We asked physical therapy faculty members about how their lives at work and at home had been affected since the novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic in March 2020.

Assistant Professor Nora Fritz, PhD, PT, DPT, NCS

Main mission:

To optimize recovery for persons with neurodegenerative diseases.

How the pandemic has affected that mission:

All studies with human subjects were stopped as a result of COVID-19. This included an ongoing exercise clinical trial for persons with multiple sclerosis.

A positive outcome of the pandemic:

Spending more time with my family.

A challenging aspect of the pandemic:

Ensuring that all students are receiving the resources they need.

Recent program or research advisee achievements:

The DPT student research group that I co-mentored with Dr. Diane Adamo won Best Poster at the MPTA Fall Conference in October 2019; my PhD student Erin Edwards placed third in Wayne State's prestigious 2020 Three Minute Thesis competition.

Recent personal achievement:

The publication of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Physical Therapy in Huntington's Disease. The guidelines are available open access and there's also a podcast discussing them.

Take a look at how other faculty members responded to our Pivoting During a Pandemic Q&A.