A Conversation with Dr. Johnson on Her Latest AOTF-Supported Publication
This Researcher Spotlight was created in conjunction with Dr. Khalilah Johnson and AOTF’s STRIDE (Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) committee.
In her latest study, supported by AOTF’s Health Services Research Grant program, Khalilah Johnson, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, and her team examined whether race and neighborhood segregation were associated with outpatient occupational therapy, physical therapy, and home health service use among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the American Community Survey.
Dr. Johnson emphasizes that the lack of statistically significant findings should not be interpreted as an absence of structural inequity. She hopes this work will challenge the field to stop treating race as the explanation for inequities and instead name and examine the systems that produce them.
The STRIDE Connection
This spotlight is brought to you by AOTF’s Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) committee, which is proud to spotlight scholars whose work advances equity in occupational therapy science.
Dr. Johnson’s research, which centers on measuring inequities in service access for minoritized people with IDD, directly reflects two key tenets of the STRIDE committee’s mission: to combat racism and identify and address barriers to full inclusion.
Q&A
We sat down to talk with Dr. Johnson about her latest publication in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Home Health Use Among People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Measuring Their Association With Neighborhood Racial Segregation and how AOTF’s Health Services Research Grant supported this study. Here’s what she had to say:
How did AOTF’s Health Services Research Program grant support this study?
AOTF’s Health Services Research Program didn’t just fund my study; it helped launch a research agenda. This investment gave me the freedom to ask bigger questions about why inequities exist in healthcare access for minoritized people with IDD, rather than simply documenting that they do. At a time when many funders were becoming increasingly hesitant to support research explicitly examining structural racism and health equity, AOTF remained unwavering in its commitment to investing in scholarship that addresses the realities of multiply marginalized communities. That support made this work possible!
“This investment gave me the freedom to ask bigger questions about why inequities exist in healthcare access for minoritized people with IDD, rather than simply documenting that they do.”
What do you hope this study will change about how the field measures and discusses equity in service access?
I hope this work challenges scholars in the field to stop treating race as the explanation for inequities and instead name and examine the systems that produce them. Race doesn’t cause disparities; racism does. If we are serious about advancing health equity, we have to move beyond documenting differences in service use and start measuring the structural conditions that shape who has access to care, who does not, and why.
“Race doesn’t cause disparities; racism does.”
What impact did AOTF’s support have on this work, and what would you like AOTF donors to know about that impact?
The Foundation’s support has had a ripple effect that extends far beyond peer-reviewed publications. It helped establish a research program that has generated multiple manuscripts and national and international presentations, fostered interdisciplinary collaborations, strengthened subsequent grant applications, and positioned occupational therapy within national conversations about health equity and structural determinants of health impacting people with IDD. What I want AOTF donors to know is that their support sends a powerful message. By investing in research focused on structural inequities and the experiences of multiply marginalized communities, AOTF demonstrated that these questions matter even when they weren’t always viewed as priorities elsewhere. That commitment has empowered researchers like me to pursue work that challenges systems, advances equity, and improves care for communities that have too often been overlooked.
“By investing in research focused on structural inequities and the experiences of multiply marginalized communities, AOTF demonstrated that these questions matter even when they weren’t always viewed as priorities elsewhere.”
Was there a specific moment or experience during this research that stuck with you and shaped how you approached it?
One of the biggest takeaways was realizing just how invisible structural racism is within our existing health services data. The absence of meaningful measures isn’t accidental; it reflects what our systems have historically valued and what they have ignored. That realization reinforced my commitment to developing research that makes structural inequities visible, measurable, and impossible to dismiss.
“The absence of meaningful measures isn’t accidental; it reflects what our systems have historically valued and what they have ignored.”
If there’s anything else you’d like us to highlight about the study, please feel free to share.
I hope others recognize that this work represents an evolution in occupational therapy research. As a profession, we have become increasingly comfortable talking about health equity, but talking isn’t enough. We need methods that allow us to study inequity rigorously and generate evidence capable of informing policy and systems change. I am grateful that AOTF saw the importance of this work early and invested in research that pushes our profession, and the broader field of rehabilitation, toward a more critical and justice-oriented understanding of health.
“As a profession, we have become increasingly comfortable talking about health equity, but talking isn’t enough. We need methods that allow us to study inequity rigorously and generate evidence capable of informing policy and systems change.”
This study was supported by an AOTF Health Services Research Grant. In addition to being a 2023 grant recipient, Dr. Johnson currently serves as the Vice Chair of our Scientific Advisory Council, which advises the AOTF Board and CEO on priorities and programs for advancing the science of occupational therapy that supports people’s full participation in meaningful life activities. We appreciate her longstanding commitment to the Foundation and thank her for her collaboration in this Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity spotlight piece.
Invest in Research Like This
Thanks to the support of AOTF’s robust coalition of donors, partners, and sponsors, we were able to invest in Dr. Johnson’s study. Three years later, through peer-reviewed publications, manuscripts, national and international presentations, and more, this investment is shaping how the field views equity in healthcare and positioning occupational therapy at the center of the conversation.
Make a gift today to help launch tomorrow’s research studies.
Calling All Early-Career Researchers
While we will not be offering Health Services Research Grants this cycle, AOTF is accepting applications for four grant opportunities, offering up to $100k to advance your next research project.