Department Scholarship
Scholarship is inherent in all aspects of our program. All faculty imbue their courses with scholarly content in multiple ways, and all faculty are involved in scholarly activities through research, teaching and service. Developmentally, scholarship is implicitly introduced in the earliest courses through the use of evidence within courses and the way faculty model scholarship through their clinical reasoning and their own scholarly projects. As the students progress they actively engage in scholarship: Developing community programs, writing a scoping review, participating in research labs, and culminating with the application of scholarship through their Doctoral Capstone Project. This implicit and explicit reliance on scholarship shapes our students as leaders and advocates of the profession and enables them to develop and implement programs in emerging practice areas.
Transformative Experiences, Bold Ideas, Innovate, Active Citizenship
Our faculty scholarship focuses in areas of emerging practice and look for novel methods to address individual and population issues related to participation. We have strong collaborations with other disciplines and within the community.
Students engage in discovery research within faculty labs which enable them to have transformative scholarship experiences. Classroom activities, such as completing a scoping review, develop high levels or scholarship and transform their understanding of the idea of scholarship and research. They have multiple service learning projects which encourage scholarship related real problems in the community.
Participation
Participation is the common link in all faculty and student scholarship. Research of Discovery, Integration, Application, and Teaching/Learning are all aimed at understanding/improving participation in people, populations, and communities.
Explore our recent and upcoming scholarship
Explore Our Recent Doctoral Capstone Projects
We are delighted to be digitally disseminating to you our doctoral student and faculty scholarly collaborations. We hope you find this information meaningful and helpful in sparking further innovation in the occupational therapy profession.
Nancy Baker, ScD, MPH, OTR, FAOTA will be presenting at the American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2024 on: Can Immersive Virtual Reality Improve the Effect of Meditation for People with Fibromyalgia? MAOT/RIOTA Brochure listings:
Heather Gilbert, OT, OTD, OTR will be presenting at the NHOTA Fall Conference 2024 on: OTP Leadership in Community-Based Practice: Supports, Barriers, & Recommendations
Presentations
Join us at the MAOT/RIOTA conference on November 1st!
We have a number of faculty and alumni presentations and poster sessions:
Session 1G: Using Virtual Reality in Occupational Therapy Practice
Presenters: Nancy Baker, OT, ScD, MPH, OTR, FAOTA, Anna Leffler, OT, OTD, OTR, Augusta Polhemus, OT, OTD, OTR
Session 2C: Inclusive Language Principles and Occupational Therapy Applications
Presenters: Rachel Goodman, OT, OTD, OTR, Mary Alicia Barnes, OT, OTD, OTR, Sarah Skeels, MPH
Session 3B: Respecting the Evidence: Handwriting Intervention and Advocacy
Presenters: Jan Hollenbeck, OT, OTD, OTR, FAOTA, (Margaret) Peggy Morris, OT, OTD, OTR, BCP
Session 3D: OTP Leadership in Community-Based Practice: Supports, Barriers, & Recommendations
Presenters: Heather Gilbert, OT, OTD, OTR, Ryan Whitney, OT, OTD, OTR
Session 4G: AT to Enable Occupations: Gaming & Social Media Participation
Presenters: Jennifer Buxton, OT, MEd., OTR, ATP, Loren McMahon, OT, OTD, OTR, ATP, Peggy Dellea, OT, MS, OT
Poster Sessions
Group Participation and Older Adult Quality of Life
Presenters: Tabitha Franceschini, OT/s, Temor Amin-Arsala, OT, OTD, OTR
Fidelity Measure for ExerSHINE Kids® POWER Bootcamp Program
Presenters: Erin Wolfe, OTD, Amy Wheadon, OT, OTD, OTR, NASM ,CPT, Margaret Morris, OT, OTD,
OTR, BCP
Childhood Universal Design for Learning and Inclusion
Presenters: Mary Laurita, OTD, Kaitlyn Irwin OT, OTD, Hanna Gebretensae, EdD, Gabriela Herrera, MA
Vocational Interventions for Adults Engaging in Substance Misuse
Presenters: Madeline Zarro, B.S., OT/s, Julia Angell, B.S., OT/s, Natasha Harianto ,B.A., OT/s, Ashley Loh, B.A., OT/s, Xenia Proestakis-Ortiz, B.S., OT/s, Nancy Baker, OT, ScD, MPH, OTR, FAOTA
Community Garden’s Accessibility for Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Presenters: Sydney Gill, OTD, Jessica Harney, OT, DPT, Brukilacchio, Ed.M., OTR
Barriers to Leisure Among Young Adults with TBI
Presenters: Lydia Lewis ,B.S., OT/s, Xiaoyu Yan, B.S., OT/s, Yuna Chung, B.A., OT/s, Ruanne Catapang, B.A., OT/s, Lauren Russell, B.S., OT/s, Nancy Baker, OT, ScD, MPH, OTR, FAOTA
Exploring Animal-Assisted Interventions for Veterans with PTSD
Presenters: Charlene Ong, OT/s, Tavleen Kaur, OT/s, Samraj Gaddam, OT/s, Alhanouf Idrees, OT/s, Maya Manimalethu, OT/s, Nancy Baker, OT, ScD, MPH, OTR, FAOTA
Loneliness Prevention within Community Dwelling Older Adults
Presenters: Rachael Drislane, OT/s, Temor Amin-Arsala, OT, OTD, OTR
Inclusive Programming & Self-Regulation at a Youth Recreation Program
Presenters: Alexa Klein, OTD, Ryan Whitney, OT, OTD, OTR, MA
HIV+ Medication Adherence and Sexual Risk: Scoping review
Presenters: Justine Gregg, CTRS, OT/s, Chloe Chapin, OT/s, Danielle Fortier, OT/s, Katherine Kaufman, OT/s, Rebecca Lovett, OT/s, Nancy Baker, OT, ScD, MPH, OTR, FAOTA
Congrats to other alum who will also be presenting!
Effects of Occupational Therapy Training on School-Based Practice
Presenters: Jan Hollenbeck, OT, OTD, OTR, FAOTA, Sharon Ray, OT, ScD, OTR, FAOTA
Peer Facilitation: Enhancing OT Student Fieldwork Readiness
Presenters: Tara Mansour, OT, OTD, MS, OTR, Varsha Geer OT, OTD, OTR
Session 2G: Harnessing AI in OT: ChatGPT & Intervention Planning
Presenters: Tara Mansour, OT, OTD, MS, OTR
Thank you Ruanne Catapang, OT/s for leading our inaugural in-person advocacy trip to the prestigious AOTA Hill Day in Washington, DC!
Congratulations to:
Saloni Patel, OTD; Mary Alicia Barnes, OTD, & Lisa Jaegers, PhD on their publication in OTJR: Occupational Therapy in Carceral Settings: Qualitative Study of Practitioner Experiences and Perspectives
Our recent post professional OTD graduates:
- Tay (Temor) Amin-Arsala, OTD
- Brynn Speroni, OTD
Our Future Leader Fellow:
- Lydia Lewis, OT/s
Our Certificate program graduates:
Certificate in Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation
- Xenia Proestakis, OT/s
- Marina Ghobrial, OT/s
Advanced Professional Certification in School-Based Practice
- Megan Ziembowicz, OT/s
Learn more about our Graduate Programs.
Exciting grant funded research projects underway!
Ryan Whitney, Brynn Speroni, Mary Barnes, & Nancy Baker were awarded a springboard grant by Tufts Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction to fund a community engaged collaboration to evaluate effectiveness of occupational therapy in residential recovery services.