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Research Resources
A monthly newsletter of the
AOTF Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health
July/August 2009
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Dear
Colleagues,
Greetings from the AOTF Institute for the Study of Occupation and
Health. This issue of Research
Resources features a Cooperation Spotlight on the American Association on Health
and Disability (AAHD), as well as an AOTF Institute spotlight
on our own Dissertation
Research Grant Program.
We are grateful to our colleague Roberta Carlin, AAHD Executive
Director, for her time and her assistance in designing the AAHD
spotlight, not only in mutual support of health promotion and wellness
initiatives for people with disabilities but also in the advancement of
occupational therapy research, education, and leadership and the role
of the profession in enabling individuals to participate fully in life
regardless of their physical, social, mental, or developmental
circumstances.
Since 2006, AOTF has awarded grants to doctoral candidates whose
research directly contributes to one of the profession's Research
Priorities and Parameters of Practice for Occupational Therapy.
Today, with this spotlight, the AOTF Institute is pleased to announce
that five grant recipients have now completed their dissertations and
have been awarded their doctorates. Read about all of them here, and especially Gwen
Weinstock-Zlotnick of New York University who most recently completed
her doctorate.
Thank you again for subscribing to Research
Resources and for encouraging your colleagues to connect to
AOTF through this monthly publication and its associated news alerts.
We appreciate your interest and your support now and always.
Jeffrey S.
Reznick, PhD
Director, AOTF Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health
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AOTF Institute Cooperation Spotlight: American
Association on Health and Disability
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Introduction
The American Association on Health and
Disability (AAHD) is a national non-profit membership organization
located in Rockville, MD and is incorporated as a 501(c)(3). AAHD
is the only national organization specifically dedicated to advancing
health promotion and wellness initiatives for people with disabilities
at the federal, state and community levels. AAHD accomplishes its
mission through research, advocacy, education, and public
awareness. AAHD staff serve on numerous national coalitions and
hold leadership positions on APHA Disability Section; CDC, NCBDDD,
External Partners Group; Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Prevention Task Force, and the HHS National Biodefense Science Board
(NBSB). AAHD receives funding from both private and public entities.
Background
AAHD was founded
in 1994 in response to a new national health and disability policy that
was emerging in the late 1980's, as major developments were beginning
to make a significant impact on creating a national disability agenda.
Currently, AAHD represents people with disabilities in many significant
national initiatives related to health and disability, disability
policy, disability research, and disability services. AAHD is an
active partner with disability organizations, academic/research
institutions and federal agencies. AAHD provides current
scientific and programmatic information on health promotion and
wellness for people with disabilities via numerous dissemination tools.
(list serves, quarterly newsletter,
webinars, and conferences).
Programs
In 2008, AAHD
launched the Disability and Health Journal,
the first peer-reviewed journal in the field of disability and health.
The DHJ
is a scientific, scholarly journal that focuses on health promotion
and wellness initiatives for people with disabilities. Its
multidisciplinary content draws from disability research, public
health, epidemiology, health education, general and internal medicine,
and physical rehabilitation and medicine. AAHD hosts the Health Promotion Resource Center
(HPRC) on the AAHD website. The HPRC
is a wealth of information on a multitude of topics related to health
and disability. The HPRC includes an extensive section on Best
Practices and Research Abstracts on contemporary disability
topics. In 2009, AAHD launched the AAHD Scholarship Fund, which
was established to support college students with a disability majoring
in public health, disability research/studies and health related
majors. AAHD receives funding from the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
to increase disability awareness in mammogram facilities and reduce
physical, cultural and attitudinal barriers. AAHD works closely with
the CDC, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities, Disability and Health Team on various projects.
Membership
To learn more
about AAHD, visit their web site. To support
AAHD in their efforts to promote health and wellness for people
with disabilities and work towards eliminating health disparities
between people with disabilities and the general population, please
visit their membership site.
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AOTF Institute Spotlight: Dissertation Research Grant
Program
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This month, AOTF is
pleased to spotlight Gwen Weinstock-Zlotnick, PhD, OTR/L,
CHT, who recently completed her doctorate with support
from the Dissertation Research Grant Program.
 In 2008, the AOTF awarded a Dissertation Research Grant to
Gwen Weinstock-Zlotnick of New York University to support her
dissertation entitled, How
Occupational Therapists Specializing in Hand Therapy Consider
Participation During The Evaluation Process: A Look at Diagnostic
Reasoning. This exploratory study surveyed over 150 occupational
therapists who specialize in hand therapy, gathering information about
the assessment tools they typically use, the indications they consider
when discharging patients, and the diagnostic reasoning they employ
when identifying problems and setting goals for patients described in
two case studies. This study, with its focus on participation and
occupation in the specialized treatment of the upper extremity, is the
first of its kind. Its findings demonstrated that the participants used
a bottom-up approach to evaluation and treatment. Assessment tools that
considered participation were seldom used and therapists infrequently
identified problems relating to participation. However, when
considering indications for discharge, therapists considered impairments
in body structures and functions and participation restrictionswith
nearly equal frequency. These conclusions point to important gaps in
current practice patterns and warrant further investigation.
The AOTF Dissertation Research Grant was instrumental to both the
survey development and data collection of the study. It supported the
piloting of the survey questionnaire both through incentives to
participants and the numerous printings required. The grant also
enabled a wide recruitment of over 600 participants at a conference
geared toward the targeted population.
Dr. Weinstock-Zlotnick currently works as a clinician in the outpatient
Hand Rehabilitation Department of the Hospital for Special Surgery in
New York. She hopes to continue exploring themes related to
participation and occupation within the specialized practice area of
hand therapy.
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Grant Announcements &
Resources
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Innovations
in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Awards
The Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease
Caregiving Legacy Awards promote innovation in the field of
Alzheimer's caregiving by recognizing efforts in addressing the needs
of Alzheimer's caregivers. Three awards of $20,000 each will be
presented to nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or
universities in the following categories: Creative Expression;
Diverse/Multicultural Communities; and Policy and Advocacy. Online
applications must be submitted by August 14, 2009.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American
Indians with Disabilities
This program provides vocational rehabilitation services to American
Indians with disabilities who reside on or near federal or state
reservations. Current Closing Date for Applications: July 23, 2009
Healthy
Parenting Health Communication
and Conference
Fellowship
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center on
Birth Defects and Developmental Disability (NCBDDD), Division of
Human Development and Disability, is seeking an individual to assist
in multiple capacities to further the translation of CDC research and
work in healthy parenting. This position is currently a one year
fellowship with an expected start date of October 2009. Applications are due August 30, 2009
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Remember AOTF
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Think of AOTF when you
search the internet or shop online. Use these sites by entering the American
Occupational Therapy Foundation and AOTF benefits from every
search or purchase!
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Join Our List
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Health
Literacy 1st Annual Research Conference on Health Literacy (October
19-20, 2009, Washington, DC)
The Health Literacy Annual Research Conference (HARC)
will be an interdisciplinary meeting for investigators engaged in
health literacy research including faculty involved in a broad array
of public health, health services, epidemiology, translational, and
interventional research activities. Investigators who have an
abstract selected for oral presentation at the meeting will receive a
stipend for meeting attendance. Abstract submission deadline
is August
19, 2009.
Third
International Brain Injury Conference (September 23-24, 2009,
Birmingham Great Britain)
The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust's (BIRT) latest
conference on the treatment and rehabilitation of people with brain
injury or head injury will combine plenary sessions with symposiums
practical "hands on" workshops, enabling delegates to
participate in debate, discussion, learn new techniques and share
good practice in the field of brain injury/head injury
rehabilitation.
Cognitive
Rehabilitation and the Multi-context Approach to Executive
Dysfunction, Awareness, & Memory (September 24-25, 2009,
Peterborough, Ontario)
This Mindworks workshop will provide in-depth
information on evaluation and treatment strategies for adults with
acquired brain injury who have impairments in executive function,
self awareness and memory. Standardized and non-traditional
assessments that examine different aspects of executive functioning,
awareness and memory will be reviewed. The use of dynamic assessment
techniques to link assessment results with treatment will be
presented. Different approaches to intervention will be illustrated
and recent evidence-based findings will be discussed.
7th Annual Pediatric Brain & Spinal Cord
Injury Conference (November 9-10, 2009, Miami, Florida)
This
multidisciplinary conference will discuss the basic science
mechanisms of pediatric brain and spinal cord injury and how they
relate to the management of children recovering from brain injury and
other neurological conditions, analyze the controversies in clinical
decision-making in the acute and long-term care of children with
acute brain and spinal cord injury, discuss the importance of a
multidisciplinary approach to children with brain and spinal cord
injury, evaluate new strategies aimed at improving outcome from
catastrophic brain and spinal cord injury, discuss present standards
and future directions in pediatric neurorehabilitation, and detect
the current research priorities in the field of pediatric brain and
spinal cord injury.
TEDMED 2009 Conference Opportunity and Special
Registration Discount (October
27-30, 2009, San Diego, California)
The
TEDMED 2009 conference, sponsored by The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio, will bring together top leaders and provocative
thinkers from numerous disciplines spanning the medicine and health
care arenas. They will address issues from genomics to health
care reform, and explore questions like whether we can end aging or
use your smartphone to save your life, the event sets the stage for
shaping tomorrow's health and health care breakthroughs.
A
$500 discount has been negotiated for all RWJF colleagues and
friends-just enter the code "rwjf" under the 'group code'
field on the TEDMED registration page.
This discount is valid until July 24, 2009 or until registration
becomes full and closes.
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Web-Based & Related
Resources
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APTR Workshop Slides Now Available
Presentation slides are now available from Improving Health WITH Communities:
The Role of Community Engagement in Clinical and Translational
Research workshop of the Association
for Prevention Teaching and
Research (APTR) which took place on May 14-15, 2009.
This was the second annual conference on best practices and how to
collaborate with communities and health care providers to improve
health.
Resource available to all - Data.gov
The
purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value,
machine readable datasets generated by the executive branch of the federal
government. Data.gov includes searchable
data catalogs providing access to data in three ways:
through the "raw" data catalog, the tool catalog and the
geodata catalog. If there are additional datasets that you would
like to see included on this site, please click
here. For more information on how to use Data.gov, view the
tutorial.
The Medpedia Project
The
Medpedia Project is a long-term, worldwide project to evolve a new
model for sharing and advancing knowledge about health, medicine and the
body among medical professionals and the general public. This model
is founded on providing a free online technology platform that is
collaborative, interdisciplinary and transparent.
MyNetResearch.com Announces its New Research
Forums for Academic and Corporate Researchers
MyNetResearch launched its new Academic Research Forums.
Forum
members discuss faculty research ideas and proposals. Doctoral
students can also exchange ideas on issues such as teaching,
dissertation, and life balance.
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Publication Announcements
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New Publication on Comparative Effectiveness Research
In
today's healthcare system, patients, physicians, clinicians, and
family caregivers often lack the sufficient scientific data and
evidence they need to determine the best course of treatment for the patients'
medical conditions. Initial
National Priorities for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER)
is designed to fill this knowledge gap by assisting patients and
healthcare providers across diverse settings in making more informed
decisions. In this 2009 report, the Institute of Medicine's Committee
on Comparative Effectiveness Research Prioritization establishes a
working definition of CER, develops a priority list of research
topics, and identifies the necessary requirements to support a robust
and sustainable CER enterprise. The prepublication version can
be read on online for free. Committee on Comparative
Effectiveness Research Prioritization, Institute of Medicine (2009) Initial National Priorities
for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Washington, DC:
National Academies Press.
Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among
Young People: Progress and Possibilities
Preventing Mental,
Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People
updates a 1994 Institute of Medicine book, Reducing Risks for Mental
Disorders, focusing special attention on the research base and
program experience with younger populations that have emerged since
that time. Researchers, such as those involved in prevention science,
mental health, education, substance abuse, juvenile justice, health,
child and youth development, as well as policy makers involved in
state and local mental health, substance abuse, welfare, education,
and justice will depend on this updated information on the status of
research and suggested directions for the field of mental health and
prevention of disorders. Mary Ellen O'Connell, M.E., Boat,
T., Warner, K.E. (Eds). (2009) Preventing
Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People:
Progress and Possibilities. National Academies Press:
Washington, D.C.
International
Handbook of Population Aging
The
International Handbook of Population Aging is the
first comprehensive volume to examine research on a wide array of the
profound implications of population aging. Global population aging is
one of the most important issues facing human societies in the early
twenty-first century. As noted by the 2002 UN World Assembly on Ageing Report,
this global trend in population aging is unprecedented in human
history, is pervasive across societies, is enduring (there is no
going back to younger populations), and has profound implications for
human beings. Uhlenber, P. (Ed.) (2009) International Handbook of Population Aging.
Series: International Handbooks of Population, Handbook 1.
Netherlands: Springer.
The Culture of Our Discontent: Beyond the
Medical Model of Mental Illness
Looking at
social, evolutionary, cross-cultural, and nutritional influences,
anthropologist Meredith Small deconstructs mental illnesses like
depression and anxiety conditions that appear in different forms and
for different reasons within the culture that defines them. By
rethinking assumptions and questioning standard treatment programs,
she helps us gradually relax our grip on the medical model to
discover a new perspective on mental illness. Small, M.F. (2006) The Culture of Our
Discontent: Beyond the Medical Model of Mental Illness.
Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
How a Normal Behavior Became a
Sickness
With
unprecedented access to the American Psychiatric Association archives
and previously classified memos from drug company executives,
Christopher Lane unearths the disturbing truth: with little
scientific justification and sometimes hilariously improbable
rationales, hundreds of conditions-among them shyness-are now defined
as psychiatric disorders and considered treatable with drugs. Lane
shows how long-standing disagreements within the profession set the
stage for these changes, and he assesses who has gained and what's
been lost in the process of medicalizing emotions. Lane, C. (2008)
Shyness: How
Normal Behavior Became a Sickness. New Haven: Yale
University Press.
A Close Look at Allergies
Breathing
Space
describes how allergic disease has shaped American culture,
landscape, and life. Drawing on environmental, medical, and cultural
history and the life stories of people, plants, and insects, Mitman
traces how America's changing environment from the late 1800s to the
present day has led to the epidemic growth of allergic disease. We
have seen a never-ending stream of solutions to combat allergies,
from hay fever resorts, herbicides, and air-conditioned homes to
numerous potions and pills. But, as Mitman shows, despite the quest
for a magic bullet, none of the attempted solutions has succeeded.
Until we address how our changing environment-physical, biological,
social, and economic-has helped to create America's allergic landscape,
that hoped-for success will continue to elude us. Mitman, G. (2008) Breathing Space: How
Allergies Shape Our Lives and Landscapes. New Haven:Yale
University Press.
Learning
Science in Informal Environments
Learning
Science in Informal Environments draws together disparate
literatures, synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common
framework for the next generation of research on learning science in
informal environments across a life span. Contributors include
recognized experts in a range of disciplines--research and
evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators.
They also have experience in a range of settings--museums,
after-school programs, science and technology centers, media
enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical
gardens. Bell, P., Lewenstein, B., Shouse, A.W., Feder, M.A. (Eds.)
Learning Science
in Informal Environments: People Places and Pursuits.
(2009) Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
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AOTF Institute Image
of the Month
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Eleanor Clarke Slagle, 1920. Once called the
"personification of occupational therapy," Ms. Slagle was a
pioneer and leader in the field.
The AOTF Institute
makes this image, as well as the Guide to the Archives of the
AOTA, available publicly as part of its mission to honor the past
and be the best possible steward of the unique body of knowledge that
is occupational therapy. To this end, the AOTF Institute warmly
welcomes individuals from within and beyond occupational therapy to
explore the guide and use the archives for purposes of research,
education, and leadership.
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AOTF
is concerned about privacy and will only send Research Resources
to those individuals who wish to receive it. If you no longer wish to
receive Research
Resources, or if you feel that you received this newsletter
in error, please use the SafeUnsubscribe link at bottom of this
email. AOTF does not sell email addresses to other parties.
For
more information about the American Occupational Therapy Foundation
and its Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health see our web
site: www.aotf.org.
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