One Year Later: Dr. Sinead Harrington Reflects on Joining NYU OT

NYU OT welcomed Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Sinead Harrington last Fall. Sinead is an occupational therapist with more than 15 years of experience, and her teaching areas include anatomy, neuroscience, evidence-based practice and research as well as adult clinical skills. We caught up with Sinead recently to hear about her first year with us.

You’ve been with us for two semesters! How have you been settling in?
It’s been a great start! I’ve had the chance to connect with so many great, supportive faculty and staff who have helped make the transition really smooth. I’ve genuinely enjoyed my experience here at NYU so far and I’m excited for what’s ahead.

Tell us how your Kinesiology and Rehab Evaluation and Intervention courses went this year. What strikes you as unique about the NYU OT classroom experience?
These courses were a lot of fun to teach this year. I had the opportunity to make the content my own and incorporate some really engaging labs—like bringing an adapted van to campus and hosting a VR experience with the NYU iTLAB for students.

What really stands out about teaching here is the students—they’re thoughtful, curious, and always bring great energy. Their questions and feedback constantly challenge me to grow and evolve as an educator.

Teaching is such a central part of your role, but what other activities in the profession as a whole have been keeping you busy this year?

Outside the classroom, I’ve continued to co-run my home safety consulting business, Ideal Home Innovations, Inc. I’ve led several workshops for older adults on fall prevention and home safety, and I’ve also had the chance to talk to students about OT entrepreneurship—which is a passion of mine. Another highlight this year was presenting (on “Incorporation of Sexual Occupations and Intimate Rehabilitation Education Into OT Curriculum”) at the AOTA conference in Philadelphia with some of my former students, and having the opportunity to meet many of our incredible NYU OT alumni there.

Summer is upon us! Do you have exciting plans? How do you stay connected to the NYU community over the summer months?

Summer for me means lots of quality time with my kids and some much-needed family vacation time! I’ll also be staying connected through projects with the iTLAB, which recently hosted our OT students for a virtual reality workshop. I’m really looking forward to diving deeper into this technology this summer, and brainstorming how to weave it more intentionally into next year’s curriculum.