Dr. Nedelec is an Associate Professor and the former Director of the Occupational Therapy Program, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Her research interests focus on the rehabilitation of people who have sustained a major burn injury with a particular interest in the evaluation and treatment of hypertrophic scar. The formation of hypertrophic scar is considered one of the most important long-term consequences of a major burn injury leading to impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. Research projects have evaluated the clinical instruments used to quantify hypertrophic scar and its associated symptoms, the efficacy of treatment interventions employed to minimize hypertrophic scar and its associated sequelae, practice issues related to evidence-informed practice, ensuring burn therapist competency, and the delivery of best practice rehabilitation, as well as the comprehensive evaluation of the short- and long-term outcomes associated with burn injuries.

Q AND A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
Perseverant, hard-working, erudite

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
Burn survivor rehabilitation specific research is scarce. Recent medical and surgical research advances make it possible for virtually all patients, even those with massive burn injuries, to survive. We need to provide evidence for rehabilitation interventions that will optimize function so burn survivors can participate in meaningful occupations and enjoy good quality of life.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Surround yourself with a like-minded, but diverse team who have expertise in areas that will complement your research program. Working with people who will support you, and at the same time challenge and stimulate your thinking, is essential to optimizing your research program.

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?
Expert occupational therapist working in physical medicine seamlessly incorporate the evaluation and treatment of psychosocial issues into their practice. This often times goes undocumented and is undervalued. Making this treatment explicit, researching it value and improving current practice needs to be a research priority. There are also long-term health benefits associated with enabling people’s ability to engage in meaningful occupations. Occupational therapy researchers need to quantify these benefits, particularly from an economic perspective, so that the value of what we do is unquestionable.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
Mentors have played an enormous role in my academic career. They have come in many forms including colleagues, family, friends, patients, and students. They taught me the value and the sustaining power of the love of learning, to strive for excellence in all we do, to never compromise my integrity, and to always prioritize the overall goal of improving the outcome of the patients that we serve. They also modeled our responsibility to give back to the systems that support us, including supporting the development of students and junior researchers.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
Spending time with family, my children in particular, rejuvenates me and helps me to put things into perspective. Staying connected with nature is a nurturing force in my life.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The thing that has been most surprising for me is the never-ending excitement of learning, and the thrill of working with, and learning from, the amazingly talented, crazy smart people I have had the privilege to work with.

REFERENCES

Nedelec, B., Correa, J.A., Rachelska, G., & Armour, A. (2008). Quantitative Measurement of Hypertrophic Scar: Intrarater Reliability, Sensitivity, and Specificity, Journal of Burn Care & Research, 29, 489-500. doe: 10.1097/BCR.0b013e3181710869

Nedelec, B., Correa, J.A., Rachelska, G., Armour, A., & LaSalle, L. (2008) Measurement of Hypertrophic Scar: Interrater Reliability and Concurrent Validity. Journal of Burn Care & Research, 29, 501-511. doe: 10.1097/BCR.0b013e3181710881

Nedelec, B., Correa, J.A., de Oliveira, A., LaSalle, L., Perrault, I. (2014) Longitudinal burn scar quantification. Burns, 40,1504-1512. doi:10.1016/j.burns.2014.03.002

Nedelec, B., Calva, V., Chouinard, A., Couture, M., Godbout, E., de Oliveira, A., & LaSalle, L. (2016) Somatosensory Rehabilitation for Neuropathic Pain in Burn Survivors: A Case Series. Journal of Burn Care & Research, 37, e37–e46. doi:10.1097/BCR.0000000000000321

Nguyen, N.T., Lorrain, M., Pognon-Hanna, J.N., Elfassy, C., Calva, V., de Oliveira, A., & Nedelec, B. (2016) Barriers and facilitators to work reintegration and burn survivors’ perspectives on educating work colleagues. Burns, 42, 1477–1486 doi:10.1016/j.burns.2016.05.014

1920 - 1989

The sensory integration (SI) specialty was originally developed by A. Jean Ayres, PhD, OTR, who was both an occupational therapist and an educational psychologist. A former member of the USC occupational therapy faculty, she developed a theoretical framework, a set of standardized tests (today known as the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests), and a clinical approach for identifying and remedying SI problems in children.

Her publications on sensory integration span a 30-year period from the 1960s through the 1980s and include psychometric studies as well as clinical trials and single case studies."  (Retrieved on December 18, 2014, from http://chan.usc.edu/academics/sensory-integration.) 

Selected References

Ayres, AJ. (1963). Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture: The development of perceptual-motor abilities: A theoretical basis for treatment of dysfunction. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 17, 221-225.
Ayres, A. J. (1972). Sensory Integration and Learning Disorders. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
Ayres, AJ. (1972). Types of sensory integrative dysfunction among disabled learners. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 26, 13-18.

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.

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.

Dr. Baker is Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Tufts University.  Her research "focuses on the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders primarily of the hand and arm. Her research reflects a synthesis of preventing work related hand injuries (ergonomics), addressing limitations due to arthritis, and examining conservative treatments for work-related hand injuries, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome. Her expertise in clinical hand biomechanics has also lead to collaborations with others interested in the effect of disability on hand coordination, such as the effects of glaucoma, or the effects of prosthetic use.

Baker's research is eclectic and uses a variety of tools and techniques to answer her research questions. She has experience with instrument development (Keyboard – Personal Computer Style [K-PeCS); motion capture analysis of upper extremity function; and has completed two randomized clinical trials, one on computer keyboard use, and one comparing conservative treatments of carpal tunnel syndrome. She has developed skills in large dataset analyses and is developing health systems intervention research to improve the care of people with carpal tunnel syndrome.

From her experiences in work rehabilitation, Baker developed an interest in epidemiology and population level research. She obtained a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2009, and was a Guest Researcher at the Centers for Disease Control Division of Population Health: Arthritis, Epilepsy, and Well-Being Branch from 2014 to 2015. She is currently exploring how knowledge translation and implementation science can be used to increase the uptake of evidence-based treatments in occupational therapy."  (Retrieved on March 15 2019 from https://ase.tufts.edu/occupationalTherapy/people/baker.htm.)

Dr. Baker became an associate editor of OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health in February 2017.

Selected References

Baker, NA, Moehling, K, Park, SY. (2015) The effect of a fixed split-angle keyboard on musculoskeletal discomfort: A randomized cross-over trial. Work, 50(4):677-86. doi: 10.3233/WOR-131797
Qin, J, Theis, KA, Barbour, KE, Helmick, CG, Baker, NA, Brady, TJ. (2015) The impact of arthritis and multiple chronic conditions on selected life domains, United States, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 64(21):578-582
Baker, NA, Barbour, K, Helmick, C, Zack, MM, Al Snih, S. (2017) Associations between arthritis and change in physical function in U.S. retirees. Journal of Gerontology A: Biological Sciences Medical Sciences, 72(1):127-133. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glw075
Baker, NA, Barbour, K, Helmick, C, Zack, M, Al Snih, S. (2017) Arthritis and cognitive impairment in older adults. International Rheumatology, 37(6):955-961. doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3698-1
Bove, AM, Baker, NA, *Livengood, H, King, V, Mancino, J, Popchak, A, Fitzgerald, K. (2017) Task-specific training for adults with chronic knee pain: a case series. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy,;47(8):548-556. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2017.7349
Qin, J, Barbour, L, Murphy, L, Baker, NA, Helmick, C, Theis, K, Schwartz, T, Renner, J, Nelson, A, Allen, K, Jordan, J. (2017) Lifetime risk of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 69(6):1204-1212. doi: 10.1002/art.40097
Baker, NA, Livengood, H, Nau, AC, Owens, G, Chambers, AJ, Trout, J, Cham, R. (2017) Effect of central and peripheral vision occlusion on motor performance during hand coordination tasks. IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors,5(3-4):148-157. doi: 10.1080/24725838.2017.1398691
Bass, J, Baker, NA. (2017) Occupational therapy and public health: Advancing research to improve population health and health equity. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 37(4):175-177. doi: 10.1177/1539449217731665
Baker, NA, Stevans, J, Terhorst, L, Haas, A, Kuo, Y-F, Al Snih, S. What types of treatment are provided for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome? A retrospective analysis of commercial insurance. PM&R. Online pre-publication doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2018.02.004
Pure, E, Terhorst, L, Baker, NA.(2018) Movement and manual therapy for adults with arthritis: National Health Interview Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 37:96-102. Doi 0.1016/j.ctim.2018.02.007