Congratulations to all the 2022 AOTA Award Recipients! We certainly recognize a few that have supported us over the years... 

Douglene Jackson, PhD, OTR/L, LMT, ATP, BCTS, AOTF Board Secretary- Award of Merit (pictured)
Mary C. Lawlor, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Past-AOTF Board Chair- Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award (pictured with Kristie Patten, 2021 Slagle Lecturer and Wendy Hildenbrand, AOTA President)
Grace J. Kim, PhD, OTR/L, 2021 AOTF Intervention Grant Recipient- Emerging & Innovative Practice Award 
Jenny Martinez, OTD, OTR/L, BCG, AOTF STRIDE Committee Member- Cordelia Myers AJOT Best Article Award
Wendy B. Stav, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Former AOTF Volunteer Development and Nominations Committee Member- Choosing Wisely Champion Recognition Award

On the Roster of Fellows:
Teal Wisniewski Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L
Douglene Jackson, PhD, OTR/L, LMT, ATP, BCTS
Amy Lynch PhD, TBRI® Educator, SCFES, OTR/L 
Aimee Piller, PhD, OTR/L, BCP
Jenny Martinez, OTD, OTR/L, BCG
Lynne Richard, PhD, OT/L 

As a stand-alone non-profit exclusively building OT evidence to improve practice and health, we rely on our volunteer partners and leaders from all areas of occupational therapy and the public to deliver the programs that make an impact.

Learn how to become a volunteer and more!

Supporting the Future of OT Research and the Profession

A cohort of entry-level students participated in the AOTF/AOTA Future Scientists Institute, April 1st in San Antonio, TX. The facilitators and mentors included faculty and doctoral/post-doctoral students from established research programs from around the nation. The program included several panel discussions covering the myths and truths of research, how and where it fits into occupational therapy, plus how it can elevate equity, justice and human potential.

The participants were also invited to our Breakfast with a Scholar and State of the Science programs, AOTA's Presidential Farewell/Inaugural Addresses, as well as the Eleanor Slagle Lecture featuring our AOTF Board Vice Chair, Kristie Patten. 

Applications open later this year for 2023.

We would like to congratulate Dr. Krasniuk on her exceptional contributions to OTJR!

OTJR recently announced the recipient of the Top Reviewer Award for 2021: Sarah Krasniuk PhD, MSc. Dr. Krasniuk is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. She joined the OTJR Review Board in 2020, and previously served as an Editorial Fellow from 2017-2020.

Dr. Krasniuk was selected out of a pool of 256 reviewers that completed one or more peer-reviews for OTJR from January to December 2021. The recipient is determined through evaluating several criteria, including the total number of reviews completed, combined with ratings for review quality and review timeliness as rated by our Associate Editors. 

Dr. Krasniuk joins fellow Top Reviewer award recipients, notably: the 2018 & 2019 recipient, Dr. Carolyn Hanson (University of Florida); and the 2020 co-recipients Dr. Markia Demers (University of Southern California), and Dr. Heather Fritz (Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences).

Thanks to all our OTJR peer-reviewers for sharing their time and expertise!

Reminder: Special Telehealth Issue:- Submit by Aug. 1, 2022.

We recently learned of the passing of Honorary Lifetime Member of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), Nancy Vesper (Snyder) Lieftinck.

Following completion of her undergraduate degree in occupational therapy at Ohio State University (OSU), Nancy Vesper Lieftinck immediately began her first job as a staff occupational therapist in 1954 at the Department of Physical Medicine, treating persons with polio. Reflecting on her career, she indicated that her most significant accomplishments occurred as chairperson of ACOTE, in which she developed a streamlined system for program evaluation during her 9 years of service on the council. As an acknowledged leader in occupational therapy, she served the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) generously, completing two terms as president of AOTF from 1969 to 1976 and 1985 to 1989. Under her direction, the AOTF Board of Directors established the AOTF state scholarship program and hired the Foundation's first full-time executive director. In 2003, she was honored with the distinct designation of Honorary Life Membership by the board of directors of the AOTF and was also recognized with the Leadership Commendation Award in 2012 for her many contributions and distinguished service. In addition, Nancy was inducted into the Roster of Fellows of AOTA in 1975 and received the Retired Educator’s Award in 2003. The Fred Sammons Volunteer Recognition Award was presented to her in 2020 by the AOTF, and she is listed in Who’s Who in Rehabilitation. 

To send condolences, you may visit Nancy Lieftinck Obituary - Columbus, OH (dignitymemorial.com)

Calling for Volunteers!  The AOTF Scholarship Selection Committee has openings for Reviewers (especially Clinicians!) to read, review, and score applications submitted for AOTF Scholarships. The bulk of active committee work typically takes place between November - February annually.  Interested?  Contact Careen Carlton at CCarlton@aotf.org by Sept. 1, 2022.

Great news from our 2019 Health Services Research Grant recipient, Teal Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L, Augusta University!

Her groups first paper that came out of their grant work, Publicly Insured Utilization & Costs of Care Among Adults on the Autism Spectrum, was just name one of the Top 20 Advances in Autism Biomedical and Services Research, as selected by members of the US. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC):

Racial and ethnic disparities in benefits eligibility and spending among adults on the autism spectrum: A cohort study using the Medicare Medicaid Linked Enrollees Analytic Data Source. Benevides TW, Carretta HJ, Rust G, Shea L. PLoS One. 2021 May 25;16(5). [PMID: 34032811]. Disparities in dual eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare benefits across race and ethnicity in autistic adults contribute to disparities in access to services. Read more

I am very grateful for AOTF and your support of OT researchers! Thank you for believing in this work. 

AOTF 2023 Health Services, Implementation and Intervention Research Grants will open this summer.  

Universities of Wisconsin-Madison and Milwaukee hosted the 10th Annual Occupational Therapy Summit of Scholars June 16-18. The 2022 OT Research Summit aspired to activate leadership in science so that OT/OS scientists form and lead diverse interdisciplinary research teams to advance occupational therapy, occupational science, and improve quality of life. This year’s program covered work in progress (WIP) projects and presentations from researchers including AOTF grantees, Jewel E Crasta, PhD, OTR/L, Stacey Reynolds, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Karen Atler, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Lisa Juckett, PhD, OTR/L, CHT and Erika Kemp, OTD, OTR/L, BCP. Collaborative activated research teams (CART) during the summit were led by various researchers including AOTA STRIDE and past grantee member Simone Gill, AOTF grant winners Susan Magasi, Lauren Little and Lisa Juckett, AOTF award winners Beth Fields, Jessica Kramer, Stefanie Bodison and Ginny Stoffel and AOTF Academy of Research (AOR) members Sherrilene Classen, Tim Wolf and Anita Bundy. The funder presentations included our very own Scientific Program Officer, Satvika Garg, PhD, OTR/L, along with Theresa Cruz, Director, NCMRR, Sharon Chiou, PhD, NIOSH, Grace Hwang, PhD, NSF and Pimjai Sudsawad, ScD, NIDILRR. Please go to www.otsummit.org - 2022 Summit Resources for details of these presentations.

We look forward to next year’s OT Summit at The Ohio State University!

(pictured)“Caregiving: Measurement, Intervention, and Outcomes,” Collaborative Activated Research Team (CART): Beth Fields, Lauren Little & Timothy Dionne

As the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) is strongly committed to building, executing, and sustaining a long-term strategic commitment to growing research capacity in occupational therapy we're developing a new initiative, PORTAL - Promoting Occupational Therapy Research and Training to Advance Lives. The vision is to create a stable, collaborative and coordinated infrastructure for supporting occupational therapy scientists at all career stages. Hear more from initiative lead,  Elizabeth Skidmore, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, University of Pittsburgh, on the first steps towards the goal.

The 60th Corporate Meeting of the AOTF Board of Trustees took place in sunny Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 9-10, 2022. The main agenda was to prioritize the new 2023-2025 strategic plan that will be finalized at the December 2022 meeting, present committee reports and vote on the Slate of Elections. Three members of the nine-person AOTF Staff also provided an overview of the vast responsibilites and tasks managed at headquarters.

We appreciate everyone's time and expertise in supporting our mission. Want to get involved? Check out our Volunteer Committees.

Let's Build Evidence Together To Improve Practice & Health!

#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people to transform their communities.

Priority Funds for #GivingTuesday2022:

• Intervention Research Grants- This seed-funding fills a critical gap in early-stage OT research and helps OT researchers build proof of concept and publish initial findings.
• Scholarships- Help future occupational therapists obtain their degree and lower the burden of student debt. AOTF has over 50 scholarships including two-dozen state specific scholarships.

Your GivingTuesday Gift can also be used to support your school in the St. Catherine Challenge! Just select the in dropdown and include your school’s name in the comment box.

Match Contests to Make Your Contribution Go Further Thanks to Our Sponsors:

• UNLOCK THE MATCH!
  TBD will match the first $1,000 raised with their own gift of $1,000 and then will match the second $1,000 raised with a second gift of $1,000. Please make a gift to help us unlock this matching gift!
• SCHOLARSHIP BOOST!
  Thanks to the support of Elevance Health, you can help win an extra $500 for the scholarship of your state! § The 4 states with the greatest number of donors will receive an extra $500 for their 2023 scholarship. 

The American Occupational Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Gifts to the AOTF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.  Federal Tax I.D. # 136189382. View online giving privacy policy and state non-profit disclosures on our Support page.
 

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Harlan Temple, once again sponsored the annual South Dakota OT 5K which works with students at University of South Dakota and the South Dakota OT Association to raise money for the SD Harlan and Rita Temple Scholarship. With the help of a SDOTA student representative from USD, who spearheaded this year’s 5K, they raised over $tbd for the scholarship.

See all the scholarships available with the collaboration between AOTF and state OT associations and other ways you can support OT research.