Dr. Jessie VanSwearingen is the Director of Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Facial Nerve Center. Additionally, she is an Associate Professor in Physical Therapy and Assistant Professor within the School of Nursing (joint appointment). Dr. VanSwearingen also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Survival and Ethics Program at the university, as well as chair of the Safety Committee and Co-coordinator (coordinator 1986-1995) of the Anatomy Demonstration Laboratory within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Dr. VanSwearingen received her Ph.D. in Anatomy and Cell Science from the Department of Neurobiology within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (1992). However, prior to arriving at the university, she graduated with her B.S. and P.T. degrees from the University of Delaware Department of Physical Therapy (1981). Following her undergraduate studies, she received her M.S. from the Department of Physical Therapy at Ohio State University (1981).
Outside of her work at the university, Dr. VanSwearingen is quite active in the science community. She is an active member of several professional societies including the American Physical Therapy Association, American College of Sports Medicine and the Society for Neuroscience. Through such affiliations, she currently serves as a member of the Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association Research Committee, Book Reviewer for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, and Manuscript Reviewer for the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Professionally, Dr. Van Swearingen has fostered interests in several areas of her field. Primarily, she has focused her efforts on neuromuscular function, facial neuromuscular disorders, geriatrics, physiological basis for exercise in health, repair and recovery of function, and wrist and hand function.
Presently, Dr. VanSwearingen teaches neuroscience, muscle physiology, clinical neurology, geriatric and electrophysiology content in Physical Therapy professional and post-professional courses, and guest lectures on similar topics in the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health. However, despite all other commitments, she has remained active in both clinical and research efforts at the university. Due to her research efforts and clinical work, she has been the recipient of multiple awards and has been featured in several publications. Currently, her interests lie within the neuroscience of movement and interventions for the recovery of movement and physical function, including clinical outcomes of physical therapy for individuals with facial neuromotor disorders and community-dwelling frail older adults.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Jessie VanSwearingenPhone: (412) 383-6634
Email: jessievs@pitt.edu