Dr. Davies, director of the Brainwaves Research Laboratory at Colorado State University, focuses on understanding the development of neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie cognitive and motor behaviors in children with and without disorders.

Davies holds joint appointments in the Departments of Occupational Therapy, Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies, and is a faculty member in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrated Neuroscience Program. She is a member of three interdisciplinary research teams: one developing brain-computer interfaces, one applying universal design for learning and post-secondary opportunities for college students with disabilities, and one developing and implementing obesity prevention interventions for young children. Davies has served on editorial boards for the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. Davies received her B.S. in occupational therapy from CSU. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in neuroscience and developmental psychology from the University of Wyoming.

Lisa Juckett, PhD, OTR/L, CHT, is an Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University. She leverages her prior clinical experiences in physical rehabilitation and her doctoral training in implementation science to identify solutions that narrow the “research-to-practice” gap.

Dr. Juckett and her team have developed and tested strategies to expedite the use of innovations (e.g., standardized outcome measures, fall prevention interventions) in real-world practice settings, including stroke rehabilitation units, community-based organizations, and aging service agencies.

Her work has been funded by entities such as the NIH, PCORI, the Administration for Community Living, and the National Science Foundation, and she is actively involved in local and national service initiatives to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable aging communities. 

Dr. Brent Braveman has practiced as an occupational therapy clinician, educator, researcher, and manager since entering the profession in 1984. He is the Department of Rehabilitation Services Director at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. MD Anderson Cancer Center was recently ranked as the top cancer hospital in the country by US News and World Reports. The Department of Rehabilitation Services employs over 140 occupational and physical therapy practitioners.

His volunteer service in state and national professional association activities included serving two terms on the AOTA Board of Directors as Speaker of the Representative Assembly and Secretary. He was a Board Director for the American Occupational Therapy Association Political Action Committee (AOTPAC). He served as a representative to the National Institutes of Health Working Group on Cancer Rehabilitation, as a Standing Committee Member on the National Quality Forum’s NQF) Cancer Project, and on the NQF’s project on co-designing patient-centered care. Now, he is on the Board of Trustees for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF).

Dr. Braveman is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and a recipient of the AOTA Recognition of Achievement Award for “Exemplary Contributions in Management and Program Development.”

Dr. Reistetter is Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio (as of January 2019). He is widely recognized for his leadership in health services research within rehabilitation in general, and in occupational therapy specifically. Through Dr. Reistetter’s K12, K01, and subsequently his currently funded Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality R01, he has brought the discussion of how to measure rehabilitation geographic regions to the forefront. Specifically, he is translating methodology from the hospital-centric research conducted at Dartmouth College and implementing these approaches to a rehabilitation context to define rehabilitation geographic services areas. Prior to Dr. Reistetter’s seminal work, any researchers examining geographic variations in rehabilitation quality of care were limited to the hospital-based regions, called Hospital Service Areas, even if they did not adequately reflect the context and environment in which rehabilitation was provided across the country, as this was the accepted approach. Thus, it has been Tim’s work, which has focused on developing and evaluating Rehabilitation Service Areas that has provided health services researchers with the necessary tools to effectively measure variations in service delivery, access, and quality. 

Teal W. Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, is a wife, mother, occupational therapist, and researcher. Dr. Benevides is a tenured Associate Professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University.

Dr. Benevides is committed to fostering access to services and support for autistic people and others with intellectual and developmental disabilities through community-engaged approaches and partnerships.

Dr. Benevides is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and serves on autism, suicide prevention, and occupational therapy organizations as a board or committee member to advance scientific knowledge translation and promote community priorities.

Dr. Brent Braveman has practiced as an occupational therapy clinician, educator, researcher, and manager since entering the profession in 1984. He is the Department of Rehabilitation Services Director at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. MD Anderson Cancer Center was recently ranked as the top cancer hospital in the country by US News and World Reports. The Department of Rehabilitation Services employs over 140 occupational and physical therapy practitioners.

His volunteer service in state and national professional association activities included serving two terms on the AOTA Board of Directors as Speaker of the Representative Assembly and Secretary. He was a Board Director for the American Occupational Therapy Association Political Action Committee (AOTPAC). He served as a representative to the National Institutes of Health Working Group on Cancer Rehabilitation, as a Standing Committee Member on the National Quality Forum’s NQF) Cancer Project, and on the NQF’s project on co-designing patient-centered care. Now, he is on the Board of Trustees for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF).

Dr. Braveman is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and a recipient of the AOTA Recognition of Achievement Award for “Exemplary Contributions in Management and Program Development.”

Jana Cason, DHSc, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA, is a Full Professor and Director of Scholarship in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program–Honolulu at Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Dr. Cason is recognized as an early leader in the development and advancement of telehealth within occupational therapy. Her scholarly work has expanded to include innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), exploring ethical and effective integration of AI within healthcare settings. 

Dr. Cason has delivered numerous presentations at national and international conferences and has made substantial scholarly contributions through the authorship of telehealth standards and guidelines, book chapters, and peer-reviewed publications. She is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the National Academies of Practice. In addition, she serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal indexed in PubMed and Scopus. 

Megan C. Chang is a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at San José State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Occupational Science, an M.S. in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology, an M.A. in 
Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC), and a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. Her expertise was further enhanced through postdoctoral training at USC and the UCLA Psychophysiology Laboratory within the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience.

Dr. Chang leads a psychophysiology lab that explores the impact of stress on sensory processing, sleep, and mental health. Her research focuses on understanding sensory processing patterns and evaluating psychosocial and physiological risk factors associated with health behaviors and occupations across diverse populations. She investigates the effects of mindfulness practices on parents of 
children with disabilities, aiming to improve their well-being and coping strategies.

She has contributed to several book chapters, including Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy: Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction and Case-Smith’s Occupational Therapy for Children and Adolescents. Additionally, she directs a faculty-led program in Taiwan, providing students with immersive experiences in universal healthcare systems and 
enhancing their cultural humility. 

Tracy Jirikowic has over 30 years’ experience in occupational therapy with expertise in pediatric neurodevelopment and interventions for children and youth with developmental disabilities. Dr. Jirikowic has special research and clinical interests in children with prenatal substance exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). She holds a clinical appointment with the University of Washington Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network and is a Research Affiliate with the University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disability. Her research activities include development of an early intervention model for young children with prenatal alcohol exposure, understanding sensory processing in children with FASD, and examining community-based interventions that promote social participation, health, and well-being for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is Program Director of the Master of Occupational Therapy program and Co-Director for the PhD in Rehabilitation Science Program in the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. 

Dr. Rebecca Martin is the Manager of Clinical Research and Education at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI) at Kennedy Krieger Institute and an assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Martin received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Boston University and her Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Rocky Mountain University of Allied Health Professions.

She joined Kennedy Krieger in 2005 as a Senior Occupational Therapist at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury. Since 2010, Dr. Martin has been the Manager of Clinical Research and Education and is responsible for program development, staff training, and oversight of the clinical research program. Dr. Martin speaks nationally on topics related to Activity-Based Rehabilitation; she has taught many continuing education courses for rehabilitation professionals in neurological pathology, rehabilitation, and research. She has been the principal investigator and co-investigator for grants from the Paralyzed Veterans of America Education Foundation and the Department of Defense to develop, promote, and disseminate an activity-based restorative therapy training program and curriculum.

Furthermore, Dr. Martin is the founder and primary investigator at Kennedy Krieger’s Neurorehabilitation and Recovery Lab, which focuses on the study of clinically meaningful interventions poised for rapid translation to practice.

Dr. Mendonca is an Assistant Professor in the Programs in Occupational Therapy in the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University. She is also the director of Post-Professional Doctoral Programs in Occupational Therapy. Dr. Mendonca’s research focuses on technology and disability including the development, testing, validation, and dissemination of technology-based interventions for people with disabilities. She has developed apps to measure and provide information about accessibility of medical products, home environments, and community environments for people with disabilities. Currently, her work focuses on translation and dissemination of these apps to the community, including in the home, community, and industry. She also develops and tests rehabilitation robotics to support clinicians in providing therapy, especially in low and under resourced communities. She is committed to improving function, participation, and quality of life outcomes for individuals with disabilities. She has received approximately $4.5 million in federal grant funding to support her research. She teaches the Assistive Technology course at Columbia University, including training students to build customized, low-cost adaptive devices for individuals with disabilities that are provided to clients; and mentors OTD and PhD students. 

Aimee Piller, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA, is the owner and director of Piller Child Development, a multi-site outpatient pediatric therapy practice in the greater Phoenix area. She specializes in sensory integration and feeding therapy and holds a PhD in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University, where her research examined the impact of sensory environments on preschool participation. Dr. Piller’s scholarly interests include knowledge of translation and the development of evidence-based treatment protocols to enhance clinical practice. She has published and presented extensively through peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, international conferences, and webinars/podcasts. Dr. Piller is also the author of Implementing School-Based Occupational Therapy Services: A Multi-Tiered Approach to Sensory Processing Needs. 

Shawn C. Roll, PhD, OTR/L, RMSKS, FAOTA, FAIUM, is a Professor in the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California, where he combines his expertise as both an occupational therapist and a registered musculoskeletal sonographer to conduct impactful research. His scholarship aims to understand intersections among the built, social, and organizational environments with health, well-being, and flourishing as we engage in occupations, particularly within increasingly diverse and ever-expanding technology-enabled workplace contexts.

Dr. Roll has received over $7M in grant funding to support his research, including multiple federal grants from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Science Foundation; he has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has spoken extensively to national and international audiences.

He is a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. He has been inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s Academy of Research and received the Distinguished Sonographer Award from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. 

Dr. Rachel Wolpert is Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on developing, testing, and implementing virtual reality-based interventions for adults and older adults post-stroke. Dr. Wolpert has extensive experience working in an interdisciplinary setting with computer scientists and engineers and was previously the Director of the Game Based Rehab Lab at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California (USC). She has completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship with an emphasis in rehabilitation clinical trials as well as a KL2 Career Development Award. She is currently translating effective interventions, such as LSVT®BIG, for use with the stroke population and pairing telehealth applications for remote delivery in rural areas. Dr. Wolpert is PI of an NIH R01 to evaluate a sensor system in the homes of rural community-dwelling older adults.

Dr. Scott Campbell began his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation in May 2015.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Campbell served as a Scientific Advisory Board member for Temptime Corporation and served as Executive Director and CEO of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.  He was responsible for overall leadership of the FNIH and was involved with many of the collaborative research projects funded through the FNIH including the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the Biomarkers Consortium, the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP), Grand Challenges in Global Health, the US-Russia Scientific Forum and the mHealth Summit.  He also represented the Foundation on the Health Research Alliance and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation.  

From 2001-2010, Dr. Campbell served as National Vice President of Research Programs at the American Diabetes Association.  In addition to overseeing all research-related programs at the ADA, he also was responsible for helping acquire major donations to the ADA Research Foundation.  He was a trustee on the Board of Trustees, Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC); member of the IOM Clinical Research Roundtable; and served on the Board of Directors of the Health Research Alliance.  He also represented the ADA on several federally related committees, including the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee (DMICC) at the National Institutes of Health.  Before beginning his non-profit scientific administration career, Dr. Campbell spent 16 years in academia with academic appointments at the University of South Dakota, University of Missouri, and Michael Reese Hospital.

Dr. Campbell received his PhD in Basic Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Florida.  He is the author of 40 peer-reviewed articles, 9 invited reviews, and 14 book chapters related to cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Bartman has been a practicing clinician for over 13 years, having earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Gannon University. It was at Gannon University that she was inducted into Pi Theta Epsilon National Honor Society. Her clinical practice has primarily focused on acute care and inpatient rehabilitation, and she has a particular passion for working with patients who have sustained burns.

Since 2015, Ann has been teaching full-time after completing her post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) at Chatham University. She served as the inaugural doctoral capstone coordinator at Duquesne University for six years and earned an Ed.D in Educational Leadership during her time there. Ann served as the Program Director of Slippery Rock University’s OTD Program for three years, and she is now teaching full-time at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Arameh Anvarizadeh, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA is a Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and former Director of Admissions at the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. As the architect of USC Chan’s holistic admissions process, Dr. Anvarizadeh led transformative efforts that resulted in the most diverse cohorts in the Division’s history, all while preserving rigorous and effective admissions standards. Her leadership has also been pivotal in strengthening recruitment and retention strategies, creating pathway programs, and promoting inclusive pedagogy. 

A Founding Member and former Chair of the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD), Dr. Anvarizadeh has been a driving force in advancing justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-oppression within the occupational therapy profession. She is the visionary behind many of COTAD’s cornerstone initiatives, including COTAD Chapters, the COTAD Toolkit, the Ignite Series, and the Fieldwork Task Force. 

Dr. Anvarizadeh made history as the youngest and the first Black and Iranian woman to be elected as AOTA President, a role she officially assumed in July 2025. In addition to her current role as AOTA President, Dr. Anvarizadeh has held numerous state and national leadership positions. Besides her leadership roles, Dr. Anvarizadeh is an accomplished author and dynamic speaker who has presented at several state, national, and international conferences, delivering keynotes, lectures, and commencement addresses.  

Deeply passionate about building sustainable, healthy, and inclusive communities, she continues to champion equity, empowerment, and advocacy. Through her work and heart-centered leadership, she inspires others to discover, cultivate, and amplify their fullest potential. 

Dr. Cristina Reyes Smith is an Associate Professor and Director of Admissions in the MUSC College of Health Professions (CHP) Division of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Smith began as Vice President of the American Occupational Therapy Association in July 2024. She recently served as a Director on the American Occupational Therapy Association Board of Directors (2020-2023). She was Chair of the College of Health Professions Faculty Assembly and Faculty Council in 2023. She served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Occupational Therapy Education from 2020 to 2024 and the Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) Committee of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation from 2022 to 2024. She served two terms as the MUSC Faculty Senate Institutional Advancement Committee Chair. She has also coordinated multiple annual events through the Medical University of South Carolina, including the MUSC Culturally Sensitive Care Program and the Septima P. Clark Poetry Contest for children and youth across South Carolina.

Dr. Smith is a graduate of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program at Thomas Jefferson University and the Masters in Occupational Therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She has over 15 years of experience and expertise in community health promotion, program development, and leadership development, focusing on access to care for underserved communities. She has conducted presentations and published manuscripts locally, nationally, and internationally. Topics have included holistic admissions, workforce diversity, cultural competence and sensitivity, and related themes.

Fred Sammons began his professional life teaching mechanical drawing to high school students. It was after serving in the Army during the Korean War that he earned his occupational therapy degree at Virginia Commonwealth University on the GI Bill. His first job was at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, becoming the director of occupational therapy in 1957. In 1960, Fred joined the staff of the amputee clinic at Northwestern University, and this is where he began to design and build devices to assist individuals with disabilities in their every day activities. With a growing demand for his devices, Fred decided in 1965 to devote all his time to creating, manufacturing, and distributing his inventions, and "the rest is history." Sammons, Inc. grew to a multimillion dollar business, and is now Sammons Preston, an AbilityOne Company. His honorary doctorate in occupational therapy, awarded by the Western Michigan University (WMU) Department of Occupational Therapy, recognizes the many contributions he has made to the profession. Mr. Sammons was named one of the 100 Influential People of Occupational Therapy by AOTA.

Mr. Sammons continues to give to the profession through grants, scholarships, and donations that support research, education, and clinical programs. In his retirement, he has been an active member of AMBUCS, Inc., with whom he collaborates to develop designs for adapted bicycles and tricycles (AmTrykes) for children with disabilities. He expresses great pride in his innovative seating system and in the ways in which he has been able to adapt these bikes to each child’s needs. His love for innovation and technology that help others has been present throughout his life and continues today.

Mr. Sammons' support of the Foundation has been generous, long standing, and diverse including the Fred Sammons and Barbara Rider Endowed Scholarship of the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association, and the Fred Sammons Endowed Scholarship of the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association. AOTF established a new volunteer recognition award in 2017 as a result of a generous endowment for the award from Fred Sammons and Barbara Rider: the Fred Sammons Volunteer Recognition Award. This award will be presented by the AOTF in perpetuity. Mr. Sammons was the inaugural recipient. With the establishment for the endowment for this new volunteer recognition awards, Mr. Sammons becomes the first, and to date only, living million-dollar donor to the Foundation.

In 2017, AOTF created the Fred Sammons Volunteer Recognition Award in honor of Mr. Sammon's devotion to volunteerism. Mr. Sammons was the inaugural recipient.