“You Blink and It's 30 Years Later": Mary Barnes Reflects on a Career Defined by Connection
By: Maisie O'Brien
Reflecting on her career in the Tufts Occupational Therapy Department, Faculty Mentor Mary Barnes is struck by the countless students and colleagues she has collaborated with, noting how quickly time passes in the whir of academic life. “You blink and it’s 30 years later — it’s startling,” she says. “There were so many wonderful people who were a part of my journey. I couldn’t tell you the number of students who have inspired me and whose careers I hope to have impacted.”
Barnes frequently credits the Tufts faculty past and present who shaped her professional life. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to work with and learn from departmental greats like her mentor, Sharan Schwartzberg, along with Linda Tickle-Degnen, Gary Bedell, Paul Levis, and Sharon Ray. She also had the privilege early on in her career of working alongside OT scholars such as Maureen Fleming and Helen Smith.
“The program has always emphasized the importance of connection and community,” she says. “I’ve been impressed by the thoughtful, innovative OT colleagues I’ve had the honor to work with through Tufts, locally, nationally, and internationally.” The level of scholarship I was able to achieve in terms of publications, presentations, and teaching would never have been possible without their mentorship, support, and example.
That commitment to community has been central to her work. For many years, a large part of Barnes’ career involved serving as the Level I Fieldwork Coordinator. In this challenging administrative and community-building role, she partnered with local organizations to create short-term fieldwork placements for OT students. Barnes is proud of these opportunities exposing students to different aspects of OT practice.
Barnes has also left her mark on the curriculum. She collaborated closely with Jess Harney and other faculty members to develop the doctoral experience component (DEC) curriculum, and served as the DEC coordinator for the past seven years. She is now informally mentoring Assistant Teaching Professor Brynn Speroni, who has taken over the role as Barnes has moved into semi-retirement.
Barnes’ passion for hands-on coursework extended to the classroom, where she co-taught courses on group dynamics and leadership with Professor Emerita Sharan Schwartzberg. These courses were experiential and interdisciplinary, drawing elements from psychology, social work, and occupational therapy. “Sometimes groups can be a better method of promoting healing and growth than one-on-one intervention,” Barnes explains. “We’re social creatures and life happens in group contexts.”
She stresses that understanding group dynamics is essential for OTs, particularly in systems like education and healthcare. “Inevitably there’s going to be someone who dismisses OT’s value,” she says. “When this happens, it's important to navigate through the discomfort and disagreement in order to effectively advocate for your client and the profession.”
Barnes’ own academic and OT career started at Tufts after a chance encounter with OT students in her dorm led her to switch from pre-med. She was looking for a pragmatic academic path that promised a clear path to gainful employment. “I liked the practical, immediately applicable aspect of OT,” she recalls. “I liked the strong foundation we get as generalists and how we’re able to add value in all sorts of different settings.”
A Triple Jumbo, Barnes earned her BS, MS, and OTD at Tufts. When reflecting on what makes the program special, she points to the student-centered approach. “I think we all have a deep commitment to understanding who each student is and considering how we can facilitate their success or deepen their self-understanding,” she says. “I always want my students to feel valued and empowered to go as far as they desire in and beyond the profession.”
The field’s flexibility is something Barnes appreciates firsthand. After completing her undergraduate degree, she spent over a decade working with children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. This year, she returned to that work as an occupational therapy mentor at The Guild for Human Services in Concord, MA, serving youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“There’s room for pretty much everyone in OT,” she says of the field's breadth. “We get a lot of biological and social science-oriented folks, athletes, and artists. I always tell students, it’s not a profession where you have to go it alone. There are always mentors who are happy to help you navigate a problem — OTs love connecting and problem solving!”
She concludes: “You can measure impact in numbers, but there’s also impact that’s felt. I want my students and alums to feel proud of being an OT and where it’s taken them.”