2026 FLIBI Conference Schedule
12pm-12:15pm EST: Welcome Remarks
Alissa Totman, MD, MPH
12:15pm-1pm EST: Professional Keynote: Research-Focused
AnaMaria Acosta, PhD
1pm-1:10pm EST: Break
1:10pm-2:10pm EST: Advocacy as a Healthcare Provider
Katherine Golden, OTD, OTR/L, CBIS
Jessica Lo, MD
Aileen Chou-Franzese, DPT, PhD
2:10pm-2:55pm EST: Synapse Chapters in Action
Claire Zhu, Columbia Synapse
Elizabeth Brock, Harvard Synapse
Luke Mosca, CWRU Synapse
Ronit Pullemla, CWRU Synapse
Michael Gillespie, UMass-Amherst Synapse
2:55pm-3:05pm EST: Break
3:05pm-3:50pm EST: Why AI Needs Trauma-Informed Care: Changing Who Carries the Weight
Craig Phillips, MRC, BA
3:50pm-4pm EST: Break
4pm-5pm EST: Mentoring Sessions
Our 2026 Mentors
Jackson Carney
Resident Physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at The Wright Center
Samir Sherali
Resident Physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Case Western
Claudia Hentschel
Resident Physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham
Alicia Fuhrman
Attending Physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital, and St. Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center
Regan Harrell
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Alissa Totman
Attending Brain Injury Medicine Physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Jason Lew
Attending Brain Injury Medicine Physician at Mass General Brigham
Janvi Panchal
Occupational Therapist at UCSF Health
Nabela Enam
Attending Brain Injury Medicine Physician at the University of Pennsylvania
Anna Marie Sulminski
Speech Language Pathologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Meet Our 2026 Conference Speakers!
Alissa Totman, MD, MPH
Dr. Alissa Totman is an Attending Brain Injury Physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She received her MD from the Stanford School of Medicine, completed her residency in PM&R at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and completed her fellowship in Brain Injury Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her clinical focus is on optimizing functional outcomes through early multidisciplinary rehabilitation in the acute care setting. She is also invested in educating the next generation of leaders in Brain Injury through her role as Executive Director of Synapse National.
AnaMaria Acosta, PhD
Dr. AnaMaria Acosta is a biomedical scientist with training in electrical and biomedical engineering and research expertise in rehabilitation robotics, human biomechanics, and movement and rehabilitation science. Her work broadly focuses on uncovering the mechanisms that underlie sensorimotor impairments of the arm and trunk following stroke. She uses this knowledge to develop and implement innovative, evidence‑based approaches for delivering more effective arm rehabilitation interventions for stroke survivors. In addition to her research, she is committed to mentoring and training the next generation of movement and rehabilitation scientists who will become leaders in the field.
Katherine Golden, OTD, OTR/L, CBIS
Dr. Katherine Golden is an occupational therapist and PhD candidate in Rehabilitation Science whose work centers on advancing evidence-based, guideline-concordant care for individuals with severe acquired brain injury. She maintains active clinical roles at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and has held multiple research positions within the Spaulding Neurorehabilitation Laboratory and the Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System. Currently, she is a co-investigator on a knowledge-translation project promoting provider adoption of the AAN-ACRM-NIDILRR DoC practice guidelines, reflecting her broader interests in implementation science, neurorehabilitation outcomes, and closing evidence-practice gaps across the care continuum.
Jessica Lo, MD
Dr. Jessica Lo is a resident physician in the physical medicine and rehabilitation program at the University of Washington. Her passion for advocacy and the brain injury community started as a Synapse chapter founder, which launched her into subsequent roles in disability inclusion/advocacy at her medical school, as well as serving on her local Disability Commission. Jessica hopes to leverage her role as a physician to serve people with brain injuries and to advance issues of importance to the disability community as a whole.
Aileen Chou-Franzese, DPT, PhD
Dr. Aileen Chou-Franzese is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh. She conducts research focused on optimizing evidence-based rehabilitation interventions for patients with disabilities, including those with brain injuries. By incorporating the voices of those with lived experience, care partners, and clinical teams into her research through interviews and collaborations, she advocates for interventions that prioritize the unique needs of the individuals receiving care.
Craig Phillips, MRC, BA
Craig Phillips is the Creator and Founder: Second Chance to Live, Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care AI Collaboration Model™, Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care AI — A New Class of AI™. He advocates and encourages a holistic ongoing brain injury recovery process with individuals (mind, body, spirit, soul and emotions) and an ongoing recovery process with medical and vocational systems. Currently, Craig mentors AI to use the principles of trauma-informed care to support and not extract from individuals impacted by a brain injury and other vulnerable populations. To learn more, please read the article: Why AI Needs Trauma-Informed Care: Changing Who Carries the Weight.
Elizabeth Brock, Undergraduate Student
Elizabeth Brock is a current pre-med senior at Harvard College studying neuroscience and psychology. She has been a peer support group facilitator at Harvard Synapse for the last three years and is currently president of their chapter. Elizabeth is looking forward to speaking at the conference because reducing the stigma surrounding brain injuries and other invisible illnesses is needed in today's public health scene, and she hopes to show how Synapse chapters can do that in their own communities.
Claire Zhu, Undergraduate Student
Claire Zhu is a current undergraduate student at Columbia University, double-majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior and Medical Humanities. Her journey began as a moderator for the Synapse support group, where she gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced by individuals with brain injuries, deepening her commitment to serving this community. Currently, as a leader of the Columbia Synapse chapter, she spearheads initiatives to raise awareness, provide support, and drive meaningful change for brain injury survivors. Aside from Synapse, Claire is involved in Alzheimer's research and serving individuals with various neurodegenerative disorders. She is excited to strengthen Synapse's programming and inspire the next generation of leaders and advocates in the field of brain injury!
Michael Gillespie, Undergraduate Student
Michael Gillespie is a senior at UMass Amherst, serving as the president of the UMass Synapse Chapter. He is looking forward to speaking about his experience starting a chapter in a rural area, including the challenges he encountered and the lessons he learned along the way.
Ronit Pullemla, Undergraduate Student
Ronit Pullemla is a Junior studying Neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University. He is the current co-president of the CWRU Synapse chapter and is humbled to share the impact of the CWRU Synapse Chapter on the greater Cleveland brain injury community and how it has played an influential role in his pre-medical journey.
Luke Mosca, Undergraduate Student
Luke Mosca is a junior studying Biology and Classics at Case Western Reserve University. He is currently the co-president of the CWRU Synapse Chapter after serving as a director of its Peer Support Group (PSG) program for two years. Luke is excited to reflect on his chapter's growth, share insights and memorable experiences from his involvement, and discuss how it has shaped his overall undergraduate experience!