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Academy of Research in OT

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January 28, 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.

Kenneth Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
Helene Ross
/ Categories: AOTF Academy of Research

Kenneth Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

1984

Dr. Ottenbacher is the Russell Shearn Moody Distinguished Chair in Neurological Rehabilitation; Professor & Director, Division of Rehabilitation Science; Director, Center for Recovery, Physical Activity and Nutrition; Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.  His research interests include rehabilitation outcomes with a focus on functional assessment, outcomes measures, frailty in older adults, and disability. Retrieved on August 7, 2015 from http://rehabsciences.utmb.edu/ottenbacher.asp.)

 

From 1987 through 1990, Dr. Ottenbacher served as editor of the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research.   In 2003, he received The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Award of Merit and in 2013 was awarded the AOTA-AOTF Presidents' Commendation Award in Honor of Wilma L. West which honors a respected leader of the profession who has made sustained contributions to occupational therapy over a lifetime of service.  Dr. Ottenbacher received the 2016 Gold Key Lifetime Service Award from ACRM and was named one of the 100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy by AOTA.

 

 

References

Ciro, CA, Ottenbacher, KJ, Graham, JE, Fisher, S, Berges, I & Ostir, GV.  (2012). Patterns and correlates of depression in hospitalized older adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 54, 202-205.  \

 

Ottenbacher, KJ, Karmarkar, A, Graham, JE, Kuo, YF, Deutsch, A, Reistetter, TA, Al Snih, S & Granger, CV.  (2014 Feb 12). Thirty-day hospital readmission following discharge from postacute rehabilitation in fee-for-service Medicare patients. JAMA. 311, 604-614. 

 

Runzer-Colmenares, FM, Samper-Ternent, R, Al Snih, S, Ottenbacher, KJ, Parodi, JF & Wong, R.  (2014). Prevalence and factors associated with frailty among Peruvian older adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 58, 69-73.

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