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Academy of Research in OT

About AOTF   >   Awards and Honors   >   Academy of Research in OT
December 21, 2024

 

  

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Academy of Research In Occupational Therapy

AOREstablished in 1983, the AOTF Academy of Research in Occupational Therapy recognizes individuals who have made exemplary, distinguished, and sustained contributions toward the science of occupational therapy. Every year, the Academy of Research invites nominations for membership. After consideration of the nominations and supporting materials, the Academy selects individuals to be inducted into this distinguished body of researchers. Usually, inductions occur at the next AOTA Annual Conference and Exposition.  

Nominations submission deadline was October 30, 2024.

Nomination Procedures

View Presentations from the 2022 Academy of Research Inductees and 2022 Early & Mid-Career Awardees

View Presentations from the 2021 Academy of Research Inductees and 2021 Early & Mid-Career Awardees

2024 Inductees to the Academy

2024

Lindy Clemson, PhD, MAppSc (Research), BAppSc (OT), Dip OT, FOTARA, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney Sydney, Australia

2024

Professor Emeritus Lindy Clemson is a specialist in public health research on ageing and an occupational therapist with a PhD in epidemiology. She has led research and advocacy internationally for best practice in home evaluation and falls prevention using environmental and enablement strategies. Her research has transformed approaches to fall prevention and provided new approaches and strategies to occupational therapy and medical practitioners and to a lay audience.

This work positively impacts the lives of countless older people around the world. Clemson’s contributions have been recognized by national and international entities, including being elected as an inaugural fellow of the Australian Occupational Therapy Research Academy, reflecting her exemplary, distinguished, and sustained contributions to the science of occupational therapy.

2024

Roberta Gittens Pineda, PhD, OTR/L, CNT, Associate Professor, Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California Los Angeles, Calif.

2024

Dr. Roberta Pineda is a tenured Associate Professor and Director of the NICU Laboratory within the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California. She is also a founder and co-chair of the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board. Dr. Pineda’s impactful research program investigates factors that support or impede the function of infants born prematurely with a long-term goal of developing strategies and interventions that can optimize neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Over the past decade, she has received $7 million in grant funding to support the development and implementation of several innovative programs, assessments, and products that have revolutionized key aspects of the NICU environment, including an evidence-based multimodal program that facilitates positive sensory exposures in the NICU, a standardized neonatal feeding outcome measure, a new bottle technology that paces the timing of food intake, and a community-based program that addresses gaps in therapy services associated with the transition from NICU to home, especially among populations with known health disparities.

2024

Ganesh M. Babulal, PhD, OTD, MSCI, MOT, OTR/L, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

2024

Dr. Ganesh M. Babulal is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Babulal’s research interests reside in investigating the relationship between cognition and mental health and its impact on instrumental activities of daily living in healthy older adults and those with chronic neurological diseases.

Consistent with these interests, his funded research studies include (1) characterizing functional changes in older adults using biomarkers (structural and functional imaging, cerebrospinal fluid, plasma), (2) predicting a decline in performance and behavior via novel methodologies, (3) identifying reliable noncognitive behavioral markers that predict preclinical disease state, and (4) examining the relationship between mental health and cognitive functioning on brain health.

As his research evolved, its progression grew from structural and social determinants of health (SSDOH) and health disparities while addressing the translational gap. This work has scaled up to now examine how upstream SSDOH factors impact adverse health outcomes in underrepresented, minoritized groups in the United States and vulnerable populations in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

 

 

Members of the Academy of Research

View Full List of Academy of Research Members At-A-Glance. * indicates a deceased member.

Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
Helene Ross
/ Categories: AOTF Academy of Research

Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

1988

Dr. Miller is founder and Clinical Director, STAR (Sensory Therapies and Research) Center, Greenwood Village, Colorado, an Associate Clinical Professor, Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, Professor, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Doctoral Programs in Pediatrics, Provo, Utah, and founder and Research Director, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Foundation, Greenwood Village, Colorado. (Retrieved on July 13, 2015 from http://spdstar.org/files/2011/12/MillerAbbreviatedCV15.pdf.)  As an occupational therapist and research scientist, Dr. Miller's mission is  studying the validity of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and evaluating the effectiveness of occupational therapy in changing  occupational outcomes in children with SPD and other neurodevelopmental and behavioral conditions.

AOTF awarded Dr. Miller the A. Jean Ayres Research Award In 1992.  Dr. Miller was the recipient of the American Occupational Therapy Association's highest award, the Award of Merit, in 2004 and named her one of the 100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy.


Q AND A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
Persistent, Focused, Committed.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
I hope to improve the quality of care for the clients that we serve by improving the quality of OT assessments and interventions.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Find a strong mentor.

Beside your own areas of inquiry, what is one research priority that you believe is important for the future of occupational science and occupational therapy?
PCORI emphasis on comparative effectiveness studies.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.  
Mentors have both challenged and supported me in exploring research ideas and methodologies.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
I enjoy racquetball as an enjoyable aerobic exercise and an opportunity to be competitive with persons much younger than me!

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The most surprising aspect has been the fact that so many people have cited my early research on the measurement of grip and pinch strength. The most rewarding aspect has been the fact that my research has helped change OT assessments and interventions for the better! I believe that it has improved the quality of care that we provide to our clients. In addition, the opportunity to mentor future researchers and academicians has been very rewarding.


REFERENCES

Miller, LJ, Nielsen, DM & Schoen SA.  (2012). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sensory modulation disorder: a comparison of behavior and physiology. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33, 804-818.

Schoen, SA, Miller, LJ & Sullivan JC.  (2014). Measurement in sensory modulation: the sensory processing scale assessment. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, 522-530.

Sullivan, JC, Miller, LJ, Nielsen, DM & Schoen SA.  (2014). The presence of migraines and its association with sensory hyperreactivity and anxiety symptomatology in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 18, 743-747. 

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