the Health and Wellness Task Force?
    • I joined the Health and Wellness task force to meet people who shared my interest in supporting people with stroke in achieving healthy lifestyles. I quickly grew to appreciate that our task force members contribute a wide range of knowledge, experience, and interest to this shared goal.

 

Vision Task Force
John Ross Rizzo, MD

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Great question ….. my first summer gig was a summer camp counselor and more broadly was a gas station attendant! Great. Way to make some pocket cash.
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • A doctor – since I was a younger kid. For a shorter time, I also thought I would go into law enforcement 
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Laura Bridgman (She was the first student with deaf-blindness to be formally educated. She and Perkins’ founding Director Samuel Gridley Howe became world famous for this achievement)
  4. Who inspires you?
    • Nelson Mandela. His tenacity and will power have inspired generations and will continue to do so
  5. Why did you decide to join the Vision Task Force?
    • That’s simple. It was because of the dearth of literature on these topics in our patient population of interest

 

Transitions and Continuity of Care Task Force
Molly Trammel, EdD, OTR/L

  1. What was your first paying job?
    • Sale associate at Kelly Stryker 
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
    • Bagger at the local grocery store 
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Betty White
  4. Who inspires you?
    • My dad
  5. Why did you decide to join the Transition and Continuity of Care task force?
    • To improve and explore options for improvement in transitions of care within the continuum

 

Pediatric Stroke Task Force
Todd J. Levy, MS, OTR/L, CBIST-AP

  1. What was your first paying job? 
    • Camp Counselor
  2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • Veterinarian
  3. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
    • Dr. Rebecca Ichord. Just kidding, we have met. I would like to meet Benjamin Franklin
  4. Who inspires you? 
    • Bill Gates, Rafael Nadal, and Andrew Huberman
  5. Why did you decide to join the Pediatric Stroke task force?
    • I believe we can deliver better patient care by translating research and implementing best practice. These types of efforts are often overlooked. Although there is a need for more research specifically aimed at pediatric stroke, I believe we can apply knowledge from related areas of research. An interdisciplinary task force allows us to draw from multiple lines of research and a variety of experts.
Stroke ISIG Newsletter Spring 2023 Homepage
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