Fred Sammons began his professional life teaching mechanical drawing to high school students. It was after serving in the Army during the Korean War that he earned his occupational therapy degree at Virginia Commonwealth University on the GI Bill. His first job was at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, becoming the director of occupational therapy in 1957. In 1960, Fred joined the staff of the amputee clinic at Northwestern University, and this is where he began to design and build devices to assist individuals with disabilities in their every day activities. With a growing demand for his devices, Fred decided in 1965 to devote all his time to creating, manufacturing, and distributing his inventions, and "the rest is history." Sammons, Inc. grew to a multimillion dollar business, and is now Sammons Preston, an AbilityOne Company. His honorary doctorate in occupational therapy, awarded by the Western Michigan University (WMU) Department of Occupational Therapy, recognizes the many contributions he has made to the profession. Mr. Sammons was named one of the 100 Influential People of Occupational Therapy by AOTA.

Mr. Sammons continues to give to the profession through grants, scholarships, and donations that support research, education, and clinical programs. In his retirement, he has been an active member of AMBUCS, Inc., with whom he collaborates to develop designs for adapted bicycles and tricycles (AmTrykes) for children with disabilities. He expresses great pride in his innovative seating system and in the ways in which he has been able to adapt these bikes to each child’s needs. His love for innovation and technology that help others has been present throughout his life and continues today.

Mr. Sammons' support of the Foundation has been generous, long standing, and diverse including the Fred Sammons and Barbara Rider Endowed Scholarship of the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association, and the Fred Sammons Endowed Scholarship of the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association. AOTF established a new volunteer recognition award in 2017 as a result of a generous endowment for the award from Fred Sammons and Barbara Rider: the Fred Sammons Volunteer Recognition Award. This award will be presented by the AOTF in perpetuity. Mr. Sammons was the inaugural recipient. With the establishment for the endowment for this new volunteer recognition awards, Mr. Sammons becomes the first, and to date only, living million-dollar donor to the Foundation.

In 2017, AOTF created the Fred Sammons Volunteer Recognition Award in honor of Mr. Sammon's devotion to volunteerism. Mr. Sammons was the inaugural recipient.

Dr. Cristina Reyes Smith is an Associate Professor and Director of Admissions in the MUSC College of Health Professions (CHP) Division of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Smith began as Vice President of the American Occupational Therapy Association in July 2024. She recently served as a Director on the American Occupational Therapy Association Board of Directors (2020-2023). She was Chair of the College of Health Professions Faculty Assembly and Faculty Council in 2023. She served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Occupational Therapy Education from 2020 to 2024 and the Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) Committee of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation from 2022 to 2024. She served two terms as the MUSC Faculty Senate Institutional Advancement Committee Chair. She has also coordinated multiple annual events through the Medical University of South Carolina, including the MUSC Culturally Sensitive Care Program and the Septima P. Clark Poetry Contest for children and youth across South Carolina.

Dr. Smith is a graduate of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program at Thomas Jefferson University and the Masters in Occupational Therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She has over 15 years of experience and expertise in community health promotion, program development, and leadership development, focusing on access to care for underserved communities. She has conducted presentations and published manuscripts locally, nationally, and internationally. Topics have included holistic admissions, workforce diversity, cultural competence and sensitivity, and related themes.

Dr. Baker is Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Tufts University.  Her research "focuses on the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders primarily of the hand and arm. Her research reflects a synthesis of preventing work related hand injuries (ergonomics), addressing limitations due to arthritis, and examining conservative treatments for work-related hand injuries, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome. Her expertise in clinical hand biomechanics has also lead to collaborations with others interested in the effect of disability on hand coordination, such as the effects of glaucoma, or the effects of prosthetic use.

Baker's research is eclectic and uses a variety of tools and techniques to answer her research questions. She has experience with instrument development (Keyboard – Personal Computer Style [K-PeCS); motion capture analysis of upper extremity function; and has completed two randomized clinical trials, one on computer keyboard use, and one comparing conservative treatments of carpal tunnel syndrome. She has developed skills in large dataset analyses and is developing health systems intervention research to improve the care of people with carpal tunnel syndrome.

From her experiences in work rehabilitation, Baker developed an interest in epidemiology and population level research. She obtained a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2009, and was a Guest Researcher at the Centers for Disease Control Division of Population Health: Arthritis, Epilepsy, and Well-Being Branch from 2014 to 2015. She is currently exploring how knowledge translation and implementation science can be used to increase the uptake of evidence-based treatments in occupational therapy."  (Retrieved on March 15 2019 from https://ase.tufts.edu/occupationalTherapy/people/baker.htm.)

Dr. Baker became an associate editor of OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health in February 2017.

Selected References

Baker, NA, Moehling, K, Park, SY. (2015) The effect of a fixed split-angle keyboard on musculoskeletal discomfort: A randomized cross-over trial. Work, 50(4):677-86. doi: 10.3233/WOR-131797
Qin, J, Theis, KA, Barbour, KE, Helmick, CG, Baker, NA, Brady, TJ. (2015) The impact of arthritis and multiple chronic conditions on selected life domains, United States, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 64(21):578-582
Baker, NA, Barbour, K, Helmick, C, Zack, MM, Al Snih, S. (2017) Associations between arthritis and change in physical function in U.S. retirees. Journal of Gerontology A: Biological Sciences Medical Sciences, 72(1):127-133. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glw075
Baker, NA, Barbour, K, Helmick, C, Zack, M, Al Snih, S. (2017) Arthritis and cognitive impairment in older adults. International Rheumatology, 37(6):955-961. doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3698-1
Bove, AM, Baker, NA, *Livengood, H, King, V, Mancino, J, Popchak, A, Fitzgerald, K. (2017) Task-specific training for adults with chronic knee pain: a case series. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy,;47(8):548-556. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2017.7349
Qin, J, Barbour, L, Murphy, L, Baker, NA, Helmick, C, Theis, K, Schwartz, T, Renner, J, Nelson, A, Allen, K, Jordan, J. (2017) Lifetime risk of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 69(6):1204-1212. doi: 10.1002/art.40097
Baker, NA, Livengood, H, Nau, AC, Owens, G, Chambers, AJ, Trout, J, Cham, R. (2017) Effect of central and peripheral vision occlusion on motor performance during hand coordination tasks. IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors,5(3-4):148-157. doi: 10.1080/24725838.2017.1398691
Bass, J, Baker, NA. (2017) Occupational therapy and public health: Advancing research to improve population health and health equity. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 37(4):175-177. doi: 10.1177/1539449217731665
Baker, NA, Stevans, J, Terhorst, L, Haas, A, Kuo, Y-F, Al Snih, S. What types of treatment are provided for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome? A retrospective analysis of commercial insurance. PM&R. Online pre-publication doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2018.02.004
Pure, E, Terhorst, L, Baker, NA.(2018) Movement and manual therapy for adults with arthritis: National Health Interview Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 37:96-102. Doi 0.1016/j.ctim.2018.02.007 

Ms. Garber is a Professor in the Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She has dedicated her career to researching prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers in people with spinal cord injuries and has made significant contributions to this field. She joined the faculty at Baylor after working as a full-time clinical occupational therapist. She spent 19 years conducting research at The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) as assistant director for research and education in the department of occupational therapy and then 10 years conducting research through the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Her research interests are in the areas of spinal cord injury, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, rehabilitation outcomes, technology and rehabilitation, and patient and family education. (Retrieved on April 28, 2015 from https://www.bcm.edu/people/view/b2559e16-ffed-11e2-be68-080027880ca6)

She received her bachelor of science in occupational therapy from Columbia University and her master of arts in occupational therapy at Texas Women’s University.

Ms. Garber is a recipient of the AOTA Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award, and is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association as well as the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Ms. Garber was named one of the 100 Influential People of Occupational Therapy by AOTA.

Ms. Garber is a member of the AOTF Board of Trustees and was named one of the 100 Influential People of Occupational Therapy by AOTA.

Q and A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.  
Conscientious, focused, precise.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
Research Improves the health and recovery of patients/clients by questioning and testing existing approaches and exploring opportunities for their enhancement or effectiveness. I hope to teach health professionals how to evaluate and treat pain, especially in vulnerable populations like youths with physical disabilities.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Actually, there are two: first: have enough clinical experience to determine area(s) of interest in order to ask the right questions; second, initially, identify a mentor whose work you admire and whose work interests you. Do not try to "plug yourself into" a research project that is of no interest to you.  

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?
Again, there are two: development of research skills through structured academic courses as well as during clinical fieldwork where all students should be required to develop a research project; identify a mentor with a track record in research design and implementation.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
Initially, mentors outside the field of occupational therapy (engineers) included me, supported my growth and development as a researcher and challenged me to adapt traditional occupational therapy interventions to solve the clinical problems at the core of the Rehabilitation Engineering Center (effect of pressure on tissue), problems not usually part of the occupational therapy purview.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.   
Travel; reading; spending time with my 5 grandchildren.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
In part, through my efforts, I have managed to bring a focus on the creation of new knowledge to the profession of occupational therapy. It is most rewarding that I have contributed to a body of knowledge that now is included in the armamentarium of innovative solutions to the clinical problems which our patients face daily.

Selected References

Clark, F, Pyatak, EA, Carlson, M, Blanche, EI, Vigen, C, Hay, J, Mallinson, T, Blanchard, J, Unger, JB, Garber, SL, Diaz, J, Florindez, LI, Atkins, M, Rubayi, S & Azen, SP; PUPS Study Group.  (2014). Implementing trials of complex interventions in community settings: the USC-Rancho Los Amigos pressure ulcer prevention study (PUPS). Clinical Trials. 11, 218-229.  

Pyatak, EA, Blanche, EI, Garber, SL, Diaz, J, Blanchard, J, Florindez, L & Clark FA.  (2013), Conducting intervention research among underserved populations: lessons learned and recommendations for researchers. Archives in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 94, 1190-1198.

Wu, GA, Garber, SL & Bogie, KM.  (2015), Utilization and user satisfaction with alternating pressure air cushions: a pilot study of at-risk individuals with spinal cord injury. Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology, 2015 Mar 24:1-5. [Epub ahead of print]  

Dr. Mary Lawlor is Associate Chair of Research and Professor, joint appointment with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Department of Pediatrics.  Dr. Lawlor is known for her work in the areas of pediatric occupational therapy, maternal and child health, family-centered care, interdisciplinary models of service delivery, and ethnographic research.  She is currently Principal Investigator for an interdisciplinary longitudinal ethnographic research project funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.  She has also received grants from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the U.S. Department of Education, and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Dr. Lawlor is a member of the AOTF Academy of Research.