Jane Bear-Lehman Named New OT Department Chair

This fall, Jane Bear-Lehman, Associate Professor and Director of Doctoral Programs, was appointed Chair of the NYU Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy. She succeeded Professor Jim Hinojosa, who stepped down for personal health reasons. He will remain in the Department as an active faculty member. Dr. Hinojosa is working closely with Dr. Bear-Lehman to ensure a smooth transition. As she takes on the leadership role, Dr. Bear-Lehman plans to lead the Department with its mission in mind.

“Our goal is to promote the development of outstanding, ethical occupational therapy practitioners and scholars who are prepared to respond to patients’ ever-changing needs,” she said.

Dr. Bear-Lehman has been an active and distinguished member of the faculty since she came to NYU more than three years ago. She joined the Department in 2004 as an Associate Professor and was awarded tenure in 2006. Before joining the faculty at NYU, she was on faculty at Columbia University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, teaching and directing occupational therapy courses in adult physical disabilities and research. She presents nationally and internationally on topics related to the assessment of hand function and has over 50 publications in refereed journals and textbooks.

Currently, Dr. Bear-Lehman is a co-investigator in a National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Aging (NIH/NIA) grant studying the cognitive and physical bases of disablement in seniors. Focusing on older adults with diminished hand functions, she is developing and testing a self-report instrument to measure their ability to perform common daily tasks.