Occupational Therapy Newsletter
Fall 2022 Recap
The Occupational Therapy newsletter publishes twice per year, in January and June.
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Welcome to the Fall 2022 recap issue of Occupations, the newsletter for Colorado State University’s Department of Occupational Therapy. As always, our faculty, staff and students have been hard at work throughout the course of the fall semester. I’m pleased to share some snippets about our accomplishments.
Our first class of professional doctorate (O.T.D.) students completed their first two semesters. They are an enthusiastic group with so much valuable experience. We’re enjoying working with them. We will offer admission to a second cohort shortly. You may remember from previous newsletters that our admissions committee developed a holistic selections process with the goal of increasing diversity of our students. I’m happy to report that we are meeting that goal!
This summer we will graduate our final group of M.O.T./M.S. students–and phase out those programs. Our master’s students are some of the finest in the country. For many years we have boasted a 100% pass rate of graduates on the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam. The end of these programs will be bittersweet.
We all have good reasons to be proud of our department. In this issue, you will read several reasons why. We highlight accomplishments in four areas: (1) Alumni and Giving; (2) Students; (3) Research; and (4) Efforts to promote accessibility and inclusion.
We feature two impressive alumni: Andrew Flint who created and tested a prototype of adaptive equipment with a 3D printer and Teresa Boynton who, with husband Bruce, funded a scholarship to promote diversity in OT. You’ll also read about masters graduates, Rebeca Naredo and Emily Tull who took very different but equally notable pathways to becoming OTs; award-winning Ph.D. student, Cristina Parsons; and an amazing cadre of five Saudi Arabian Ph.D. students who traveled half-way around the world to study at CSU.
Our faculty continue to do noteworthy research. In this issue we feature Drs. Jaclyn Stephens and Arlene Schmid in a series of stories about the effectiveness of yoga for individuals with traumatic brain injury measured with neuroimaging. Be sure to listen to Dr. Stephens’ episode of the college research podcast. We also describe outstanding contributions to inclusion and accessibility by our Assistive Technology Resource Center, directed by Marla Roll, and the Center for Community Partnerships, directed by Dr. James Graham.
As always , I look forward to hearing from you. I invite you to comment on what you’ve read or send your own personal and professional updates. I’m always pleased to welcome you as a visitor to CSU-OT. Please take me up on it.
Go Rams!
Anita Bundy, Department Head
OT outstanding graduate Rebeca Naredo embraces the highs and lows of her CSU journey
For Naredo, the road to graduation was a rocky one. In July 2020, when COVID restrictions were peaking, she moved out on her own for the very first time –nearly a thousand miles away from her family, friends, and partner.
Occupational therapy master’s student blossoms during fieldwork in Washington rainforest
When most people imagine an outpatient pediatric clinic, they likely picture four walls, splashes of bright colors, a waiting room, and a zero percent chance of rain in the office. For Colorado State University occupational therapy master’s student Emily Tull, this could not be further from the truth.
OT graduate student recognized for researching the impact of COVID-19 on services for individuals with disabilities
Cristina Parsons, a graduate student in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University, worked to research the impact of COVID-19 on vital services for disabled individuals, an aspect of the pandemic that has been overlooked.
Occupational Therapy Ph.D. students from Saudi Arabia gain valuable research experience at CSU
Rayyan Bukhari, a Ph.D. student in the Occupational Therapy Program, notes that the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission ranks CSU as one of the most prestigious and nationally recognized institutions in the United States.
OT Assistant Professor Jaclyn Stephens among eight Colorado researchers named Boettcher Investigators
Two Colorado State University faculty members have been named to the 2022 class of Boettcher Investigators, recipients of grant funding through the Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program.
Jaclyn Stephens joined the Health and Human Science Matters podcast to discuss her research
Dr. Jaclyn Stephens sits down to discuss her academic journey and how she combines her neuroscience studies and occupational therapy training to support individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
Occupational therapy researchers Arlene Schmid and Jaclyn Stephens to study effects of yoga on brain injury
Jaclyn Stephens and Arlene Schmid, two professors and researchers in the Department of Occupational Therapy, have teamed up to conduct a new, foundational study that will lend support to yoga as a therapy for physical disabilities and chronic brain injury.
Judges needed for research poster sessions at College of Health and Human Sciences Research Day – March 6
CHHS Research Day is an annual event created to showcase the variety and quality of research and creative scholarship by students, faculty, and staff in CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
Colorado State University launches free assistive technology tools in Canvas available to students, faculty, and staff
Colorado State University continued its commitment to creating an accessible and inclusive campus by adding a new tool for all students, faculty, and staff.
CSU’s New Start for Student-Veterans program provides free services to student-veterans at CSU
Housed in our Department of Occupational Therapy at CSU, the New Start for Student-Veterans program supports current and incoming CSU student-veterans who are experiencing an academic or life challenge, including individuals with service-connected injury or disability.
Belong Program receives grant from Bohemian Foundation to support neurodiverse individuals in independent living
The Belong Program, an independent living program for neurodiverse young adults in the Colorado State University Department of Occupational Therapy, recently received funding from the Bohemian Foundation to help support the neurodiverse community in Fort Collins.
Colorado State University team launches grant-funded program to support workforce development for people with disabilities
Three Colorado State University entities are teaming up to create a program for neurodiverse job seekers in the STEM and agriculture industries – and a grant from Larimer County will help get this novel project up and running.
CSU alumnus puts ‘independence back on the table’ with accessibility invention
While attending CSU, Flint, a graduate of the Master of Occupational Therapy program in the Department of Occupational Therapy, was instilled with the mindset that disability tends to exist in an individual’s environment, and not always within the individual.
OT Alumna creates scholarship to break barriers
The 2022 fall semester marked the beginning of a new scholarship in the Colorado State University Department of Occupational Therapy which reaffirmed their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Engage with OT
Alumni and friends make our Rams Family strong! Whether you join us for a day at the annual OT Knowledge Exchange or for a lifetime as a donor, your time, talent, treasure, and testimony shape our shared future.