Congratulations to our first Kielhofner Research Scholarship Awardee, Dominque Como, PhD Student, University of Southern California, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Exploring the Occupation of Oral Health in African American Families.

Grounded in occupational justice and utilizing a health disparity theoretical lens, the proposed project will address health disparities that exist in AA children with and without ASD by exploring the factors that keep this population from fully achieving quality oral health care through.  Together, these aims will help illuminate the barriers to oral care that AA children with and without ASD face, and how prospective dental interventions can be tailored to help address these issues. 

"This study is one of the first to examine oral care occupations in AA families, and will be pivotal to informing future research projects that help mitigate health disparities for AA children.”

Dr. Gary Kielhofner, DrPH, OTR, FAOTA, was one of the most influential and transformational figures in occupational therapy. Central to Gary's devotion to the science of OT was the development of new research talent. Please make a gift to help us support the future of OT, strengthen evidence-based practice and improve the quality of care. Your generosity will secure this scholarship for generations of OTs. 

Congratulations to our 2020 Nedra Gilette Endowed Research Fellowship Awardee, Anna Wallisch, PhD, OTR/L, University of Kansas and Juniper Gardens Children's Project.

“This study will provide preliminary data on potential biomarkers that may be used to assess intervention effectiveness and parent-child interactions during mealtime. We anticipate this project will increase child participation during mealtime and reduce the negative health consequences and strong parental anxiety associated with challenging eating behaviors.”

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a fivefold increase in eating problems when compared to typically developing (TD) children. The extreme eating behaviors (EEBs) of children with ASD are associated with nutritional deficiencies and higher rates of obesity as well as significant parental anxiety and family burden, representing a clear health risk to the child. Given the deleterious consequences of these EEBs for both the child and caregiver, we need to uncover underlying mechanisms to identify potential biomarkers and eventually develop more robust interventions. Currently, there is no standard of care to treat EEBs in ASD, perhaps because we lack an understanding of why these behaviors exist. 

To honor its namesake Nedra Gillette, the Nedra Gillette Endowed Research Fellowship award is in support of a postdoctoral researcher's foundational occupational therapy study into the human condition.  Please make a gift to help us support the future of OT, strengthen evidence-based practice and improve the quality of care. Your generosity will secure this scholarship for generations of OTs. 

University of Florida was the December winner for the school that raised the most money in the month of December. The St. Catherine’s Challenge has raised roughly $20,000.00 towards the goal of $55,000.00. With a month left of the Challenge, all participating schools should be sending funds raised by the February 17th deadline. Support the Challenge so we can fully fund one Intervention Research Grant (IRG). Donate today!