Congratulations to Department faculty members Jim Hinojosa and Sally Poole, and Doctoral student Chien-Ying Yang, on their presentations at this year's New York State Occupational Therapy 2011 Annual Conference (NYSOTA). The conference took place on October 22 and 23, on the SUNY Orange campus in Middletown, NY. Professor Hinojosa delivered this year's Plenary Address, entitled “Evidence-based Occupational Therapy: Cult, Fad, or Relevant?”
]]>Steinhardt OT alumna Beatriz C. Abreu (PhD, ‘91), delivered the 2011 Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecture, entitled “Accentuate the Positive: Reflections on Empathic Interpersonal Interactions.” The selection as lecturer is one of the highest honors in occupational therapy, and recognizes an AOTA member who has creatively contributed to the development of the body of knowledge of the profession through research, education, and/or clinical practice.
Members of the Steinhardt OT faculty also participated in a range of lectures and presentations:
Professor Tsu-Hsin Howe:
Professor Kristie Koenig:
Professor Jim Hinojosa:
We extend our congratulations to the following alumni and students who have received major recognition:
AOTA Roster of Fellows:
Neil Harvison
Laurette J. Olson
Christine Olga Peters
Recognition of Achievement Award:
Elizabeth Griffin Lannigan
Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence:
Sarah A. Schoen
Student Awards:
Mackenzie Fary - 1st Place Maddack Student Awards, Cannula Cap (more info)
Lastly, the Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy hosted an Alumni Dessert Reception, held at the Philadelphia Marriott on April 15. Faculty and alumni had a chance to meet, catch up, unwind, and discuss the conference. Pictures are below:
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The NYU Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy congratulates Marjie Citron '11 on the award of the 2011 Samuel Eshborn Service Award. This prestigious award is presented to graduating graduate students in recognition of superlative and extraordinary service, exhibiting the value of strong leadership in school activities in NYU Steinhardt.
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Molly Schmidt entered the Occupational Therapy program intending to focus on pediatrics, but during her time at NYU she has developed an increasing interest in hand therapy. Challenging and engaging coursework, and a fieldwork experience at a hand therapy clinic, has led her to recognize the enormous impact successful hand therapy can make. She hopes to work in an acute adult rehabilitative setting after graduation, and to spend time at a sensory gym with pediatric clients, where she can continue her interest in pediatric care.
Rebecca Fishman began her career in marketing, but left to pursue occupational therapy out of a desire to work with children and an interest in helping patients pursue greater independence in their lives. She credits her fieldwork experience for giving her increased facility with a wide range of populations and diagnoses. Her immediate career interest is in pediatrics, but she hopes eventually to work with patients who are candidates for adaptive technology, as well as those with vision deficits.
The Frieda J. Behlen Occupational Therapy Scholarship is an endowed fund created principally by gifts from NYU OT alumni to honor the memory of Frieda J. Behlen, founder and longtime chair of NYU's Department of Occupational Therapy. The award takes the form of a tuition credit applied toward summer courses.
]]>Alumni and friends of NYU
NYU Steinhardt's Department of Occupational Therapy
Cordially invites you to join us for an
Alumni Dessert Reception
during the
American Occupational Therapy Association's
2011 Conference & Expo
***
Friday, April 15, 2011
8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Philadelphia Marriott
Liberty A
1201 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Conference Headquarters
***
No RVSP necessary; for more information please contact:
occupational.therapy@nyu.edu or 212-998-5825
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On Thursday, February 24, 2011, the Department of Occupational Therapy will host its 7th Annual Anne Cronin Mosey Lectureship on NYU's campus. Jim Hinojosa, PhD, OT, FAOTA will deliver this year's lecture.
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: NYU's Lipton Hall, located at 110 West Third Street at MacDougal Street.
Title: Evidence-Based Practice for Occupational Therapy: Cult, Fad or Relevant.
Most occupational therapists accept evidence-based practice (EBP) as the ideal for guiding practice and research. This presentation raises the following questions: What are the implications of EBP to the profession? Is it appropriate for the profession to embrace EBP uncritically? Is EBP the correct paradigm for occupational therapy? Most importantly, is the adoption of EBP by occupational therapists benefiting the profession and its consumers?
Jim Hinojosa is a Professor of Occupational Therapy in the Department of Occupational Therapy. As such, his specialty is pediatrics, and his research focuses on therapist collaborations with families. He chaired the Commission on Practice of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), served on its Executive Board (1989-1995), as a director on the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Board (1993-1999), and on the AOTA's Commission on Continuing Competence for Occupational Therapy.
In 1994, he received the AOTA Award of Merit, and in 2006, he was honored with the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award. In addition to over 150 articles and chapters in books, he has co-edited Perspectives in Human Occupation: Participation in Life (2003), Frames of Reference in Pediatric Occupational Therapy (1993; 1999, 2010), The Texture of Life: Purposeful Activities in Occupational Therapy (2000, 2004,2009), and Occupational Therapy Evaluation: Obtaining and Interpreting Data (1998, 2005, 2010).
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Disability In a Global Context: Accra, Ghana will be offered during the January, 2011 intersession. The course will be led by Anita Perr, M.A.,OT, ATP, FAOTA, Clinical Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy, and Karen Buckley, M.A, OT/L, Clinical Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy. Students will explore how culture influences the concepts of health and disability through a combination of site visits in and around Accra to health, education, cultural, and other sites. Trips will be scheduled to local schools, hospitals, market places, and other everyday places. Additionally, the course includes a trip to Cape Coast where slaves were imprisoned before being shipped to the America's, the Caribbean and elsewhere. A trip to a rain forest includes a canopy walk. Students from health, social science and humanities fields are encouraged to apply.
For more information about this course or other global intersession courses consider attending the Open House scheduled for Friday, October 15, 5:30-7:00pm, Kimball Hall, 246 Greene Street, 1st Floor Lounge.
Visit the Global Programs website at: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/study_abroad/programs/intersession
Application Deadline: October 24, 2010
In response to the earthquake in Haiti, Steinhardt OT students organized a donation drive this semester to provide self-care products to those in need. The drive was organized under the leadership of Joanna Dritsas and Michelle Carrol, as part of the 2nd-year professional program's class gift, and completed with the help of Department members Ayanna Lee, Karen Buckley, and Sally Poole. For Dritsas and Carrol, it offered a chance to integrate occupational therapy theory into their aid to the Haiti relief effort. They solicited the involvement of OT students, faculty and staff in assembling self-care packages, including toothpaste, soap, and shampoo, to be sent to families affected by the earthquake. A total of 125 supply packages were sent to Haiti through the AFYA Foundation, a humanitarian aid organization founded by Steinhardt OT alumna Danielle Butin ('85).
]]>See a slideshow of photos from the reception:
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Molly Schmidt entered the Occupational Therapy program intending to focus on pediatrics, but during her time at NYU she has developed an increasing interest in hand therapy. Challenging and engaging coursework, and a fieldwork experience at a hand therapy clinic, has led her to recognize the enormous impact successful hand therapy can make. She hopes to work in an acute adult rehabilitative setting after graduation, and to spend time at a sensory gym with pediatric clients, where she can continue her interest in pediatric care.
Rebecca Fishman began her career in marketing, but left to pursue occupational therapy out of a desire to work with children and an interest in helping patients pursue greater independence in their lives. She credits her fieldwork experience for giving her increased facility with a wide range of populations and diagnoses. Her immediate career interest is in pediatrics, but she hopes eventually to work with patients who are candidates for adaptive technology, as well as those with vision deficits.
The Frieda J. Behlen Occupational Therapy Scholarship is an endowed fund created principally by gifts from NYU OT alumni to honor the memory of Frieda J. Behlen, founder and longtime chair of NYU's Department of Occupational Therapy. The award takes the form of a tuition credit applied toward summer courses.
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The Department extends its congratulations to Betty Abreu, ‘91 on her selection as the 2011 American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecturer. The Slagle lectureship award is one of the highest honors in occupational therapy and recognizes an AOTA member who has creatively contributed to the development of the body of knowledge of the profession through research, education, and/or clinical practice. Dr. Abreu's lecture will be given at the 2011 AOTA Annual Conference & Expo in Philadelphia, PA.
]]>Dr. Kristie Koenig will be presenting "Listening to Perspectives of Individuals with Autism: Intervention Model for Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders." Professor Anita Perr will be presenting "Activity Systems, Environmental Affordances and Attachment to Community Among Wheelchair Users," and co-presenting her poster, "New Trends in Multicultural Education: Disability in a Global Context, an Intersession Course in Ghana, Africa" with Sheri Wadler. Teaching Assistant and PhD candidate, Siaw Chui Chai, will also be participating at the conference and will be presenting a poster, co-authored by Dr. Jim Hinojosa, "Enabling Optimal Daily Hand Function for Clients with Flexor Tendon Injury."
]]>On October 1st, 2009 the Department held a farewell reception in Paula's honor. The well attended event included alumni, faculty, students and staff, along with many of Paula's local colleagues.
See a slideshow of pictures from the reception:
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Beverly is a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Her history in rehabilitation dates back to being recruited by Dr. Kessler to head the Occupational Therapy Department at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. She started two OT programs in New Jersey and worked for over 18 years in the Department of Occupational Therapy at New York University. She wrote numerous papers and chapters in medical textbooks; she lectured throughout the US and abroad.
As her daughter said during Beverly's funeral, "While we were all proud of mom's accomplishments, they would be hollow without having a close loving family and many friends. That is the real measure of someone's life. Not only did she give us advice or meat pies, or blueberry muffins, or things to help us in our daily lives. Not only did she earn degrees and accolades. But she really touched others lives in such a positive and meaningful way. To love and be loved-in her case by so many-is the measure of a life well lived. She was so giving of herself, and so many of you have told me throughout the years how giving she was and how she made you not only better professionals but better people. How she helped you through hard times and was a confidant."
Beverly inspired creativity and modeled intense caring and patience. She guided with a soft touch and encouraged us to think outside the box. She developed relationships between people and departments so that optimal services could be provided.
Beverly Bain is awarded a RESNA Mentor Award for her efforts and contributions as an educator in the fields of occupational therapy, assistive technology and rehabilitation and service to RESNA in the Occupational Therapy Professional Specialty Group."
After Anita's address, Donna Kelly accepted the award with the following words:
"It is my honor to accept this award on behalf of the family of Dr. Beverly Bain. Beverly had been my mentor and a model of excellence to strive towards as an OT involved in assistive technology, as a director, and also as a person.
All who knew Beverly were amazed by her endless energy, enthusiasm and passion for OT, for teaching, and for assisting individuals with disabilities. This was infectious. She made you feel good about what you were doing presently, and also sparked you to do more. This was her gift and how she touched so many lives. I am going to read her daughter Karin's words of acceptance.
On behalf of my mother, Beverly K. Bain, my father, John Bain, and me, Karin Bain Kukral, we appreciate and are honored by this award. We wish we could have been there in person. But we understand this award is a way for so many of you to express your appreciation of how you have been so positively touched by her. I have had many people tell me that they wouldn't have done many things, or gone as far professionally, if it weren't for mom's encouragement.
When I was asked to say something in accepting this award on her behalf, I thought about what it means to be a "mentor" versus just a teacher or consultant. Inspiration and guidance, both on very personal level, came to mind. These were what mom was really great at giving. She had such a passion for her work and research; for her patients and co-workers; for systems, testing and procedures to the smallest of gadgets and switches-all to make life better for those less fortunate. She inspired many people in diverse fields-not just therapists and patients-by example and compassion to reach beyond what they thought they could do. In a way, mentoring is just another way of mothering.
While I pursued a very different career path than my mother, there are three tenets that hold true no matter what you do:
1. Be the best that you cans be, whatever you do, by working hard;
2. Be open minded and creative in your approach to problem solving;
3. Whenever possible, help others achieve their goals by being compassionate and giving of yourself.
One way for all of you to further honor my mother would be to hold true to these three tenets, and find passion in whatever you choose to do."
The Department of Occupational Therapy mourns the loss of our dear friend and colleague and celebrates this recognition of her excellence.
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View some photos of the event:
The presentation of the 2009 AOTA and AOTF Awards & Recognitions at the conference on April 25th was a particularly proud moment for the NYU Occupational Therapy community. Congratulations go out to Assistant Professor Kristie Koenig, who was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association Roster of Fellows this year. This prestigious and highly selective award acknowledges her for "Innovative Leadership in Research, Education and Practice in Occupational Therapy." We are proud to add her to the list of NYU OT faculty who hold the AOTA Roster of Fellows recognition: Jane Bear-Lehman, Jim Hinojosa, and Anita Perr.
Also named on this year's AOTA Roster of Fellows was NYU Alumna Sharon A. Gutman, PhD, OTR, Class of '97, who was honored for "Outstanding Contributions to Research and Intervention in Autism." Another NYU Alumna, Margret Kaplan, PhD, OTR, Class of '02, received the AOTA Recognition of Achievement Award for "Promoting Family-Centered Practice for Underserved Children." Hearty congratulations to them both and to the many other NYU OT Alumni who were recognized at this year's conference.
The NYU OT faculty presentations at this year's AOTA conference included a workshop entitled, "Evaluation and Treatment of Peripheral Nerve Injuries: An Evidenced-Based Approach," given by Clinical Assistant Professor Sally Poole, MS, OTR/L, CHT and her colleagues Colleen Maher, MS, OTR/L, CHT and Serina Berger, MS, OTR. Associate Professor and Department Chair Jane Bear-Lehman, presented a poster, "Unilateral and Bilateral Upper Extremity Weight-bearing Effect on Hand Function And Functional Performance After Brain Injury," and former Teaching Assistant, Tien-Ni Wang, presented a poster entitled, "The Relationship Between Postural Control and Fine Motor Skills in Preterm Infants."
]]>The article is titled NYU Students Bring Aid to the Bronx and is available online.
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Susan Braham undertook a professional transformation to occupational therapy after pursuing careers in dance performance, choreography, massage therapy and yoga therapy. Building on her varied experience, she hopes to continue to expand her holistic perspective on helping others during her graduate work at NYU. Her motivation in the field of OT is grounded in the desire to empower people, and to help them help themselves. Susan has particular interest in hand and upper extremity work as well as in pain management, end of life issues, and hospice care.
Janelle Carbo began the OT program at NYU determined to become a hand therapist. Although she continues to pursue that goal, she has adopted a new perspective that is less focused on a person's hands and more concerned with the person as a whole. Indeed, her interests in occupational therapy are varied, and she approaches the transition from student to practitioner with the desire to be client-centered while striving to become the best professional that she can be.
Razia Khan recently participated in the Disability in a Global Context course in Ghana which has inspired her to set her sights on a series of new goals. Previously committed to becoming a school-based therapist in the US, she is now interested in practicing abroad and creating programs for occupational therapy education in developing countries. Razia aspires to make a contribution to global awareness, and to help people who have limited access to the services that we take for granted in the US.
The Frieda J. Behlen Occupational Therapy Scholarship is an endowed fund created principally by gifts from NYU OT alumni to honor the memory of Frieda J. Behlen, founder and longtime chair of NYU's Department of Occupational Therapy. The award takes the form of a tuition credit applied toward summer courses because summer student financial aid is generally not available.
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