Harlan Temple, once again sponsored the annual South Dakota OT 5K which works with students at University of South Dakota and the South Dakota OT Association to raise money for the SD Harlan and Rita Temple Scholarship. With the help of Katy Foster, a SDOTA student representative from USD, who spearheaded this year’s 5K, they raised over $2,000 for the scholarship. She provided a summary of the event:

The Harlan and Rita Temple 5K is an annual race held to raise scholarship funds for occupational therapy students in South Dakota. 67 race participants ran, walked, or rode in the race, both in person and virtually, on the morning of September 18th, 2021 marked the 10th annual year of the race and was appropriately celebrated with the greatest turn out of participants, volunteers, and sponsorships. The race was organized and conducted with a mindset that was greatly influenced by the Pantone Colors of 2021. A combination of Illuminating, a bright yellow, and Ultimate Gray were used to design the T-shirts and become the underlying meaning behind the 10th annual race. According to Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, “The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit”. The majority of 2020 and still to this day, the world wide pandemic of Covid-19 has had serious implications for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This race was representative of much more than a race to raise scholarship funds, but rather an opportunity for social engagement and meaningful interactions. Top finishers were awarded with prizes that were donated from local sponsors, and every participant was invited to enjoy a post-race brunch consisting of a pancake breakfast and camaraderie with those who were in attendance. Each year, Harlan and Rita Temple have been consistent, generous supporters of USD’s occupational therapy program and are a vital component of the student’s success. 

Thank you for Harlan and Rita for all their support and thank you to all the students, OTs, and everyone who helped raise money for this special scholarship.

See all the scholarships available with the collaboration between AOTF and state OT associations and other ways you can support OT research.

Satvika Garg, PhD, OTR/L
Scientific Program Officer

Dr. Satvika Garg started as the Scientific Programs Officer at the AOTF in October, 2021. She is responsible for developing initiatives that build knowledge and research capacity for the science of occupational therapy, managing the scientific programs of the Foundation, and serving as the Foundation’s scientific affairs representative.

Prior to joining the AOTF, she served as an Occupational Therapist/Research Collaborator at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC from 2015-2021 and as an Adjunct Faculty/ Researcher/ Teaching Assistant at New York University, NY from 2009-2014. Dr. Garg obtained her PhD in occupational therapy from New York University (NYU), NY under the mentorship of Dr. Kristie Patten and received her MS in OT from Tufts University, MA. During her PhD, she received NYU Doctoral Fellowship, NYCT Fahs Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation Doctoral Dissertation Grant & NYU Steinhardt Doctoral Travel Awards. 

Dunsin Akinyemi, BS
Grants Administrator

Dunsin Akinyemi joined AOTF as the Grants Administrator in August of 2021. She is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the foundation's grants process and providing administrative and technical assistance and support. 

Before joining AOTF, Dunsin worked as an Administrative Assistant at the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders. She also has a background in research. She was a scholar in the two-year NIH-funded ASCEND Biomedical Research Program and the 2019 BSOS SRI at the University of Maryland, College Park. She conducted research on various topics, including neurocognitive development in children, ischemia-reperfusion, and cardiovascular development and studied SSRIs such as fluoxetine. Dunsin graduated with honors from Morgan State University with a B.S. in Biology-Psychology in 2019. She is currently pursuing an MS-MPH dual degree in Health Informatics and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University. She aspires to discover practical ways to analyze and skillfully communicate data and use information technology to improve health outcomes and learn the various strategies, policies, and interventions for different structural solutions to public health problems. 

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