Meet the Team

My name is Anna Braunizer (pronouns: she/her) and I’m an occupational therapist working in community-based services in Victoria, BC, Canada. I value lifelong learning and I'm passionate about growing connections, justice, a sense of safety, and wellbeing for all. With beyond COVID, I co-host the podcast, do the web design, contribute graphic design, write blog posts, and co-lead the team with Emily.

Anna Braunizer
Team Lead 

My name is Emily Polovick-Moulds (pronouns: she/her) and I’m an American Occupational Therapist currently working in pediatrics. I find that the everyday things in life can make a huge difference in creating joy and well-being. I love connecting with others and finding ways to build each other up through holistic care of the individual and participation in community. With beyond COVID, I co-host the podcast, write blog posts, help with social media and graphic design, and co-lead the team with Anna.

Emily Polovick-Moulds 
Team Lead

My name is Esther Dark. I am an Occupational Therapist working in community mental health services in the UK. I am proud to be an OT because I love giving people a voice and purpose.

Esther Dark
Blog Team Lead 

I am a second-year Occupational Therapy student at University of Toronto. 

Shikha Patel
Social Media Lead

Susan Skees Hermes, OTD, OTR/L, BCP has 35 years of clinical experience working with all ages and populations. Her expansive areas of practice include mental health, inpatient rehabilitation, school based, home health, outpatient, skilled nursing settings, management, education, and consulting. Dr. Hermes is Board Certified in Pediatrics(BCP) through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She has also received certifications in the following: administration of the Southern California Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) through Sensory Integration International, Training for Occupational and Physical Therapist in Early Intervention (TOPSEI) through the University of Florida, Certified Educator Infant Massage (CEIM), and Handwriting Without Tears Level 1 certified through Learning Without Tears. She has participated in data collection for the Sensory Processing Measure, the Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL), and the Print Tool. She has previously been a presenter at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress (Montreal, Canada & Yokohama, Japan), the American Occupational Therapy Annual Conference (Philadelphia, Nashville, Salt Lake City, New Orleans), and at the Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida state occupational therapy conferences. Her current research interests include: school based practice, telehealth, leadership/ advocacy, intergenerational care and service learning, disaster managment, and OT in China development.

Susan Skees Hermes

I am a Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at the University of Texas at Tyler and I teach the MOT program. I have developed several of our courses and I currently am on a work task force group to develop handouts and items on COVID and returning to work and doing clinicals.

Julie Hebert

Masters of Occupational Therapy Students at the University of Texas at Tyler contribute blog posts to the 'Do What You Love' blog about wellbeing and how occupations contribute to wellbeing.

Masters of Occupational Therapy Students at the University of Texas at Tyler

I recently graduated from Dalhousie University School of Occupational Therapy. I contribute to web design.

Mirna Gerges

I'm a double transplant recipient (Kidney + Pancreas), bilateral amputee, and experience profound hearing loss. I use hearing aids, prostheses and a wheelchair. I'm 48 years old. I contribute blog posts.

Hal Bennett 

I am a community-based OT in Ottawa Canada. I work primarily with people with invisible health conditions such as sleep difficulties, mood issues and chronic pain.

Sarah Good

My name is Amelia Fletcher, I'm a second year occupational therapy student at Dalhousie University. I believe community is one of the biggest factors in achieving wellness and I'm committed to sustainable health promotion through development and active participation in inclusive, supportive and resourceful communities. With previous clinical experience in private practice, industrial health, disability management and healthcare philanthropy I've been fortunate to see the everyday impact our profession can make. I’m so excited to be part of BeyondCOVID and eager to pursue community based practice. I’m a volunteer, kinesiologist, advocate, life-long student, and take every opportunity I can to help those around me achieve wellness through the things they are passionate about doing. 

Amelia Fletcher 

Barbara L. Kornblau, JD, OTR/L, FAOTA, DASPE, CCM, CDMS, CPE, is an attorney, an occupational therapist, a certified case manager, a certified pain educator, a radical e-patient, and a person with a disability. She is an Adjunct Professor of Occupational Therapy at Florida A&M University, where she teaches research, administration, and health policy courses, among others, synchronously by distance and Rocky Mountain University of the Health Professions, where she teaches health policy and advocacy to post-professional doctoral students.

Dr. Kornblau collaborates with the American Association on Health and Disabilities, under a Komen Foundation grant, to promote accessibility of mammography screenings for women with disabilities. She is also a consultant to the United Spinal Association under several grants to facilitate a national return to work program for people with spinal cord injuries, through the development of peer mentoring and benefit awareness programs, as well as corporate training programs in proper hiring practices, under the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Dr. Kornblau is a former Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow for Senators Harkin and Rockefeller. After her fellowship, she organized national, state, and local stakeholder groups in a successful effort to include people with disabilities in the Affordable Care Act and its implementing regulations, through advocacy efforts that included evidence-based sign-on letters. She founded the Coalition for Disability Health Equity to further this work. She collaborates with national civil rights, health and health equity, and disability advocacy coalitions and is a frequent panelist at Congressional Briefings on these subjects.

Dr. Kornblau is a Past President of the American Occupational Therapy Association and a Past Chair of AOTA’s Ethics Commission and Work Programs Special Interest Section. As an attorney, she has litigated cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act involving discrimination in employment, state and local government services, and health care services. Dr. Kornblau has presented nationally and internationally, and is widely published.  

Barbara Kornblau

Rosalie Freund
Rachel Spiers
Sarah Brunke
Philip Braunizer
Rachel Garcia


Additional Team Members

Join the Team

Past Contributors

Sylvia Storry
Gaby Emmett
Tara Strand
Elizabeth Rosa
Teressa Donovan
Queeny Brown
Kim Reese

Beyond Covid

Do What You Love Podcast