Long COVID the Answers

Podcast Special Part 2 - Professor Rob Wust & Professor Mark Faghy Discuss ISLC-PAIS

Dr Funmi Okunola interviews Professer Rob Wüst,Associate Professor of Muscle Physiology in the Department of Human Movement Sciences at the VU University in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Professor Mark Faghy, Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at the Loughborough University in the UK about the recent scientific publication that they both contributed to; the International Society for Long COVID and Post Acute Infection Syndromes (ISLC-PAIS) and the conference pertaining to this organisation being held in August 2026 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. REFERENCES 1. Faghy MA, Wüst RC, Altmann DM, Ashton RE, McMullen SB, Duncan R, Ewing AG, Hausmann E, Gupta S, Hornig M, Joffe D. "Current status and future perspectives on the mechanistic and pathophysiological understanding of long COVID." Communications medicine. 2026 Apr 29;6(1):255. 2. The BMJ Article that stimulated the formation of the nature publication "Current Status and Future Perspectives on the Mechanistic and Pathophsiological Understanding of Long COVID". 3. The International Society for Long COVID and Post Acute Infection Syndromes

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Podcast Special Part 1 - Professor Rob Wüst & Professor Mark Faghy Discuss Their Work

Dr Funmi Okunola interviews Professer Rob Wüst,Associate Professor of Muscle Physiology in the Department of Human Movement Sciences at the VU University in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Professor Mark Faghy, Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at the Loughborough University in the UK about the seminal research they have conducted for the Long COVID community. This is part 1 of a two part podcast special. REFERENCES 1. International Society for Long COVID and Post Acute Infection Syndromes 2. Appelman B, Charlton BT, Goulding RP, Kerkhoff TJ, Breedveld EA, Noort W, Offringa C, Bloemers FW, van Weeghel M, Schomakers BV, Coelho P. "Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID". Nature communications. 2024 Jan 4;15(1):17. 3. Unraveled: Understanding Complex Illness with Dr David Kaufman and Dr Ilene Ruhoy 4. Profiling the Determinants of Long COVID by Professor Mark Faghy et al

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Podcast Special - Addressing the Costs & Care for Long COVID An OECD Report

Dr Funmi Okunola MD interviews Dr Guillaume Dedet MD, MPH, MSc, MA - Senior Health Economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and Dr David Kelly MD, MPH, MRCIP, CSCST - Public Health Physician & Epidemiologist at the OECD about their April 2026 report - "Addressing the Costs & Care of Long COVID for Long COVID the Long Shadow of the Pandemic". We also dive into their October 2025 OECD report - "The Prevalence and Impact of Long COVID in the Primary Care Population - Findings from the OECD PaRIS Survey". REFERENCES 1. Addressing the Costs & Care of Long COVID for Long COVID the Long Shadow of the Pandemic. 2. The Prevalence and Impact of Long COVID in the Primary Care Population - Findings from the OECD PaRIS Survey

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W.H.O. Long COVID Exclusive

Dr Funmi Okunola MD conducts three interviews with 4 representatives of the World Health Organization - Dr Maria Van Kerkhove PhD -Director of the Department of Epidemic & Pandemic Threat Management; Dr Jamie Rylance MD - Clinical Lead for Long COVID and part of the Clinical Management Team of the Health Emergencies Program; Cristiana Salvi - Regional Advisor for Community Resilience & Protection in the Health Security Division of WHO Europe; Leonardo Palumbo - Technical Officer in Community Engagement in the Health Security Division of WHO Europe. We talk about the WHO's support of Long COVID through advocacy, education research and community engagement and the steps the organization is taking to ensure Worldwide equity with regard to access to health resources for those living with Long COVID. REFERENCES: The World Health Organization Website The WHO declares COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30th Jan 2020 The WHO declares COVID-19 a Pandemic on the 11th March 2020 Dr Maria Van Kerkhove's Speech at the UBC Centre of Disease Control Global Health Security Summit in Vancouver Canada on 5th Nov 2025 WHO Mythbusters - 30th Jan 2026-31st March 2026

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Episode 28 - Long COVID Research & Potential Treatments Part 2– with Professor David Putrino

Professor David Putrino is a physiotherapist with a PhD in Neuroscience. He is currently the Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, and a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Professor Putrino recently opened the Mount Sinai Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness in New York also known as (CoRE) and serves as CoRE’s Family Director and is also a member of PolyBio’s Long COVID Research Consortium. Today's episode is the second in a two part series looking at research into potential treatments for Long COVID. REFERENCES 1 Polybio Article - A clinical trial of repurposed HIV antivirals in Long COVID 2 Patterson BK, Yogendra R, Guevara-Coto J, Mora-Rodriguez RA, Osgood E, Bream J, Parikh P, Kreimer M, Jeffers D, Rutland C, Kaplan G. Case series: maraviroc and pravastatin as a therapeutic option to treat long COVID/Post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC). Frontiers in Medicine. 2023 Feb 8;10:1122529. 3 Polybio Article - Long COVID low-dose rapamycin clinical trial 4 Polybio Article - Lumbrokinase Long COVID & ME/CFS clinical trial

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Episode 27 - Long COVID Research & Potential Treatments Part 1 – with Professor David Putrino PhD

Professor David Putrino is a physiotherapist with a PhD in Neuroscience. He is currently the Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, and a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Professor Putrino recently opened the Mount Sinai Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness in New York also known as (CoRE) and serves as CoRE’s Family Director and is also a member of PolyBio’s Long COVID Research Consortium. Today we talk about the pathophysiology of Long COVID in the context of describing research into targeted treatments for the disease. REFERENCES 1 Proal AD, VanElzakkerMB, Aleman S, Bach K, Boribong BP, Buggert M, Cherry S, Chertow DS, Davies HE, Dupont CL, Deeks SG. SARS-CoV-2 reservoir in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19(PASC). Nature Immunology. 2023 Oct;24(10):1616-27. 2 Klein J, Wood J,Jaycox JR, Dhodapkar RM, Lu P, Gehlhausen JR, Tabachnikova A, Greene K, Tabacof L, Malik AA, Silva Monteiro V. Distinguishing features of Long COVID identified through immune profiling. Nature. 2023 Nov 2;623(7985):139-48. 3 Long COVID low-dose Rapamycin clinical trial 4 Lumbrokinase LongCOVID & ME/CFS clinical trial 5 Silva J, Takahashi T, Wood J, Lu P, Tabachnikova A, Gehlhausen JR, Greene K, Bhattacharjee B, Monteiro VS, Lucas C, Dhodapkar RM. Sex differences in symptomatology and immune profiles of Long COVID. medRxiv. 2024 Mar 2:2024-02. 6 VanElzakker MB, Bues HF, Brusaferri L, Kim M, Saadi D, Ratai EM, Dougherty DD, Loggia ML. Neuroinflammation in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as assessed by [11C] PBR28 PET correlates with vascular disease measures. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 7 Fernández-CastañedaA, Lu P, Geraghty AC, Song E, Lee MH, Wood J, O’Dea MR, Dutton S, Shamardani K, Nwangwu K, Mancusi R. Mild respiratory COVID can cause multi-lineage neural cell and myelin dysregulation. Cell. 2022 Jul 7;185(14):2452-68.

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Episode 26 - A Potential Treatment & Biomarker for Long COVID with Professor Nancy Klimas

Professor Nancy Klimas is interviewed about the mechanisms behind how a nebulised medication caused a remarkable recovery from symptoms of ME/CFS and Long COVID in a small group of individuals and her objective to gain the ability to extend this research into a larger population of people with the hope of finding a viable treatment for these diseases. REFERENCES 1 Gil A, Hoag GE, Salerno JP, Hornig M, Klimas N, Selin LK. Identification of CD8 T-cell dysfunction associated with symptoms in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID and treatment with a nebulized antioxidant/anti-pathogen agent a restropective case series. 2 Long COVID the Answers Episode 6:“PEM, Long COVID & It’s Management featuring Professor Todd Davenport” 3 Appelman B, Charlton BT, Goulding RP, Kerkhoff TJ, Breedveld EA, Noort W, Offringa C, Bloemers FW, van Weeghel M, Schomakers BV, Coelho P., Wüst Rob.C Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID. Nature communications. 2024 Jan 4;15(1):1-5 4 Oldham WM, Lewis GD, Opotowsky AR, Waxman AB, Systrom DM. Unexplained exertional dyspnea caused by low ventricular filling pressures: results from clinical invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Pulm Circ. 2016 Mar;6(1):55-62. 5 Joseph P, Arevalo C, Oliveira RKF, Faria-Urbina M, Felsenstein D, Oaklander AL, Systrom DM. Insights From Invasive Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing of Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Chest. 2021 Aug;160(2):642-651. 6 Singh I, Joseph P, Heerdt PM, Cullinan M, Lutchmansingh DD, Gulati M, Possick JD, Systrom DM, Waxman AB. Persistent Exertional Intolerance After COVID-19: Insights From Invasive Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing. Chest. 2022 Jan;161(1):54-63. 7 Joseph P, Pari R, Miller S, Warren A, Stovall MC, Squires J, Chang CJ, Xiao W, Waxman AB, Systrom DM. Neurovascular Dysregulation and Acute Exercise Intolerance in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Pyridostigmine. Chest. 2022 Nov;162(5):1116-1126. 8 Open Medicine Foundation: Dr. David Systrom Discusses OMF's LIFT Clinical Trial

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Episode 25 - Mast-Cell Activation Syndrome & Long COVID with Dr David Lyons Kaufman MD

Dr David Lyons Kaufman is interviewed about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Dr Kaufman is a working member of the U.S. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Clinical Coalition and part of the Guideline Committee. He is a founder and practising physician of the Center for Complex Diseases based in Seattle and California, USA which has a focus on patients suffering from Complex Chronic Disease such as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome ME/CFS & Long COVID. REFERENCE Afrin LB, Ackerley MB, Bluestein LS, Brewer JH, Brook JB, Buchanan AD, Cuni JR, Davey WP, Dempsey TT, Dorff SR, Dubravec MS. Diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome: a global “consensus-2”. Diagnosis. 2021 May 1;8(2):137-52.

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Episode 24 - The Patient-Led Research Collaborative Part 2 with Gina Assaf & Letícia Soares

Gina Assaf & Letícia Soares are interviewed about the work they do as part of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative. In this episode we do a deep dive into their latest publication. REFERENCES 1 Soares L, Assaf G, McCorkell L, Davis H, Cohen A, Moen J, Shoemaker L, Liu L, Lewis D, Robles R, McWilliams C. Long COVID and associated outcomes following COVID-19 reinfections: Insights from an InternationalPatient-Led Survey.

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Episode 23 - Are Monoclonal Antibodies a Possible Treatment for Long COVID? With Professor Nancy Klimas

Dr Funmi Okunola MD interviews Professor Nancy Klimas MD about her research into the use of Monoclonal Antibodies as a possible treatment for Long COVID. We have an exciting and exclusive breaking news item in this episode! REFERENCES 1 Scheppke KA, Pepe PE, Jui J, Crowe RP, Scheppke EK, Klimas NG, Marty AM. Remission of severe forms of long COVID following monoclonal antibody (MCA) infusions: a report of signal index cases and call for targeted research. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2024 Jan 1;75:122-7. 2 Zuo W, He D, Liang C, Du S, Hua Z, Nie Q, Zhou X, Yang M, Tan H, Xu J, Yu Y. The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in tissues and its association with long COVID symptoms: a cross-sectional cohort study in China. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2024 Apr 22. 3 Hope & Help for Fatigue and Chronic Illness - The Institute For Neuro-Immune Medicine Podcast 4 Appelman B, Charlton BT, Goulding RP, Kerkhoff TJ, Breedveld EA, Noort W, Offringa C, Bloemers FW, van Weeghel M, Schomakers BV, Coelho P., Wüst Rob.C Muscle abnormalities worsen after post-exertional malaise in long COVID. Nature communications. 2024 Jan 4;15(1):1-5

Episode 22 – Patient-Led Research Collaborative Part 1– Lisa McCorkell, Gina Assaf & Letícia Soares

Three members of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative - Lisa McCorkell, Gina Assaf & Letícia Soares are interviewed by Dr Funmi Okunola about the organisation and the work it does. REFERENCES 1 The Patient-Led Research Collaborative Website 2 The Patient-Led Research Collaborative Donation Page 3 Portela MC et al. 2024. Protocol for an ambidirectional cohort study on long COVID and the healthcare needs, use and barriers to access health services in a large city in Southeast Brazi. lBMJ Open 14:e086656. 4 Caldas B et al. 2024. Promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in surveys: insights from a patient-engaged study to assess long COVID health-care needs in Brazil. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 173: 111423

Episode 21 - Social Media – A Force For Ill Turned To A Force For Good! – Richard Baron

Dr Richard Baron MD - Immediate Past President and CEO, American Board of Internal Medicine and ABIM Foundation talks about how social media was used in a positive fashion by healthcare professionals to conduct a successful COVID vaccination program during the height of the pandemic. This podcast was recorded earlier in 2024 prior to Dr Baron's leaving his post as President and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine in September 2024 REFERENCE Lalani HS, DiResta R, Baron RJ, Scales D. Addressing viral medical rumors and false or misleading information. Annals of Internal Medicine.2023 Aug;176(8):1113-20.

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Episode 20 - Chimére’s Personal Long COVID Story and Advocacy PART 2 – Chimére L. Sweeney

Chimére Sweeney, an award winning , former middle school teacher, writer, film producer, speaker, and long COVID advocate, is interviewed about her Long COVID story. This is the second of two episodes.

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Episode 19 - Chimére’s Personal Long COVID Story and Advocacy PART 1 – Chimére L. Sweeney

Chimére Sweeney, an award winning , former middle school teacher, writer, film producer, speaker, and long COVID advocate, is interviewed about her Long COVID story. This is the first of two episodes. REFERENCES "Could You Hug Me Longer, Please? Reclaiming Touch and Intimacy as a Black Woman with Long COVID". published online in SheKnows February 2023.

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Episode 18 - The Cardiovascular Effects of Long COVID – Professor Erica Spatz MD

Professor Erica Spatz MD talks to Dr Funmi Okunola MD about the effects of Long COVID on the heart. Professor Spatz is a cardiologist and clinical investigator at the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. She is the Associate Professor of Cardiology and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Yale School of Medicine in the USA and is the Director of the Preventative Cardiovascular Health Program. REFERENCES 1.Shah SM, Odanovic N, Kunnirickal S, Feher A, Pfau SE, Spatz ES. Chest pain and coronary endothelial dysfunction after recovery from COVID‐19: A case series. Clinical Case Reports. 2022 Apr;10(4):e05612. 2.HilserJR, Spencer NJ, Afshari K, Gilliland FD, Hu H, Deb A, Lusis AJ, Wilson Tang WH, Hartiala JA, Hazen SL, Allayee H. COVID-19 Is a Coronary Artery Disease Risk Equivalent and Exhibits a Genetic Interaction With ABO Blood Type. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2024 Nov;44(11):2321-33.

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Episode 17 – Dysautonomia, POTS, ME/CFS & Long COVID

Professor Ric Arseneau MD is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and a specialist in Internal Medicine with expertise in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/ CFS), Fibromyalgia and Long COVID. Dr Funmi Okunola MD talks to Professor Arseneau MD about ME/CFS, Long COVID and the diagnosis and management of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). REFERENCES: 1.Definition of Dysautonomia 2.Dr Ric Arseneau Homepage 3.POTS - NASA Lean Test 4 YouTube Video of Physiotherapy Management of Dysautonomia/POTS by Trineta Mohan Bhojwani

Episode 16 – Breathing Difficulties and Long COVID with Professor Michelle Harkins MD

Professor Michelle Harkins MD is Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico and Division Chief Of Pulmonary Critical Care in the United States of America is interviewed by Dr Funmi Okunola MD about breathing difficulties with Long COVID. REFERENCES 1 Breathing Difficulty in Long COVID - Long COVID the Answers Website 2. . Evans R, Pick A, Lardner R, Masey V, Smith N, Greenhalgh T. Breathing difficulties after covid-19: a guide for primary care. bmj. 2023 Jun 14;381.

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Episode 15 - The Psychiatric Management of Mental Health in Long COVID with Professor Thida Thant MD

This interview is part of our neurological Long COVID section of the series. Professor Thida Thant MD is an award-winning consultation liaison psychiatrist and Director of the Psychiatric Consultation for the Medically Complex Clinic at the University of Colorado, where she provides rehabilitation for Long COVID survivors. She is one of the few psychiatrists we have found who is taking a lead in the rehabilitation of people with complex chronic disease. References 1 Psychiatric Consultation for the Medically Complex Program at the University of Colorado 2 APA Resource Document on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Subacute & Chronic Long COVID

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Episode 14 - ME/CFS – What is it? – with Professor Ric Arseneau MD

Professor Ric Arseneau MD is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and a specialist in internal medicine with expertise in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/ CFS), Fibromyalgia and Long COVID. He is interviewed today about ME/CFS by Dr Funmi Okunola MD. REFERENCES 1. Walitt B, Singh K, LaMunion SR, Hallett M, Jacobson S, Chen K, Enose-Akahata Y, Apps R, Barb JJ, Bedard P, Brychta RJ. Deep phenotyping of post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Nature Communications. 2024 Feb 21;15(1):907. 2 Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico 3 Dr Ric Arseneau Website 4. ME TV 5 "Family & Friends" - ME TV Video 6 2003 Canadian Consensus Criteria for ME/CFS 7 2016 Definition for Fibromyalgia (FM) 8 Vahratian A, Lin JM, Bertolli J, Unger ER. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in adults: United States, 2021–2022. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics; 2023 Dec 1. 9 "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome More Common than Previous Estimates" - Medical News Dec 2023 10 Hickie I, Davenport T, Wakefield D, Vollmer-Conna U, Cameron B, Vernon SD, Reeves WC, Lloyd A. Post-infective and chronic fatigue syndromes precipitated by viral and non-viral pathogens: prospective cohort study.Bmj. 2006 Sep 14;333(7568):575.

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Episode 13 - Other Viral Illnesses that lead to Chronic Post Viral Illness Part 2 wIth Dr Amy Proal

Dr Amy Proal, Microbiologist, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Polybio discusses Long COVID in the context of other viral illnesses that lead to Chronic Post Viral Illness. This is part 2 of a 2 part series. REFERENCES 1. Polybio 2. Proal AD, VanElzakker MB. Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC): an overview of biological factors that may contribute to persistent symptoms. Frontiers in microbiology. 2021 Jun 23;12:698169.

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