Divya Mathur is the Program Manager of Physical Therapy at the Hospital for Joint Diseases where her primary responsibility is to oversee all physical therapy operations at this site in three programs: Acute Medical Surgery, Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation, and both inpatient and outpatient Pediatrics. She is actively involved in all the various changes occurring in acute care. She also has a primary role as the Epic champion for rehab at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, which involves being the liaison for therapy services and the Epic team for all Epic upgrades. A related duty includes serving as an extension of the Coordinator of Clinical Education for PT. She is a graduate of Stony Brook University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Therapy and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. In this interview, Divya delves into multiple aspects of physical therapy, the changing healthcare environment, and the future of this discipline.
Dorra Blacker is the Clinical Supervisor in the department which encompasses clinical, supervisory, and managerial duties. For the past thirty-one years she has been in the Vocational Rehabilitation department at Rusk Institute, providing vocational counseling to both adult and pediatric in- and outpatients who have physical, orthopedic, neurological and psychiatric disabilities to address return-to-work issues that may include career alternatives, academic planning, career exploration, accessibility and job modifications, employer contact and identifying transferable skills. A graduate of Hunter College with a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, she is both a certified vocational rehabilitation counselor and licensed mental health counselor. She is a member of the NYU Langone’s Concussion Center and the liaison counselor to the NYU Langone Multiple Sclerosis Center and the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone. In this interview, Dorra shares her experiences in vocational therapy and provides amazing insights to this critical component of rehabilitation.
Carie Sumida is the program manager for pediatric inpatient and outpatient therapies at the Hospital for Joint Diseases where she oversees programming for pediatric physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/ language pathology, psychology, child life, therapeutic recreation, and creative arts therapies throughout the hospital. She also serves as a resource for pediatrics at other Rusk campuses. A physical therapist by training, both her Master of Science in Physical Therapy and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees are from Columbia University. Her current areas of interest and practice are in infant care in the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric concussions. In this interview, Carie provides an in-depth look at pediatric care and the challenges/opportunities for children in rehabilitation.
Alicia Esposito is a clinical specialist in Rusk’s adult inpatient rehabilitation unit at the Hospital for Joint Diseases where she is responsible for coordinating patient care, training programs, and research endeavors for the inpatient physical therapy department. She also is a clinical instructor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the School of Medicine and the Residency Coordinator for Rusk’s Neurological Physical Therapy Residency Program. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of patients with a variety of neurological conditions including stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, degenerative neurological diagnoses and vestibular and balance dysfunction. In this interview, Dr. Esposito discusses the role of physical therapy as one kind of intervention to drive neuroplastic changes in the brain after an injury, the impact of a residency program on physical therapy education, and the activities of a Parkinson’s Disease Edge Task Force.
In this special edition interview, April O'Connell, clinical specialist in the Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy Department, and Melissa Hirsch, a Senior II physical therapist with her Doctorate in PT credentialed in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, describe an exciting project ongoing at Rusk. Working in collaboration with proprietary 3D motion sensing technology leader Extreme Reality and Aetna's Innovation Labs, the team at Rusk continues to explore the best ways to provide extraordinary patient care.
Dr. Charles Kim is an assistant professor in the departments of rehabilitation medicine and anesthesiology at the NYU School of Medicine. He completed his medical education at the State University of New York-Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and a fellowship in anesthesiology-pain medicine also at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He trained in acupuncture at the UCLA School of Medicine and is a New York State-certified acupuncturist. With his unique training and board certifications in multiple specialties, he practices and teaches a comprehensive and integrative approach to pain management and physiatry at Rusk Rehabilitation at the Center for Musculoskeletal Care of the NYU Langone Medical Center. He is published in the medical literature, lectures locally and nationally, and has appeared in numerous media outlets discussing wide-ranging medical and health topics.