Laura Swink, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University, is bringing her impressive research background to the OT classroom to further students’ exposure to evidence-informed practice and research with an active learning approach.
Tell us about yourself!
I grew up in Vermont and Upstate New York. I did a combined bachelor’s/master’s program in occupational therapy at Ithaca College. Then I practiced in acute care for four years. For my last fieldwork rotation, I drove out to Colorado, loved it, and never drove back! In 2016, I came to CSU to pursue my Ph.D. in occupation and rehabilitation science. After my doctoral work I completed an Advanced Geriatrics Fellowship at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Eastern Colorado VA in Aurora. I’m now part-time at CSU, and part-time completing a Career Development Award through the Eastern Colorado VA. I enjoy the sunshine here—hiking, walking, skiing. I also “enjoy” running after my 3-year-old and 7-month-old and seeing them be so curious.
What brought you to the Department of Occupational Therapy at CSU?
I love doing research and CSU OT prioritizes high quality research. Because I did my Ph.D. here, I knew that the faculty was strong and very focused on optimizing participation, which is a large part of my research. Also, from my time here, I knew that the OT students are motivated to become evidence-based practitioners and/or researchers and I’m excited to be part of that.
What are your research and/or teaching interests, and how did you get interested in that topic?
Currently I’m researching the relationship between dual-tasking, falls, and instrumental activities of daily living for Veterans with avascular lower limb amputation; I hope to use this work to launch a dual-task training program that is embedded in real-world activities! I may move to an upstream population and focus on older adults with type II diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. I have also worked and done research with many older adults with neurodegenerative conditions. My doctoral work was a fall risk self-management program (combining group occupational therapy and yoga) for people with Parkinson disease. I have also been working on some novel interventions/projects for individuals with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease.
I want to teach with an evidence-based focus and pass this passion onto OTD students through exposure to novel rehabilitation intervention research! Through my research I hope to offer interventions that allow older adults with both chronic and progressive conditions to practice skills that can lead to greater participation in everyday life.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I value experiential learning and creation of knowledge in an iterative way. Since the OT students are doctoral students, I value the backgrounds they enter with and hope to offer exposure to evidence-informed practice and research with an active learning approach.
What is your favorite thing about CSU so far?
The Oval, the sunshine, and proximity to the foothills.
The Department of Occupational Therapy is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
