Heather Clark, PhD
Patrick Cornelius, PT, DPT, CCS
Ben Dobson, PT, DPT, MBA
Andrea (Annie) Johnson, APRN, CNP
Brad King, PT, DScPT, MSEd
Richard Oeckler, MD, PhD
Caitlin Polley, PT, DPT, CCS

Emily Bodensteiner Schmitt has worked at Mayo Clinic Rochester as an occupational therapist since September 2016, and her career to date has been dedicated to ICU rehab.  She currently serves at the ICU clinical lead OT, and she is a Mayo Clinic Gold Quality fellow. She is actively involved in research, projects, committees, and presentations related to the ICU embedded therapy model, delirium management, and Post-Intensive Care Syndrome. Emily completed her Master of Occupational Therapy degree at the University of Minnesota Rochester in 2016 and her Occupational Therapy Doctorate at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2022.

Lydia Geiszler, MOT, OTR/L - Lydia Geiszler has been an acute care occupational therapist at Mayo Clinic since February of 2017. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Minnesota and her Master of Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University. She has worked in the imbedded therapy models in both the Medical and Cardiovascular Surgical ICUs. Her practice interests include addressing mental health in the ICU, ECMO patients, and delirium management. She also works with the interdisciplinary team of the Mayo Clinic ICU Recovery Program to follow up with ICU patients post-hospitalization.

Casey Schneider, MSOT, OTR/L - Casey Schneider has been an acute care occupational therapist at Mayo Clinic since June of 2019. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitative Medicine and her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. She has worked as part of the imbedded therapy team in the Medical Intensive Care Unit since 2020. Her practice interests include addressing respiratory conditions, delirium management, and navigating the challenges of long term patients in the critical care setting.

Jessi Strikwerda, PT, DPT - Jessi has been an acute care physical therapist at Mayo Clinic since July of 2017 and has been an acute care supervisor for the Saint Marys practice since March of 2022. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI and her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in Rochester, MN. When in patient care, her primary practice area is in the intensive care units. She was a member of the embedded therapy team in the Oncology and Transplant ICU from 2017 to 2022 and the Medical ICU from 2019 to 2022. She greatly values the importance of early mobility in the ICU setting and especially has a passion for patients with oncologic diagnoses. She has been awarded Gold Quality certification by the Mayo Clinic Quality Fellows Program and recently published a case report describing the benefits of collaborative physical and occupational therapy utilized for a patient who experienced a prolonged hospitalization including time in the ICU.

Jillene Chitulangoma, PT, DPT - Jillene Chitulangoma has been a physical therapist at Mayo Clinic Rochester since May 2010 working across all areas of the adult acute care practice. She graduated from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences with a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree in 2007. Jillene’s special interest lies with the medically complex/critically ill patients. She has been integrally involved with the development of the embedded ICU therapy model at Mayo Clinic Rochester and has been a member of the embedded therapy team since its origination in 2016. Jillene has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on topics of early mobility, activity, and rehab in the ICU.

Cristina Sisneros OTD, OTR/L - Cristina graduated from Creighton University in 2020 with a doctorate in occupational therapy. She briefly worked at an outpatient pediatric clinic in Nebraska prior to moving to Minnesota for the AOTA Dysphagia Fellowship. She was the Mayo Clinic Rochester AOTA Dysphagia Fellow from 2021-2022. During the fellowship she was immersed in the adult dysphagia practice covering all adult units within the hospital including the ICU. Her interest topics during the fellowship included advocacy, and evidence-based practice for cardiac and transplant populations. Her interest in feeding, eating, and swallowing lead to her new position as a pediatric occupational therapist at Mayo Clinic Rochester where she will continue to address dysphagia in the pediatric population.

Catherine Shonley, M.A., CCC-SLP - Catherine earned her BA in communication sciences and disorders from Northwestern University in 2008, followed by her MA in speech-language-hearing sciences from The University of Minnesota in 2010. She completed her clinical fellowship at Mayo Clinic and has enjoyed the variety of patients and invaluable mentorship of her colleagues ever since. She works with adults primarily focusing on dysphagia arising from neurologic injury and illness, head and neck cancer, and many other etiologies.