Dr. Jessica Kramer, PhD, OTR/L is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida. Dr. Kramer’s occupational therapy practice experience is with enabling children and youth ages 3 to 20 with multiple, severe disabilities to participate and learn in a public school setting. Dr. Kramer’s research draws upon theoretical concepts and methodologies from occupational therapy, disability studies, education and rehabilitation to partner with youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the development and evaluation of rehabilitation products, develop community-based interventions that equip youth with I/DD and their families with the skills to identify and resolve environmental barriers to participation, and design high quality patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) using contemporary measurement approaches.

As a former trainee of Dr. Kielhofner, and a former recipient of the AOTF Dissertation Research Grant, she  can attest to the significant impact that the Dr. Gary Kielhofner Doctoral Research Scholarship can have on the career of an emerging scholar. 

Marcia Kielhofner is a 1984 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and is currently an infectious disease physician practicing in Houston, Texas. As an Associate Professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, responsibilities include the education of residents and fellows in the field of infectious diseases, in addition to direct patient care. Special interests include infections in the solid organ transplant recipient and infections involving cardiac assist devices. Marcia is married with three adult sons and two grandchildren. She attends St Laurence Catholic Church, where she is active in the Social Concerns Ministry. As the younger sister of the late Gary Kielhofner, she is pleased to be a part of the effort passing on his legacy by supporting future scientists in the field of Occupational Therapy .

Dr. Dunn is a Distinguished Professor of the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Missouri. She is an internationally known expert for her studies about sensory processing in everyday life. She received her occupational therapy and a special education graduate degree from the University of Missouri, and her doctorate in applied neuroscience from the University of Kansas.

Winnie has published more than 100 research articles, book chapters, and books and has spoken around the world about her work. In 2014, Dr. Dunn completed the update and standardization research on the Sensory Profile 2, to ensure that researchers and professionals in practice have the most current evidence to support their decisions. She has received the top honors in her field, including the Award of Merit for outstanding overall contributions, and the Eleanor Clark Slagle Lectureship for outstanding academic contributions. She is a member of the Academy of Research for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation and has received the A. Jean Ayres research award.

Charles Christiansen is a consultant and business owner based in Rochester, MN. He is a former educator who served in senior leadership roles at The University of Minnesota, The University of Texas Medical Branch and The University of British Columbia, he remains active as a volunteer who serves on various non-profit boards. Dr. Christiansen is also an occupational therapy scholar who continues to conduct research and publish on topics related to understanding the health promoting characteristics of human occupation. He is a former CEO of the AOTF and was recognized by the American Occupational Therapy Association during its Centennial year as one of the 100 most influential persons in occupational therapy’s first century. He is currently serving as board chair for the Society for the Study of Occupation, USA. In his leisure time, he is an avid hiker, cyclist and poet.

Dr. Barnekow’s interests in interprofessional education have resulted in involvement in MCH training and leadership grants. She currently serves as the Milwaukee Link training coordinator in the Wisconsin Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program. In addition, she is a discipline mentor in the UW-Milwaukee Pipeline Training Program for undergraduate students. Her personal experiences in MCH training programs and clinical experiences as a pediatric occupational therapist have shaped her research, teaching, and service.

As a clinician who provided occupational therapy services in programs for children between the ages of birth to three, Dr. Barnekow became acutely aware of significant issues facing families who reside in the urban area of Milwaukee. Significantly influenced by community-based clinical practice, Dr. Barnekow’s research, mentoring, and service interests evolved into four primary areas including: 1) promotion of co-occupational engagement or shared participation between caregivers and children, 2) early identification of developmental disorders in children and social emotional disorders in mothers of children with special needs, 3) identification of health literacy barriers that inhibit parents’ ability to engage care for their children, and most recently 4) enhancement of fatherhood participation through health literacy strategies to decrease infant mortality in the African American community.