AOTA and AOTF are pleased to announce the selected students to attend the fifth annual Summer Institute of Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy. The program will introduce students to a career in research, connect them with mentors in the occupational therapy scientific community, and immerse them in a research-focused professional experience.

Austin Cunningham, Winston-Salem State University
Chelsea Steffens, Drake University
Ashley Rigas, Pacific University
Kyra Barillier, Saint Louis University

Tara Hood, Eastern Kentucky University

Jessica Golding , Towson University
Taylor Wienkes, Creighton University
Molly Nadeau, Kean University
Brooke Ellis, Western New England University
Kelsey Hadsall, Misericordia University
William Librizzi, University of the Sciences
Grace Hellier, James Madison University
Ellery Lockwood, Stanbridge University
Lorelei Hoover, University of Findlay
Braxton Willoughby, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Mollyanne Tessler, Long Island UniversityBrooklyn
Taylor Keahilani Kenui/Fong, Rocky Mountain College

Kathleen Ann Melei, Huntington University
Elizabeth Stevens, The College of St. Scholastica
Allison Pfleghaar, Florida Gulf Coast University
Shannon Myers, Midwestern University Downers Grove
Samantha Holzschu, Western Michigan University
Natalie (NJ) Phillips, Eastern Michigan University
Emma Kinsey, University of Central Arkansas
Melissa Dale, East Carolina University
Tennille Lambert, Mercy College
Emily Yuen, Dominican University of California
Alleya James, Methodist University
Catherine Arora, Mercy College

Jared Southwick, Arkansas State University
Rowan Wallace, University of Southern Maine
Karla Morel, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus

Dr. Fleming is Professor and Head of Occupational Therapy at The University of Queensland. Her research aims to improve the lives of people with brain impairment by understanding psychosocial and cognitive limitations arising from neurological injury and discovering effective occupation-based rehabilitation methods. She is a Fellow of the Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy and Fellow of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI), and co-Editor of the journal, Brain Impairment.

Identify three words that others have used to describe you: Open-minded, supportive, capable

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research? I hope that my research helps occupational therapists and other members of the multidisciplinary team to develop better ways to work with people with brain injury.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?  Never miss the conference dinner!

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?  The relationship between mental health and occupation.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey: Encouraging me to apply for things that I would not have dreamt of going for.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work: Walking on the beach.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research? Most rewarding is seeing the excellence that is developing in the next generation of occupational therapy researchers.

Selected references:

Ownsworth, T., Fleming, J., Tate, R., Beadle, E., Griffin, J., Kendall, E., Schmidt, J., Lane-Brown, A., Chevingnard, M., & Shum, D. (2017). Do people with severe traumatic brain injury benefit from making errors? A randomized controlled trial of error-based and errorless learning. Journal of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 31 (12) 1072-1082.

Schmidt, J., Fleming, J., Ownsworth, T., & Lannin, N. (2013). Video-feedback on functional task performance improves self-awareness after traumatic brain injury: A randomised controlled trial. NeuroRehabilitation and Neural Repair, 27, 316-324. doi: 10.1177/1545968312469838

Fleming, J., Nalder, N., Alves-Stein, S., & Cornwell, P. (2014). The effect of environmental barriers on community integration for individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 29(2), 125-135.

Fleming, J., Sampson, J., Cornwell, P., Turner, B., & Griffin, J. (2012). Brain injury rehabilitation: The lived experience of inpatients and their family caregivers. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 19, 184-193.

Fleming, J.M., Strong, J. & Ashton, R. (1996). Self-awareness of deficits in adults with traumatic brain injury.  How best to measure? Brain Injury, 10, 1-15.

Congratulations to our 2020 Intervention Research Grant Recipients:

Namrata Grampurohit, PhD, OTR/L
Thomas Jefferson University
Post-Discharge Support for Caregivers of Adults with Stroke Through Telehealth Coaching-in-Context
Mentor: Mary Jane Mulcahey

Danbi Lee, PhD, OTD, OTR/L
University of Washington
Return to Life After Stroke: Motivational Interviewing and Self-Management Support in Early Stroke Rehabilitation
Mentor: Chuck Bombardier 

Janet Njelesani, PhD, OTR/L
New York University
An Occupation-Based Intervention to Address Bullying Against Students with Disabilities
Mentor: Kristie Koenig 

Emily Somerville, OTD, OTR/L
Washington University- St. Louis
A Tailored Medication Management Intervention for Older Adults
Mentor: Susan Stark

Alex Wong, PhD, DPhil, BSOT
Washington University- St. Louis
Feasibility of Mobile Self-Management Intervention for Mild Stroke
Mentor: Carolyn Baum 

The purpose of this grant program is to lay the necessary groundwork for larger intervention studies and for larger implementation studies and support the profession’s Vision 2025 of occupational therapy as an evidence-based profession. The intent of the IRG program is to provide seed funding for the development of new and/or novel ideas in order to generate preliminary data as proof of concept. Most larger funders, including federal sources and most of the major nonprofit foundations, require this data in order to apply to them, yet sources to fund this preliminary work are limited at best. The AOTF IRG occupies a very important niche and fills a critical gap by investing in the development of ideas and data in the early state of the occupational therapy research enterprise. 

The Intervention Research Grant program receives major funding from The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and the St. Catherine Challenge.  

Congratulations to the 2020 Implementation Research Grant Recipients:

Mary Khetani, Sc.D., OTR/L
University of Illinois at Chicago
Implementation of Electronic Shared Decision-Making Support for Families to Design and Monitor Participation-Focused Early Intervention
Mentor: Natalie Leland 

Chiung-ju Liu, PhD, OTR/L, FGSA
University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions
Implementing 3-Step Workout for Life to Improve ADL Outcomes in Home Health
Mentor: Michael Marsiske

Kelly Tanner, PhD, OTR/L, BCP
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Implementing Parent Coaching in Occupational Therapy for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Multi-Site Project
Mentor: Nathalie Maitre 

The IR grant specifically supports research that is focused on helping occupational therapists take evidence-informed practice from theory to reality in their practice setting. This research grant develops and evaluates the processes used to implement, sustain, and or scale-up evidence-based practice into routine care with an end goal to improve the quality and effectiveness of care.

Learn more about the IR Grant.