2022 Black History Month Theme: Black Health and Wellness

Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH®) list of Books, Websites, and other Historical Materials and Guides on Black Health and Wellness.

The American Occupational Therapy Foundation would like to acknowledge those contributing to the research and evidence of OT. While our field continues to strive for more diversity, equity and inclusion, those of the African American community have and continue to influence the profession specifically in the area of research. 

The following is not comprehensive, but highlights some of the work by our fellow African American OTs acknowledged during the OT Centennial. 

Lela Llorens, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, played a vital role in establishing OT research as she chaired AOTA's Research Advisory Council in the mid-1980s. Dr. Lela Llorens guided AOTF grant funding for over 10 years and continues to contribute as a member of the Volunteer Development and Nomination Committee. She's received numerous honors in recognition of her accomplishments and leadership: the AOTA-AOTF Presidents Commendation in Honor of Wilma L. West, the A. Jean Ayres Award, the Meritous Service Award and the Certificate of Appreciation from AOTF among many others. Her efforts in the field are vast and were acknowledged during the AOTA Centennial. In tribute, the Lela Llorens Endowed Scholarship established in 2017 by AOTF, supports future minority leaders in the field of occupational therapy.

Jerry Bentley, MS, OTR, FAOTA, has been an advocate and activist for social justice for decades. She is a supporter of the Foundation and volunteer. Shirley Jackson-Jackson, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA, scholarly activity extends from 1986 as an academic and researcher. She has a focus on diversity and health disparities research.
Panelpha (Penny) L. Kyler, ScD, OT, FAOTA, has impacted our field by being the first occupational therapist in the area of translational genetics and OT's role in treatment and intervention.
Joyce Lane, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, influenced the profession's focus on social justice. Dr. Lane's research is in the area of policy decision making and on professional development.
Letha J. Mosley, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA (1957-2017), focused her research on health disparities. She implemented community-based participatory research establishing community programs for health and wellness.
Shirley A. Wells, DrPH, OTR, FAOTA, scholarship relates to culture and health. She is an advocate and driver for the use of gender neutral language in AOTA official documents. 
Retrieved (February 24, 2020) from 100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy's 100 Year
History.

The 2021 AOTF Planning Grant Collective, “Fatigue: An Understudied Barrier to Participating Fully in Daily Life” was held virtually again this year.  Considering many conditions have fatigue as a major characteristic, all of the issues related to the ongoing pandemic and what appears to be a major comorbidity in COVID “long haulers”, the topic chosen was very timely.  A wide range of disciplines was represented at the workshop, as well as several funding agencies including the Arthritis Foundation, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the following NIH Institutes/Centers: National Cancer Institute (NCI); National Institute on Aging (NIA); and National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

New priority areas of research were identified and included: the need for identification of fatigue subgroups/deep phenotypes; novel trial designs and comparative effectiveness research; implementation science research to improve delivery and effectiveness of fatigue interventions; and the need for consistent and comparable treatment taxonomy.

The Foundation plans to convene one Collective a year and plans are underway for 2022.  We believe this interdisciplinary approach to identifying important research topics will result in critical new research in questions of great interest and opportunity for the OT profession.

View OTJR article for summary of the key concepts and recommendations: 
Fatigue as an Understudied Barrier to Participation in Life Roles. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1177/15394492231180833, Poole JL, Murphy SL, Foster ER, et al.

Planning Grant Committee
Co-Chairs:  Janet Poole, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, University of New Mexico and Susan Murphy, ScD OTR/L, University of Michigan
Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, MSCI, OTR/L, Washington University
Virgil Mathiowetz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, University of Minnesota
MJ Mulcahey, PhD, OTR/L, CPPC, CLCP, FASIA, Thomas Jefferson University
Alix Sleight Warner, PhD, OTD, MPH, OTR/L, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Scott Campbell, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, American Occupational Therapy Foundation
Dunsin Akinyemi, BS, Grants Administrator,  American Occupational Therapy Foundation

Participants
Kristine Carandang, PhD, OTR/L, University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Patricia Katz, PhD, University of California San Francisco
Marcia Finlayson, PhD, OT Reg (Ont), OTR, Queens University
Linda Ehrlich Jones, PhD, RN, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Don Fogelberg, PhD, OTR/L, University of Washington
Lauren Krupp, MD, New York University Langone Health
Jason Bouffard, PhD, Laval University
Daniel Whibley, PhD, PT, University of Michigan
Kathy Lyons, ScD, OTR/L, Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions Darthomouth College
Tanya Packer, PhD, OT Reg(NS), Dalhousie University
Matthew Plow, PhD, OT, Case Western Reserve University
Kathy Preissner, PhD, OTR/L, University of Illinois-Chicago
Toni Vandenend, PhD, OTR/L, University of Illinois-Chicago
Sherry Hite, MOT, OTR/L, City of Hope Medical Center
Heather Jim, PhD, Moffit Cancer Center
Ketki Raina, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, University of Pittsburgh
Arash Asher, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Aileen Ledingham, PT, MS, PhD, Boston University School of Public Health
Yen Chen, PhD, University of Michigan

Partners 
Nick Turkas, Arthritis Foundation 
Pimjai Sudsawad, ScD, NIDILRR
Inna Belfer, MD, PhD, NCCIH
Lyndon Joseph, PhD, Institute of Aging, (NIA)
Janet de Moor, PhD, MPH, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Sarah Ruiz, PCORI