.png?ver=CwGJvGkEjX8o1e1_v99Ihg%3d%3d "AOTF Foundation Friday")
Join us in celebrating our 60th anniversary!
Early bird rates end Feb. 3! Join us in Philadelphia, April 3-5, 2025, and experience a transformative event that will empower you to:
- Be inspired by diverse sessions on the latest practice trends, research, and best practices.
- Connect and inspire each other through exclusive networking opportunities with thousands of practitioners, educators, and thought leaders.
- Immerse yourself in the vibrant OT community and enjoy Philadelphia as the perfect backdrop for this must-attend event.
Foundation Friday, April 4, 2024
Breakfast with a Scholar
7:00 – 9:00 am ET
Philadelphia Marriot Downtown
A Journey Through Anxiety
David Anthony Rooney
Unprecedented exposure to the world around us is taking a toll on our mental health. Health polls indicate that U.S. adults are experiencing increasing anxiety, with young adults showing even higher trends. Drawing from his 30-year journey, David will inspire positive change in those dealing with anxiety or caring for others who do. Through authentic storytelling, validation, practical insights, and community building, he hopes to catalyze healing and support.
By attending AOTF Breakfast with a Scholar you will:
- Recognize anxiety's emotional and physical dimensions.
- Learn practical strategies to reduce, manage, and overcome anxiety.
- Gain hope, resilience, and lasting calm.
The goal is to impart hope and illuminate the possibility of breaking free from the mental prison of anxiety, offering a roadmap to a life characterized by resilience, empowerment, and lasting calm. Acting as a guide and companion on the journey to mental well-being, David will inspire positive change in the lives of those dealing with anxiety or caring for others who do. Through authentic storytelling, validation, practical insights, and community building, he hopes to be a catalyst for healing and support.
In-person: $75 (Breakfast included)- Add to your full AOTA conference registration
Book will be available onsite for speaker signing.
Speaker Bio:
David Anthony Rooney is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and Guinness world record-breaking musician from Dublin, Ireland. He has spent the last decade captivating audiences with his residency at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. His documentary, "An Irish Story: This Is My Home," explores the American Dream from an Irish immigrant perspective and has millions of views on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV. He performed 60 shows in all 50 U.S. states in 40 days. Voted Best Irish Singer/Songwriter of the Year, he won an EMMY for outstanding achievement in a documentary and the Beloit International Film Festival's People's Choice Award.
Beyond music and film, Rooney advocates for mental health and authored "Journey Through Anxiety," detailing his 30-year struggle with anxiety. Known for his honest and humorous approach, he is a respected musician, speaker, and author who regularly conducts talks on mental health and resilience and co-authored the TAP (Teen Anxiety Program), an evidence-based school curriculum utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy principles.
State of the Science
3:00 – 5:30 pm ET
Philadelphia Marriot Downtown
Long Covid
Speakers
Dorothy Farrar Edwards, PhD, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Professor of Kinesiology and Medicine Director, Collaborative Center for Health Equity School of Education Associate Dean of Research University of Wisconsin-Madison
Anna Boone, PhD, OTR/L, MSOT, CBIS, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri Columbia
Malachy Clancy, PhD, OTR/L, BCPR, Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
Kristen Kehl-Floberg, MSOT, OTR/L, BCG, PhD Student, University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health
Shawn C. Roll, PhD, OTR/L, RMSKS, FAOTA, FAIUM, Associate Professor at the University of Southern California’s Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
In-person: $60 (Student: $30) - Add to your full AOTA conference registration
Register Now
Research Excellence Symposium
12:30 – 2:00 pm ET
AOTF promotes and celebrates research excellence at various career stages with the vision of having a vibrant science that builds knowledge to support effective, evidence-based occupational therapy. Hear from our 2025 Early- and Mid-Career Research Excellence Awardees along with our first Lifetime Achievement Awardee on their career journey and latest research.
Included with your AOTA Inspire main registration.
Academy of Research Symposium
4:00 – 6:00 pm ET
Hear from our newly inducted and current Academy of Research members on their career journey and latest research. Established in 1983, the AOTF Academy of Research in Occupational Therapy recognizes individuals who have made exemplary, distinguished, and sustained contributions toward the science of occupational therapy. Additionally, AOTF Early and Mid-Career Awards recognize and support investigators who are contributing and have promise to advance knowledge in the field of occupational therapy.
Included with your AOTA Inspire main registration.
Plus, don't miss...
- Awards & Recognitions Ceremony
- STRIDE OT Research Fund Posters
- Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture: Precision Occupational Therapy Through Data Driven Decision Making, Roseann Schaaf, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, AOTF Academy of Research Member
- Visit our AOTF Booth:
- Celebrate our 60th Anniversary
- View display of 2025 Grant and Scholarship recipients, St. Catherine Challenge Results and Award recipients
- Relax in our Donor Lounge
- Pick up free AOTF swag
- And more!
Thank You Sponsors
Contact Lawrence Liff, development@aotf.org for AOTF sponsorship opportunities.
Cancellation/Refund/Transfer Policies