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Academy of Research in OT

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February 21, 2026

 

  

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Academy of Research In Occupational Therapy

AOREstablished in 1983, the AOTF Academy of Research in Occupational Therapy recognizes individuals who have made exemplary, distinguished, and sustained contributions toward the science of occupational therapy. Every year, the Academy of Research invites nominations for membership. After consideration of the nominations and supporting materials, the Academy selects individuals to be inducted into this distinguished body of researchers. Usually, inductions occur at the next AOTA Annual Conference and Exposition.  

Nominations closed for 2026 cycle

View Nomination Procedures

2026 Inductee to the Academy

Kristie K. Patten, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA

2026

Kristie K. Patten, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA

Dr. Kristie Patten is Counselor to the President at NYU, overseeing the strategic priorities of the president and university-wide initiatives. She is a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, having previously served as Department Chair and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at NYU Steinhardt. Her research has focused on shifting the paradigm from a deficit-based to a strength-based or neurodiversity-affirming perspective in the field of autism. She is the principal investigator of the NEST project, funded by New York City Public Schools, the largest inclusion program in the country. The research of her lab has been funded by the National Science Foundation continuously for the last 9 years, which has focused on prioritizing autistic interests in maker clubs. She founded the NYU Connections Program, which supports autistic students, and her most recent NSF work, "Making Mentors," teaches autistic college students how to mentor autistic high school students in STEAM fields. She was awarded and delivered the Eleanor Clark Slagle Lecture in 2022. 

Members of the Academy of Research

View Full List of Academy of Research Members At-A-Glance. * indicates a deceased member.

Florence A. Clark, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Helene Ross
/ Categories: AOTF Academy of Research

Florence A. Clark, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

1986

Dr. Clark is Professor at the Mrs. T. H.  Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles. She is a past president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). In 1992, Dr. Clark was the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecturer, AOTA's highest academic honor, and in 1999 she received AOTA's Award of Merit. Dr. Clark received the AOTA-AOTF Presidents' Award in Honor of Wilma L. West in 2017 and was named one of the 100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy by AOTA.


Since 1985, Florence Clark has attracted more than $10 million in extramural funding from NIH, NIDRR, and other federal agencies for research and training in the areas of healthy aging and the secondary conditions that impede the flourishing of people with disabilities in their real life circumstances. Dr. Clark's research programs in healthy aging and in the prevention of pressure ulcers in persons with spinal cord injury have followed a blueprint for translational research which she first developed with colleagues in connection with the USC Well Elderly Study. Initiated in 1993, the Well Elderly Study (RO1 AG11810) was a randomized controlled trial which demonstrated that preventive occupational therapy forestalls the declines associated with typical aging and improves the health of independently living elders.   (Retrieved on January 29, 2015 from http://chan.usc.edu/faculty/directory/Florence_Clark/.)


Q and A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
Tenacious, creative, hardworking.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
By developing cost-effective interventions that prevent chronic disease and disability.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Stay focused and be open to learning from mentors.

Beside your own areas of inquiry, what is one research priority that you believe is important for the future of occupational science and occupational therapy?
Demonstrating the efficacy of occupational therapy intervention approaches in improving quality of life of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
They were extremely encouraging, believed in my potential, and trusted that I was highly motivated to serve the public good.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
Reading.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
I have been surprised to discover that components of interventions I assumed were accounting for certain beneficial effects were irrelevant.  What has been most rewarding is providing evidence that interventions we develop actively produce positive health outcomes cost-effectively in underserved, ethnically diverse populations.


Selected References

Blanche, EI, Fogelberg, D, Diaz, J, Carlson, M, & Clark, F. (2011). Manualization of occupational therapy interventions: Illustrations from the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Research Program. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, (6), 711-719.

Clark, F. (1993). Occupation Embedded in a Real Life: Interweaving Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy: 1993 Eleanor Clark Slagle Lecture. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47, (12), 1067-1078.

Clark, F, Azen, SP, Zemke, R, Jackson, J, Carlson, M, Mandel, D, Hay, J, Josephson, K, Cherry, B, Hessel, C, Palmer, J & Lipson, L.  (1997 Oct 22-29).  Occupational therapy for independent-living older adults. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 278, 321-1326.

Clark, F, Jackson, J, Carlson, M, Chou, CP, Cherry, BJ, Jordan-Marsh, M, Knight, BG, Mandel, D, Blanchard, J, Granger, DA, Wilcox, RR, Lai, MY, White, B, Hay, J, Lam, C, Marterella, A & Azen, S. P.   (2012). Effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention in promoting the well-being of independently living older people: results of the Well Elderly 2 Randomised Controlled Trial. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66, 782-790.  

Ghaisas, S, Pyatak, EA, Blanche, E, Blanchard, J, Clark, F; PUPS II Study Group.  (2015 Jan-Feb). Lifestyle changes and pressure ulcer prevention in adults with spinal cord injury in the pressure ulcer prevention study lifestyle intervention. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(1):6901290020p1-6901290020p10. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2015.012021.

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