University of Kansas Occupational Therapy Education

Laura Bruna serves on the board of Tap To Togetherness Across Populations (), a nonprofit arts-based community organization that uses tap dance to unite individuals of all ages and abilities. She has been invited to present the program's research on physical literacy and its connection to occupational therapy at a conference in Oxford. 🎉🙌🥳

🥳😁Don't miss out on the 2024 OTE Networking and Professional Development event! Registration is now OPEN and it's completely FREE! Join us for an enriching experience open to faculty, staff, prospective and current students, alumni, and community partners. Earn three KOTA CEUs by participating in our round tables, poster presentations, research updates, and keynote.

Send a message to learn more

🎉🥳🎉🥳 We proudly raised an impressive $18,785 at this year's 3rd Annual Swim-A-Thon! A heartfelt thank you to all our donors, volunteers, and our talented photographer, Kevin, for making this event a huge success! 🎉🥳🎉🥳

Last week, the Entry-Level OTD program warmly welcomed the Class of 2027! We’re thrilled to have accepted 44 new students this year, all eager to embark on their journey. Best of luck to each of you as you begin this exciting chapter in the program!🥳🎉🙌😍

🎉🙌 The Occupational Therapy Education Department at KUMC is proud to announce its new partnership with the Nelson-Atkins Museum as a capstone site. Caroline Beilman, a 3rd-year OTDE student, will be completing her doctoral capstone experience at the museum. Her project aims to educate museum staff on how to better support individuals with sensory differences, both in community programs and as visitors. The goal is for these trainings and educational resources to have lasting impact, benefiting not only the museum but also various populations in the Kansas City area for years to come.

Please use the following links to learn about community programs and/or accessibility. There are opportunitieis to attend events and volunteer:

https://nelson-atkins.org/community-programs/
https://nelson-atkins.org/accessibility/.

Community Programs | Nelson Atkins Community Programs offers free interactive art-making programs and tours for qualifying community groups and organizations. Our community engagement work activates the museum’s collection, resources, and staff to build lasting relationships and engage beyond the museum walls. We collaborate with o...

😍🙌🥳🎉Renee Rains, OTD, OTR/L was recommended placement on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a tenure of three years by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning, the World Learning Fulbright Specialist Team Peer Review Panel. Her roster tenure officially began on 08/16/2024 and will end on 08/16/2027. As a candidate on the Fulbright Specialist Roster, she is eligible to be matched with projects designed by host institutions in over 150 countries globally. 😍🙌🥳🎉

This week Dr. Tobia Zanotto published a research article titled “Blood pressure variability and frailty in end-stage kidney disease” in the Journal of Frailty and Aging: Blood Pressure Variability and Frailty in End-Stage Kidney Disease | The Journal of Frailty & Aging (https://link.springer.com/article/10.14283/jfa.2024.61). This was a project in collaboration with colleagues from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and Prof. Aditi Gupta from the SOM, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.

The study examined the relationship between beat-to-beat blood pressure variability (BPV) and frailty in people receiving hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). They found that higher systolic BPV was strongly associated with frailty in this clinical population. These findings suggest that beat-to-beat assessments of BPV through continuous, non-invasive BP monitoring may be useful in evaluating frailty in people with ESKD.

Blood Pressure Variability and Frailty in End-Stage Kidney Disease - The Journal of Frailty & Aging Background High blood pressure variability (BPV) is a predictor of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and a marker of aging in geriatric populations. Nevertheless, the relationship between BPV and geriatric syndromes, such as frailty, in peop...

🎉🥳🙌🤩 On August 15th, Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) held their annual awards and ice cream social. Alice Zhang of Occupational Therapy Education received the Patricia A. Thomas Diversity & Inclusion Award which acknowledges the contributions and accomplishments of underrepresented minority women faculty in the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Zhang conducts autism training and research with the Department of Pediatrics. Her collaborators there nominated her for this award. She was recognized for serving as a role model and leader, influencing positive change in the careers of women, and advancing health equity goals. Congratulations, Dr. Zhang!!! 🙌🥳🎉😍

🎉🙌🥳 Occupational Therapy Department of Education faculty members Lacy Wright, OTD, Lauren Foster, OTD, and Lisa Mische Lawson, Ph.D. published an article in the Translational Science of Occupation journal titled, "Computer-Based Simulation in Occupational Therapy Lecture Courses: A Program Evaluation of Simulation Implementation." Well done! 🎉🙌🥳

You can read the article:

Computer-Based Simulation in Occupational Therapy Lecture Courses: A Program Evaluation of Simulation Implementation The COVID-19 pandemic expedited the use of computer-based simulations in occupational therapy educational programs. Research supports computer-based simulations as an alternative to in-person clinical fieldwork experiences. However, a knowledge gap exists for the instructional design and implementat...

🙌🥳On August 1st, The poster "Reflections on Brazilian Language- Culture on academic education of OTD students: a multidisciplinary experience US-Brazil". was presented at the 4th RIEC (International Cultural Studies Network) Congress in Belem do Para, Brazil. The poster is a case study that reflects the first part of the oTD students' preparation for their fieldwork in Brazil last May/24, when they learned Brazilian Portuguese with Linguistic and Literature students from UFMG. The poster was done by the OTDs/KUMC Michaela Lovejoy, Haile Barret, Becca Mitchell alongside with Beatriz Murari and Maria Fernanda Silva, Linguistics and Literature students from UFMG, Dr. Ana Marques, from the Portuguese Department from KU Lawrence and Dr. Adriana Queiroz, OTED/KUMC.

🎉🥳On August 1st, The poster “Occupational Therapy practices within Cultural Policies: a scope review” was presented at the 4th RIEC (International Cultural Studies Network) Congress in Belem do Para, Brazil. The poster is one of the outcomes from a scoping review on OT and culture, done by the OTDs/KUMC Michaela Lovejoy, Haile Barret, Becca Mitchell alongside with Beatriz Murari and Maria Fernanda Silva, Linguistics and Literature students from UFMG, Dr. Ana Marques, from the Portuguese Department from KU Lawrence and Dr. Adriana Queiroz, OTED/KUMC.

The poster was well received especially by its interdisciplinary work and the highlights on the necessity of understanding culture to understand populations and individuals, and then plan intervention, and the merge of Health and Human Sciences.

Students, in the 3rd year of the program, are developing their Capstone Projects. They are sharing their "OT lens" as they discuss their projects with one of our community partners, Southeast Enterprises. 😁

Join our Special Interest Section (SIS) communities for a practice chat on Aug. 7 at 12pm ET focused on occupational therapy practitioner's role in clinical return to work decisions and the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) process. All are welcome, register now: https://bit.ly/46nohGU

🎉😍🙌🥳Sensory Enhanced Aquatics held their 3rd Annual Swim-A-Thon fundraiser at Merriam Community Center this past Saturday! 50+ swimmers swam laps to support scholarships and supplies needs for the program. 🥳🎉🙌😍

Big thanks to all who have supported this year’s fundraiser, whether that be at the event or from afar with donations, it is SO appreciated. The pictures feature the SEA instructors, alumni, and a relay team of KU OT Ed faculty and staff. There will be more pictures to come of all of the swimmers!!

For those interested in helping the program meet their goal, here is the link to their fundraising page. They are so close to meeting it!

https://www.launchku.org/project/42598

On July 12th, Renee Rains and Lauren Foster were able to enjoy a KUMC garden tour! Sarah Norris, Program Manager of Community Gardens, KU Medical Center Botanic Gardens was their guide and provided them with interesting information about the gardents throughout campus. 😍

🙌🥳🤩Congratulations, Jordan Borrell and his co-authors!!!🙌🥳🤩

Jordan Borrell and co-authors have a new publication in Brain Communications! 🎉 Their paper, "Prosthetic home intervention induces cortical plasticity in pediatrics with congenital limb reduction," studies the effects of an 8-week home intervention using prosthetic devices on the sensorimotor cortex in children with congenital upper-limb reduction deficiency.

Learn more by visiting

Prosthetic home intervention induces cortical plasticity in paediatrics with congenital limb reduction Borrell et al. report that an 8-week prosthesis home intervention provided benefit to paediatrics with upper-limb reduction deficiency. The behavioural imp

KU Therapeutic Sciences student, Lauren Trent, was recently featured in American Occupational Therapy Association - AOTA’s member spotlight. Find out more about Lauren here.

: Lauren Trent, MOT, OTR/L, is the Senior Manager of Therapeutic Services and Research & Development at Arm Dynamics. Lauren says staying up-to-date on new research and available outcome measures is essential to providing high-value services that lead to positive clinical outcomes for clients.

Thank you, Lauren, for your contributions to the profession! Read more: https://bit.ly/3S2PSaN

As we look ahead to a new school year, many young adults and their families are looking ahead to major life transitions, like graduating high school, going to college, or moving away from home for the first time.

Join the Johnson County Su***de Prevention Coalition, BV Well and the Go Further Foundation to explore ways young adults and their families can thrive during life changes and how the community around them can support their mental wellness.

Register here:

Thriving Through Change: Guiding Young Adults and Families to Mental Wellness | Johnson County As we look ahead to a new school year, many young adults and their families are looking ahead to major life transitions, like graduating high school, going to college, or moving away from home for the first time.

🤩🎉🙌🥳The KU School of Health Professions community gathered to celebrate the incredible career of Jeff Radel, Ph.D. in June! 🤩🎉🙌🥳

During a distinguished career at the University of Kansas spanning more than three decades, Dr. Radel has held numerous roles and made a lasting impression on countless students as an effective teacher, highly regarded research scientist and dedicated mentor.

The legaci\y of Dr. Radel will endure well into the future. Thank you for the long-lasting impact you've made on KU School of Health Professions, students, and the community!

OTDE students having fun playing Bingo for a Pi Theta Epsilon fundraiser! 😁

Families! Don't miss this coming up on Tuesday! It's FREE (Donor-Funded) and you can join from the comfort of your own home! Register here: https://kcdsi.org/event/p2p-future/

Students are having fun, hands-on learning this summer in our pediatric occupational therapy course! 🤩

🥳🙌🎉Congratulations, Tobia Zanotto!!!🥳🙌🎉

Tobi Zanotto is Co-PI on a Landon Center on Aging Pilot Project Program grant. The awarded project is titled, “Blood pressure variability, frailty, and cognitive impairment in chronic kidney disease” and is in collaboration with Professor Aditi Gupta from the School of Medicine (Division of Nephrology and Hypertension). The objective of the project is to investigate measures of cardiovascular aging as potential predictors of frailty and cognitive dysfunction in people with chronic kidney disease.

Learn more about the grant by visiting https://www.kumc.edu/research/landon-center-on-aging/research/pilot-project-program-grants.html.

2024 Pilot Project Program Grant Application Information Details on the Landon Center on Aging's pilot grant opportunity

🙌🎉🥳CONGRATULATIONS, Kara Hansen!!!🙌🥳🎉

Kara Hansen passed her oral comprehensive exam on June 14th and is now officially a doctoral candidate in the TS Ph.D. program! She is approved to begin her dissertation research on psychological impact of fetal anomaly during pregnancy using a mixed method study. Her dissertation committee is Dr. Lisa Mische Lawson (chair), Dr. Alice Zhang, Dr. Anna Zanotto, Dr. Nancy Hamilton (KU) and Dr, Abigail Wilpers (University of Pennsylvania).

"Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are. Instead, it's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, things do get better. America can change. " — Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, Civil Rights Attorney

🥳🎉🙌Congratulations, Makenna Snyder!!! Makenna recently presented at the 2024 OT Summit of Scholars and received 3rd place for Ph.D. posters!🥳🎉🙌

The theme for the 2024 OT Summit of Scholars is "Unleashing Creative Possibilities". It was a small conference with a heavy emphasis on innovation in OT research. She presented a poster on the project she has been working on under the mentorship of Dr. Alice Zhang titled, "Healthcare Transition for Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults in Rural Areas". She shared some of our most salient findings and got feedback from other researchers working on similar projects related to transitions of care, rural health, and healthcare access for autistic individuals.