2026 International Forum on COVID Rehabilitation Research

Rob Wüst is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research group studies skeletal and cardiac muscle metabolism and function. His interest includes skeletal muscle adaptations after bed rest, in collaboration with astronauts from ESA and NASA and after acute and chronic inflammation. Recent work focuses on skeletal muscle abnormalities and exercise responses in patients with Long COVID and ME/CFS, which has led to a lot of international media attention. To better understand how muscle metabolism changes under different conditions, human muscle biopsies, mouse models, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy and various cellular and molecular techniques are used. The research is funded by ZonMw, and various European and American (patient) organizations for diabetes, Long COVID and ME/CFS. 

Jill Cameron (she/her) is Professor and Vice Chair Research in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her primary research interest is to understand the experiences and needs of family members who assume the role of caregiver for individuals with disability. Jill aims to enhance models of health care delivery such that caregivers receive timely and relevant support across the care continuum. Ultimately, her research aims to enhance the health and wellbeing of people affected by disability and their caregivers.

Kelly Kaup is a recently retired school principal whose career has spanned across all grades from Kindergarten to grade 12 over 33 years. His wife contracted Long COVID when it first entered Canada 6 years ago. Kelly has a Masters degree in Educational Administration and has always had a keen interest in research and its significance in creating greater human understanding. Kelly’s role of support for his wife continues to evolve, from the acute stages of her illness to now supporting her with a chronic health condition.

Sammie is a dedicated health professional, advocate, and entrepreneur whose work has advanced support and awareness for children affected by Long Covid. After experiencing the condition in 2020 with her daughter, she founded Long Covid Kids—the world's first charity for young people with Long Covid, now supporting over 11,000 members globally. Her leadership has driven early patient-led research and the creation of vital digital resources for families. Sammie has collaborated with organizations and policymakers, contributing evidence to the UK COVID Inquiry, and has been invited to expert panels including the WHO Expert Panel, the NHS Long Covid Task Force, and the Clinical Post Covid Society.

Tracy Rutledge is a dedicated caregiver and community member based in Whitehorse, Yukon. Originally from Toronto, she transitioned from a career in graphic design to her current full-time role in the financial services sector after moving to the Yukon in 2010. Tracy is the primary caregiver and partner to Mark Rutledge, who has been living with Long COVID since testing positive during the pandemic. In addition to managing the complexities of family life with three young adult children, Tracy is a lifelong learner and problem solver. She holds three levels of American Sign Language (ASL) and is a versatile artist, specializing in sewing, beading, knitting, and painting. Driven by a belief in innate human kindness, she brings a "glass-half-full" perspective to the challenges of Long COVID caregiving. Tracy is passionate about storytelling and human history, using her visual-thinking skills and creative drive to navigate the evolving rehabilitation journey of her family.

Chris Trussell

Chris Trussell is the founder of AppleTree, an award-winning events company in Toronto, and a professional musician and performer. But his most important job is lead caregiver to his wife of 22 years, Lesley, a former professional athlete who contracted Covid in the first wave of infections. After quickly losing her abilities to work, manage co-parenting their special needs son, and caring for their aging and ailing parents, Chris’ skillset rapidly expanded, including launching care communities for spouses of chronically ill people, and lobbying provincial and federal governments for fair and equitable access to treatment.

Fran Wolfe is an experienced Nurse Practitioner with a strong background in patient care and clinical practice. Fran is committed to research and ongoing support for people affected by COVID-19 and its long-term impacts, while maintaining a full-time clinical role.

Tijana Simic is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Faculty Member in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, and the director of the Language Rehabilitation and Cognition (LaRC) lab. She obtained her PhD in 2019 from the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute in Toronto, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Gériatrie de Montréal, affiliated with the Université de Montréal. She also holds a Master of Health Science (SLP) and is a registered speech-language pathologist.

Kara Patterson is a Physiotherapist, an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto, and a Senior Scientist at the KITE-Rehabilitation Research Institute. She leads the RELEARN lab which strives to advance neurorehabilitation practice to improve mobility outcomes and psychosocial well-being for people living with neurological conditions. Her research interests include understanding how neurological conditions affect the control of walking and the development and testing of novel rehabilitation strategies including rhythm-, music- and dance-based interventions. 

Shlomit Rotenberg is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto. Her work examines cognition in context, focusing on how cognitive abilities interact with emotions, self-perception, social relationships, and the physical environment to shape everyday life experiences among adults and older adults. Much of her research focuses on health conditions in which cognition feels unreliable or inconsistent across activities, times, and contexts. She develops and studies theory-informed interventions that address not only cognitive processes, but also the personal and environmental conditions that influence engagement in meaningful activities and support well-being in real-world settings.

Tim Rhodes is Professor of Public Health Sociology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom) and University of New South Wales (Australia). He uses qualitative methods and narrative analysis to study the social life of health and illness, especially in relation to infections, epidemics, drug use and addictions. He also studies how science and policy makes evidence in relation to health. With Hannah Cowan, he has just completed a qualitative study of Long Covid in the lives of young people.

Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, OT Reg. (Ont.), PhD, FRSA, is an Occupational Therapist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. He holds the Inaugural Emily Geldsaler Grant Early Career Professorship in Workplace Mental Health. He is also an affiliate scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network and a Collaborating Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He uses an occupational lens to systematically study occupations related to workability, work disability prevention, and return to work.

Meera Premnazeer is a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto’s Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. Meera’s research, funded by a Heart and Stroke Foundation grant, explores person- and family-centered care for people with stroke and their caregivers across the care continuum. Meera has also been supported by trainee awards such as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID Trainee Award, and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute scholarship. Beyond Meera’s doctoral work, Meera practices as a pediatric occupational therapist at The Red Oak Centre. There, Meera helps children and young adults build the skills needed to successfully engage in daily life.

Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, OT Reg. (Ont.), PhD, FRSA, is an Occupational Therapist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. He holds the Inaugural Emily Geldsaler Grant Early Career Professorship in Workplace Mental Health. He is also an affiliate scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network and a Collaborating Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He uses an occupational lens to systematically study occupations related to workability, work disability prevention, and return to work.

Lisa Caldana is a Registered Physiotherapist and works in the Department of Physical Therapy as the Program Coordinator in the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Network for COVID and is also the Academic Co-lead of Clinical Education in the Masters of Physical Therapy program at the University of Toronto. Lisa has worked as a physiotherapist in a variety of clinical and administrative practice areas across the continuum of care. She completed the Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care program in 2018 and completed a Masters of Health Sciences degree in Translational Research at the University of Toronto. Lisa is very interested in advancing COVID research and helping individuals experiencing persistent symptoms from COVID access the proper resources and healthcare services.

Professor Mark Faghy is a leading researcher in Clinical Exercise Physiology, specializing in the pathophysiology of long-term conditions and rehabilitation. His work focuses on the mechanisms and impact of Long COVID, integrating scientific investigation with patient reported experience to drive meaningful solutions. He leads an international research team and has delivered pioneering studies throughout the pandemic, including the UK’s first clinical trial on antiviral treatments for Long COVID. Alongside his research, he is an active advocate for patients, shaping policy discussions, raising awareness, and improving care pathways for people living with chronic illness.

Monica Busse-Morris is a Physiotherapist and Professor of Applied Health and Care Research at King's College London. She has a specific interest in the development and evaluation of complex physical and psychosocial interventions for chronic long term health conditions. Her research focuses on the interplay between physical, behavioural, and mental health factors, with particular emphasis on the promotion of lifelong health and wellbeing and improving access to health services for underserved groups. Most recently, this included co-leading the LISTEN trial, the first personalized self-management intervention for long COVID tested at scale across England and Wales.

Hannah Cowan is a medical sociologist based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, interested in health, social inequalities, and the social production of biomedical knowledge. Most recently she has been working with Professor Tim Rhodes and a team of lived-experience peer researchers on a qualitative, participatory study called Covid Made Long to understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and Long Covid amongst young people (aged 15-25) in the UK. In this study and elsewhere, Hannah aims to make social change within biomedicine through developing participatory research practices and theorizing everyday forms of activism.

The 2026 International Forum on COVID Rehabilitation Research and the Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID are funded by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.

The 2026 International Forum on COVID Rehabilitation Research is presented in collaboration with Long COVID Physio.

The 2026 International Forum on COVID Rehabilitation Research is presented in collaboration with Fisiocamera.

The 2026 International Forum on COVID Rehabilitation Research is presented in collaboration with Long COVID Web.