On Friday, May 13th, 2022, UNC’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation hosted the UNC Long COVID Symposium: Recovery and Rehabilitation Using a Multidisciplinary Approach.
This year’s virtual symposium, hosted in collaboration with Greensboro AHEC, highlighted the latest understanding of this complex, new syndrome. It provided an evidence-based review of Long COVID epidemiology and clinical manifestations, recent research developments, and evaluation and treatment approaches.
The symposium was a great success with over 180 attendees from six states. The Keynote speaker, Resia Pretorius, presented from South Africa.
The Co-Director of UNC Long COVID Recovery Clinic, JM Baratta, MD, had these comments to share after the symposium:
“This conference was a wonderful opportunity to share our multidisciplinary team’s knowledge on the wide range of Long COVID effects. We were pleased to have such a broad audience representing physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals from across the country. We hope that disseminating best practices for treating Long COVID patients will empower healthcare professionals outside of Long COVID specialty clinics to assist their patients in need.”
The day’s presentations included:
Wesley Burks, MD: Welcome
John M. Baratta, MD: “An Overview of Post-COVID Conditions”
Resia Pretorius, PhD (Keynote): “The Role of Microclots in Long COVID”
Sameh Mobarek, MD: “Cardiac Manifestations & Dysautonomia”
Barbara LeVarge, MD: “Pulmonary Implications & Persistent Dyspnea”
Monica Diaz, MD: “Neurological Implications”
Don Rosenstein MD, Zev Nakamura, MD, Karla Thompson PhD, Kate Cardoza MSW, LCSW: “Cognitive and Psychiatric Consequences”
Breakout Sessions:
Courtney Matrunick, DPT, Marie Curtis, OTR: “PT/OT Interventions”
Kristen Peet, CCC- SLP: “Cognitive Rehabilitation of Post- COVID Brain Fog”
Heather Davis-Cuevas CCC-SLP: “Breathwork for Persistent Dyspnea”
Allison Young Aud. CCC-A: “Tinnitus Evaluation and Management”
Shari Sibenge, RD, LDN: “Nutritional Implications”
Jessica Barnhill, MD, MPH, Isabel Roth, PhD: “Integrative Medicine Group Visit Program for People with Long COVID”
Louise King, MD: “Bringing It Together: A Comprehensive Approach to Long COVID”
Our department would like to extend a special thank you to the symposium’s Planning Committee Members listed below. Thanks for all your hard work!
JM Baratta, MD, MBA
Katherine Cardoza, MSW, LCSW
Marie Curtis, MS, OTR/L
Lisa Guy, MS, BSN, RN, CCRN
Nikita Harrington, MSN, RN, FNP-C
Louise King, MD
Aaron Olsen, MBA
Thomas Petruska, MS
Karla Thompson, PhD