Dr. Lin is professor of occupational therapy at National Taiwan University and currently serves as Director of the General Affairs division of the College of Medicine at the University. Dr. Lin and his collaborators study whether, and to what extent, new rehabilitation interventions, such as robotic therapy, restore purposeful movement and the ability to do daily activities in patients who have suffered a stroke. To understand how improvement happens, Dr. Lin studies the changes that occur in the brain while the person is engaged in those interventions or how the brain has changed as a result of those interventions. Then, to ensure that the patient and others can have confidence in the progress reported to them, Dr. Lin studies the reliability and responsiveness of tests that are used to measure improvement in voluntary movement and basic and extended activities of daily living in persons who have had a stroke.

SELECTED RESOURCES

Wu, C. Y., Chuang, I. C., Ma, H. I., Lin, K. C., & Chen, L (2016). Validity and responsiveness of the Revised Nottingham Sensation Assessment for outcome evaluation in stroke rehabilitation. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70, (2), 1-8.  

Fan, Y.T., Wu, C.Y., Liu, H.L., Lin, K.C., Wai, Y.Y., & Chen, Y.L (2015).  Neuroplastic changes in resting-state functional connectivity after stroke rehabilitation.  Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, Article 546.  

Chen, H.L., Lin, K.C., Liing, R.J., Wu, C.Y., & Chen. C.L et al. (2015). Kinematic measures of Arm-trunk movements during unilateral and bilateral reaching predict clinically important change in perceived arm use in daily activities after intensive stroke rehabilitation. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 12, 84.  

Lin, K.C., Huang, P.C., Chen, Y.T., Wu, C.Y., & Huang, W.L (2014). Combining Afferent Stimulation and Mirror Therapy for Rehabilitating Motor Function, Motor Control, Ambulation, and Daily Functions after Stroke.   Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 28(2), 153– 162.

Hsieh, Y.W., Wu, C.Y., Lin, K.C., Yao, G., Wu, & Chang, Y.J (2012). Dose–Response Relationship of Robot-Assisted Stroke Motor Rehabilitation the Impact of Initial Motor Status. Stroke, 43 (10), 2729-2734.

Dr. Bedell is associate professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Tufts University. His research and scholarship involves development of measures and interventions focused on participation of children and youth with disabilities. He consults, writes and presents on conceptual and methodological considerations for measuring participation and the physical and social environment. His measures are used nationally and internationally.

He is author of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) and Child and Adolescent Scale of Environment (CASE) and co-author of the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) and Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM). Dr. Bedell was Measurement Core Co-director for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Interventions for Children and Youth with Traumatic Brain Injury and is Collaborating Researcher for the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University. His currently funded research involves development and testing of an app-based coaching intervention for teenagers with traumatic brain injury: Social Participation And Navigation (SPAN).McCauley, S.R, Wilde, E.A., Anderson, V., Bedell, G., Beers, S., ... & Yeates, K.O. (2012).

Q and A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
Pragmatic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
My plan is to continue to collaborate with multiple stakeholders locally and globally to ensure best practices to measure and promote participation of individuals with disabilities across the lifespan in home, school and community life. My hope is that my work and the work of many of my esteemed colleagues will ensure that stakeholders are able to select measures that can address their information goals and select intervention approaches that acknowledge and leverage the expertise of clients and their loved ones.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
I would first say that there are many pathways to embark or re-embark on a career in science and research depending on your life situation, opportunities and level of commitment. These pathways could be in the form of post-doctoral fellowships, mentored research award, or developing your own self-directed collaborations with more experienced research mentors that are doing work in areas that resonate with you. Also, a committed work ethic, openness to feedback and development of a thick skin particularly in response to grant proposals that may not be funded or manuscripts that might be rejected or require extensive revisions will serve you well (I'm still working on the thicker skin).

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?
An important future priority is research that examines effective, efficient and safe uses of technology and tele- health to deliver occupational therapy or occupational therapy-informed interdisciplinary interventions to help individuals with disabilities or at risk of disability and their loved ones to manage or co-manage daily life activities. I also believe continued study into the health and societal benefits of meaningful occupation are critical for the future of occupational therapy and science.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
My mentors provided me with numerous opportunities that challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and provided me with constructive feedback along the way. This started in my doctoral program at NYU with Dr. Jim Hinojosa and continued during my post-doctoral fellowship at BU with Drs. Stephen Haley, Wendy Coster and Alan Jette. Key advice that has served me well was to collaborate and share resources with colleagues across disciplines and to seek out multiple funding sources especially when starting out whether this be through private foundations, professional associations, federal funding or internal funding.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
Kayaking with my dogs in Provincetown, Massachusetts where I also dabble a little bit in painting (so hard to choose one occupation :) .

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The most rewarding aspect of my work is the acknowledgement that many interdisciplinary colleagues around the world are using my measures and citing my prior studies to inform their research. This would not have been possible without the strong collaborations and sharing of knowledge and expertise I have had along the way.

Selected References

McCauley, S.R, Wilde, E.A., Anderson, V., Bedell, G., Beers, S., ... & Yeates, K.O. (2012). Recommendations for the use of common outcome measures on pediatric traumatic brain injury research. Journal of Neurotrauma, 29, 678-705. doi: 10.1089/neu.2011.1838. PMID 21644810.

Bedell, G., Coster, W., Law, M., Liljenquist, K., Kao, YC, Teplicky, R., Anaby, D, & Khetani, MA (2013). Community participation, supports and barriers of school-age children with and without disabilities. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 94, 315-323. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2012.09.024. PMID 23044364.

Bedell, G., Khetani, M. Cousins, M., Coster, W., & Law, M. (2011). Parent perspectives to inform development of measures of children's participation and environment. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 9, 765- 773. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2010.12.029. PMID 21530724.

Bedell, G., & McDougall, J. (2013). The Child and Adolescent Scale of Environment (CASE): Further validation with youth who have chronic health conditions. Developmental Neurorehabilitation. Early online publication. doi: 10.3109/17518423.2103.855273. PMID 24304145.

McDougall, J., Bedell, G., & Wright, V. (2013). The youth report version of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP): Assessment of psychometric properties and comparison with parent report. Child: Care, Health and Development, 39, 512-522. doi: 10.1111/cch.12050. PMID 23763252.

Dr. Baum is Elias Michael Director and Professor of Occupational Therapy, Neurology, and Social Work, School of Medicine and Brown School, Washington University, St, Louis, Missouri. Her clinical interests are in the areas of aging, occupational performance assessment, and program development using a Person-Environment-Occupational Performance Model. Dr. Baum's research focuses on the role of cognition in everyday life and the enabling of everyday performance in people with chronic health conditions and disability. (Retrieved on Dec 19, 2014 from http://www.ot.wustl.edu/about/our-people/faculty/carolyn-m-baum-254.)

From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Baum was editor of the AOTF research journal, OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health.  Dr. Baum is one of the 100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy named by AOTA.

Q and A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.  
Doer, Enabler, Futurist.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
By building collaborations to address questions that improve the human condition.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Choose an environment where you work with successful scientists in your entry level training.

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?
Understanding how social supports (emotional, informational and instrumental) support daily life.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
Challenging my ideas.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
Cooking for guests.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The relationships that develop from shared ideas to friendships.

Selected References

Baum, C. M. (1980). Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship - 1980: Occupational therapists put care in the health system. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 34, 505-516.

Baum, CM & Edwards, D. (2008). Activity Sort Card: ACS. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.

Morrison, MT, Giles, GM, Ryan, JD, Baum, CM, Dromerick, AW, Polatajko, HJ & Edwards, DF. (2013). Multiple Errands Test - Revised (MET - R): A performance-based measure of executive function in people with mild cerebrovascular accident. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 460-468.

Polatajko, HJ, McEwen, SE, Ryan, JD & Baum, CM. (2012). Pilot randomized controlled trial investigating cognitive strategy use to improve goal performance after stroke. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66, 104-109.

Dr. Lannin holds a joint research-only position with Alfred Health (Melbourne) and La Trobe University, and is an honorary Research Fellow at the John Walsh Institute for Rehabilitation Research at The University of Sydney, the George Institute for Global Health and the Florey Institute of Neurosciences and Mental Health. Working within the Alfred Health hospital network, she conducts clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions as well as translation research into improving the long-term outcomes for those living with an acquired brain injury from stroke or traumatic causes. Dr. Lannin is a supervisor of higher research degree students (PhD and Master's). She has published widely in leading journals such as Stroke, Journal of Epidemiology, and Clinical Rehabilitation, and has received competitive research grants from federal government (including NHMRC), state government (including the Transport Accident Commission) and philanthropic organizations (including the National Stroke Foundation).

Read more about Dr. Lannin on her webpage.

Q AND A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.

Dedicated, honest, passionate.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
At the heart of my research is the goal to increase the efficacy of what occupational therapists do every day with inpatients in rehabilitation, a belief that every patient deserves to receive the most effective services and treatment; the right treatment at the right time. So, I hope to make a difference by defining best practice, by conducting systematic reviews and running clinical trials; as well as conducting mixed methods and epidemiological studies designed to provide greater understanding of the issues as well as the prevalence of the problems, their impact on being able to perform everyday activities and how to best support independence and quality of life after neurological damage. And, most importantly, from seeing these findings translated across into the clinical rehabilitation of adults after brain injury and stroke.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Focus on one area and think carefully about the big issues in that area. You will need to keep coming back to these issues, and try not to sidetracked. Really good ideas translate to good research if they are grounded in real clinical issues, and as a researcher you can make instrumental changes to clinical practice if you remain focused on the issues that you are most passionate about.

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?
Determining the cost-effectiveness of occupational therapy- we have the beginnings of this information in some areas of practice, but our cost-effectiveness is not yet universally known.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
The role of advocate. My mentors have not only provided advice and support to me directly, they have advocated for me to others which has led to some amazing opportunities for me. In many ways, they have been just as dedicated to my success, as they have their own.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work:
Parenting.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The most rewarding has been the opportunity to co-design programs and research with consumers, this is what keeps me going. The thought that the work we do is really, really important to the people who I work with.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Lannin, N., Carr, B., Allaous, J., Mackenzie, B., Falcon, A., & Tate, R (2014). A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of handheld computers for improving everyday memory functioning in patients with memory impairments after acquired brain injury. Clinical Rehabilitation, 28(5), 470–481.

Lannin, N. A., Cusick, A., McCluskey, A., & Herbert, R. D (2007).  Effects of Splinting on Wrist Contracture after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.  Stroke. 38, 111-116.  

Laver, K., Lannin, N. A.,  Bragge, P.,  Hunter, P.,  Holland, A., E., Tavender, E.,  O’Connor, D.,  Khan, F., Teasell, R.,  & Gruen Laver, R  et al (2014). Organising health care services for people with an acquired brain injury: an overview of systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials.  BMC Health Services Research, 14, 397.   

Gonçalves-Bradley, D.C., Lannin, N.A., Clemson, L.M., Cameron, I.D., & Shepperd, S (2016).  Discharge planning from hospital. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1. Art. No.: CD000313. 

Grace Baranek is a prolific scholar and internationally renowned expert on sensory features of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She earned her bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from the University of Illinois at the Medical Center and both her master's and PhD degrees in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to her 2016 appointment as associate dean and chair of the USC Chan Division, she was a professor and associate chair for research in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
 
Beginning in 2003, Dr. Baranek was the Principal Investigator of the Sensory Experiences Project funded by the National Institute Health (NIH) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The 10-year study totaling more than $4.5M in NICHD grant funding aimed to explain the developmental course, mechanisms and functional effects of sensory features in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sensory features are highly prevalent in children with ASD and may impact daily activities, routines and social participation.
 
During her career, Dr. Baranek has served as either the Principal or Co-Principal Investigator of extramural grants funded by the NIH/NICHD, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Education, the Autism Speaks Foundation, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She has been a member of working groups of the National Academy of Science and the NIH to establish guidelines for evidence-based practices for children with ASD.
 
She has co-authored more than 65 peer-reviewed articles in interdisciplinary publications including Autism Research, Autism, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT). She is also the lead author of the First Years Inventory, a screening tool for infants aged 9-15 months who are at risk for a later diagnosis of ASD.
 
In 2016, Dr. Baranek was a co-recipient of the AOTA Cordelia Myers AJOT Best Article Award and in 2013 she received the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Editor's Award. (Retrieved on February 27, 2017 from http://chan.usc.edu/faculty/directory/Grace_Baranek)

Selected References

Baranek, GT, Watson, LR, Boyd, BA, Poe, MD, David, FJ & McGuire, L.  (2013). Hyporesponsiveness to social and nonsocial sensory stimuli in children with autism, children with developmental delays, and typically developing children.  Development and Psychopathology, 25, 307-320.

Baranek, GT, Roberts, J., David, FJ, Sideris, J, Mirrett, PL, Hatton, DD & Bailey, D. B. (2008). Developmental trajectories and correlates of sensory processing in young boys with fragile X syndrome. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 28, (1), 79-98.

Little, LM, Sideris, J, Ausderau, K & Baranek, GT.  (2014). Activity participation among children with autism spectrum disorder.  American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, 477-485.