Opportunities for International Collaborations and Capacity Building in Long COVID and COVID-19 Rehabilitation Research

Friday, November 11, 2022

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Presenter(s)

Jill I. Cameron, PhD (she/her/hers)

Professor, Dept of OSOT, Co-Director, Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Slides
Kelly K. O'Brien, PhD, PT (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor, Dept of PT; Co-Director, Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Slides
Lisa McCorkell, MPP (she/her/hers)

Co-Founder
Patient-Led Research Collaborative
Oakland, California, United States
Fofi Constantinidou, PhD, CCC-SLP, CBIS, FACRM (she/her/hers)

Professor and Center Director
Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus
Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

Moderator(s)

Darren A. Brown, FCSP, MRes, MSc, BSc (he/him/his)

Specialist Physiotherapist, Co-Chair and Founding Member, Long COVID Physio
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust; Long COVID Physio
London, England, United Kingdom

COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the world as an acute infection and as a chronic health condition. A growing number of individuals are living with persistent symptoms, referred to as Long COVID. The multi-dimensional nature of disability experienced by people living with Long COVID, can adversely impact many aspects of their lives. Rehabilitation can address or prevent disability focused on the physical, mental-emotional, cognitive, and social domains of health and disability. New initiatives are emerging to address the complex rehabilitation needs of individuals affected by COVID-19: 1) Patient-Led Research Collaborative, 2) European Union Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Network for COVID-19 (BRAINN), 3) Long COVID Physio, and 4) Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID. This symposium will describe the scope and aims of these initiatives and provide a sample of the research pursued in each collaboration. We will follow with a group discussion to identify research priorities for COVID-19 rehabilitation research.

Learning Objectives:

To facilitate knowledge transfer and exchange on disability and rehabilitation research in the context of COVID-19 recovery, including Long COVID, and the role of rehabilitation in the context of COVID-19 recovery.
To foster new and strengthen existing collaborations and partnerships among rehabilitation professionals, clinicians and community members with an interest in rehabilitation science research in COVID-19.
To describe the need for harmonization of research and treatment protocols to facilitate multisite collaboration.
To identify new and emerging research priorities in rehabilitation science research in COVID-19.