Amanda Parezo and Kate Turner join the BIAPA Board

Amanda Parezo is an assistant professor and academic fieldwork coordinator for the Occupational Therapy department at Thomas Jefferson University. She graduated from Jefferson’s OT program in 2010 with her master’s degree in OT, and she received her doctorate in OT from Salus University in 2018.

She has worked clinically for over 10 years, specifically with older adults with traumatic brain injury at MossRehab. Additionally, she holds a specialty certificate in vision rehabilitation with the traumatic brain injury population. On May 19th, 2021, Dr. Parezo experienced her own life-altering injury when she was shot in the spine while sitting in a park with friends. Her familiarity as a person with a spinal cord injury and her experience working with motivated patients in the traumatic brain injury clinic at MossRehab has led her to be an advocate in the community and a role model for others.

Kate Turner  currently holds the position of Project Manager in the Ortho-Medical Division at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital. She did her undergraduate work at John Hopkins University and completed her MS in Speech Language Pathology at Boston University.

In her current role, she oversees the development of clinical staff, ensures compliance with regulatory standards, and strives to achieve the highest standards in patient care. Her expertise lies in the evaluation and treatment of speech, language, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders.

Kate’s journey to her managerial role was paved through her tenure as an advanced clinician and speech-language pathologist at Bryn Mawr, and prior to that, at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Woburn, Maryland.

She was previously affiliated with BIAPA in her role as a liaison to the Ambassador Outreach Program. Kate expresses great enthusiasm in joining the board, stating, “I have witnessed the transformative impact of services provided by BIAPA, and I am wholeheartedly dedicated to continuing these efforts, ensuring they remain accessible to both current and future survivors and their families.”