Alissa is a Licensed and Board-Certified Occupational Therapist in NJ and NY. She attended Quinnipiac University for her undergraduate bachelor’s degree in health & science studies in 2009 and stayed on for her master’s degree in occupational therapy, where she graduated in 2011. She has over thirteen years’ clinical experience working in acute care, inpatient, and pediatric & adult outpatient settings. She specializes in treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, post-concussion syndrome, stroke, brain injuries, visual-vestibular integration dysfunction & sensory integration impairments. She is a strong advocate for community engagement, and provides occupational therapy services in collaboration with her partners in Guatemala, Nicaragua, The Virgin Islands and The Azores, Portugal.
She decided to return to school in 2018 to pursue an advanced research degree and address the societal needs she had witnessed throughout her years in practice. She currently is a PhD candidate in Kinesiology with a concentration in Motor Learning & Motor Control. She has been an active member of the Neurorehabilitation Research Lab since 2018 and was manager of the lab from 2021-2024. Her research focuses on using community based participatory research to address healthcare disparities, integrating wearable technology with therapeutic interventions, and the implementation of behavior change physical activity programs for individuals with neurological and movement related impairments. Her dissertation topic is on the “Implementation of Consumer Wearable Devices in a Behavior Change Physical Activity Coaching Program for People with Early-Stage Parkinson’s Disease.”
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking with her pup, swimming, and ballroom dancing. She also holds a certification in Yoga for the Special Child and enjoys providing therapeutic yoga to people of all abilities.