Methodist University Occupational Therapy

That’s a wrap! 🎓🎉
Congratulations, MU OTD Class of 2024!

Before they walk across the stage tonight, we had a party! We loved celebrating each student’s journey and accomplishments!
We had a special moment for the OTD student ambassadors, the members of Pi Theta Epsilon, COTAD leadership, and our program award winners—
Empowerment Award: Christopher Harper
Enrichment Award: Logan Jenness
Engagement Award: Tajze Johnson
Monarch Award: MC Lacson

Congrats to the OTD Class of 2024 graduates!🎓

It’s commencement weekend!
We are busy celebrating the OTD Class of 2024 all weekend.

Tonight, the Black Alumni Chapter held their inaugural recognition ceremony.

Congrats to Ray, Chris, Kimberly, and Tajze!

Methodist University occupational therapy grad earns doctorate in midst of health battle Next weekend, Methodist University student Tajze Johnson will receive his occupational therapy doctorate, which he earned while battling kidney disease.

Dr. Gronski and Dr. Knight presented “Play. Connect. Grow.”, a session about using play to support development of birth to three year olds at the North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance. is a fantastic resource for families, advocacy, and one of our valued community partners!

Thank you for your collaboration and partnership, North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance!

We have ✨THE BEST✨ administrative support team, and we could not do what we do without them! Germaine, Sharon, and Ray are the best of the best at keeping the OT programs and college running smoothly.

Happy administrative professionals day!

Class of 2026 OTD students Leah Strickland (center), Hannah Wheeless (right), and Josie Samuelian (not pictured) and Class of 2025 student Alexus Alston (left) recently earned the blue envelope invitation to the nation's oldest and most prestigious multidisciplinary honor society, Phi Kappa Phi. The induction ceremony was held on April 10th and these students all exemplify the PKP motto: "let the love of learning rule humanity"! Congratulations!

Hey, we know you!! 👋🏻

As we continue to celebrate into the middle of ✨OT month✨-

We have a lot to celebrate!

Recently, the U.S. News and World Report released their rankings of Occupational Therapy Programs. This is the first time this ranking has been published since our OTD Program received full accreditation in 2020. The hard work of the faculty and the strong performance of our students and alumni has earned the program a ranking in the Top 40% of all programs after graduating only 3 cohorts of students!

Each of our students, faculty, and staff members bring unique gifts and contributions to the program and we are grateful for the OT community that all have created at Methodist University.

Class of 2024 students Kesler Norton, Annie Tyndall, Ray McCall, Tajze Johnson, and Chris Harper are presenting the final dissemination of their capstone research at the MU Center for Research and Creativity Symposium. More information at

We love learning alongside our colleagues!
Year 1 OT and PT students teamed up to practice acute care co-treatment skills such as transfers, line management, and bed mobility.

Next week the Class of 2025 will present their capstone research projects and celebrate the transition to clinical fieldwork. Join us for the presentations that span the breadth and depth of occupational therapy practice!

Simply the best!

Meet Senior Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant James M. Jones, who has been with Cape Fear Valley Health for 25 years.

James says his longevity is due in large part to the rewarding relationships he builds with his patients. His favorite part of his job is using his passion, knowledge and creativity to see his patients get well again.

Like many, the U.S. Army brought James to Fayetteville. He roots for the Michigan Wolverines and the Detroil Lions on game day.

We're grateful to have James on our team and appreciate all that he does to contribute to our mission of providing exceptional care to our patients. Thank you, James.

We can’t wait to celebrate!

🎉✨Join us and be part of the joy, laughter, and unforgettable moments at the end-of-year celebration. Don’t miss out on the fun-filled festivities! ✨🎉

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our new MU COTAD Chapter Executive Board for the 24-25 academic year!

This week MU OTD faculty, students, and alumni traveled to Orlando for AOTA Inspire 2024 annual conference. They have shared and gained knowledge in sessions, panels, posters, and meetings. It has been a fulfilling week of building and strengthening professional community!

Our MU occupational therapy programs are expanding international fieldwork options to………Belize! 🇧🇿

Follow our stories this weekend to see AFWCs Michel & Myers scouting the new site and creating a vision for our student learning there!

Dr. Melissa Gibson, MU OTA Program Director, had a great time sharing the profession of occupational therapy with Gray’s Creek Middle School last week!

We are grateful for community partners like Fayetteville Manor! Our Class of 2025 students designed and practiced functional interventions to support dressing and home management with the residents.

We are still accepting applications for the OTD Class of 2027 through OTCAS. We can’t wait to meet you! Applications are due by January 31st!

We’re excited to welcome the Classes of 2024, 2025, & 2026 back to campus for a productive spring semester!
We will kick it off with an OT community meeting full of updates, celebrations, intention setting, and most importantly…a shared meal!

Our dynamic Methodist University Occupational Therapy team has new opportunities!

We are proud to announce that our Department Chair, Dr. Gronski, will soon be leading the College of Health Sciences and Human Services as Academic Dean, and we are opening the national search for our next OT Department Chair. We are rounding out the team with an opportunity to join our passionate tenure-track faculty, too.

Check out our opportunities to join the department here:
Department Chair: https://shorturl.at/CTW47
Full-time Faculty: https://shorturl.at/gkprY

Happy Friday and happy winter break! What are your favorite winter occupations?!