Nia I. Toomer-Mensah, PT DPT
Accepting New Patients
Overview
Every child deserves the opportunity to move, participate, and thrive. My role is to help children achieve meaningful participation in the activities that matter most to them.
Dr. Nia Toomer-Mensah is a board-certified pediatric physical therapist and clinical scientist with more than 20 years of clinical experience caring for infants, children, and adolescents with developmental, neurologic, and genetic conditions. She has a special clinical interest in cerebral palsy, developmental delay, rare neurogenetic disorders, and empowering children with medical complexity to achieve meaningful participation at home, in school, and within their communities. Dr. Toomer-Mensah collaborates with the Department of Pediatrics, the Department of Neurology, and the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center to advance early identification and provide evidence-based rehabilitation across the continuum of care. Her clinical practice is closely integrated with her research, which focuses on physical activity, motor development, and innovative approaches to measuring and improving participation and long-term health outcomes for children with disabilities. Her expertise includes the use of wearable technologies and standardized outcome measures to evaluate physical activity and motor function in children with cerebral palsy and other medically complex pediatric populations.
Administrative Titles
- Physical Therapist
Gender
- Female
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Location(s)
Insurance Accepted
Aetna
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- EPO
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- NY Signature
- POS
- PPO
- Student Health
Affinity Health Plan
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
Amida Care
- Special Needs
Cigna
- EPO
- Great West (National)
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
Emblem/GHI
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Emblem/HIP
- ConnectiCare
- EPO
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
- Select Care (Exchange)
- Vytra
Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- EPO
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
Fidelis Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Healthfirst
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Leaf (Exchange)
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Healthspring (Cigna Medicare)
- Medicare Managed Care
Local 1199
- Local 1199
MagnaCare (National)
- MagnaCare
Medicare
- Traditional Medicare
Multiplan
- Multiplan
MVP Health Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
UnitedHealthcare
- Empire Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid (Community Plan)
- Medicare Managed Care
- Oxford Freedom
- Oxford HMO
- Oxford Liberty
- POS
- PPO
VNSNY CHOICE
- Medicare Managed Care
- SelectHealth
- Special Needs
WellCare
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
World Trade Center Health Plan
- World Trade Center Health Plan
*Before your appointment, please contact the doctor’s office or your insurance provider to verify that your insurance is accepted. This list of insurances can change, and the insurance plans listed may not be accepted at all office locations for this provider.
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- BS, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
- DPT, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
- PhD, Teachers College Columbia University, New York, NY
- Fellowship: Motor Development Lab, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Research
Selected Publications
- Toomer-Mensah N, O'Neil M, Blacutt M, Quinn L. Measuring Physical Activity in Children Who Do Not Walk and With Cerebral Palsy: An Exploratory Case Series. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2024 Jul 1;36(3):353-362. PubMed PMID: 38758603.
- Toomer-Mensah, N.; O’Neil, M.; Quinn, L. Validity of PROMIS® Pediatric Physical Activity Parent Proxy Short Form Scale as a Physical Activity Measure for Children with Cerebral Palsy Who Are Non-Ambulatory. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 1042. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081042
- Toomer-Mensah, N., O’Neil, M., & Quinn, L. Parents’ and physical therapists’ perspectives on defining and measuring physical activity in non-ambulatory children with cerebral palsy. (Under review) Pediatric PT. 2026
- Verit, G., Anwar, D., Greenberg, M., Cisek, J., Hinrichs, K., Mensah, N., & Kirker, K. (2025). Effects of Hydrotherapy on Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pediatric physical therapy: the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association, 10.1097/PEP.0000000000001256.https://doi.org/10.1097/PEP.0000000000001256
- Dodds, C., Mulrenin, B., Cormack, C., Kascak, K., Mensah, N., Gellert-Jones, M., Heilman, K., Gregoski, M., Keller, E., & Beall, J. (2025). Heart Rate Variability Responses in Children With Medical Complexity Across Sensory Domains. International journal of pediatrics, 2025, 5803653. https://doi.org/10.1155/ijpe/5803653
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov