Nedra Gillette Endowed Research Fellowship
Cristin M. Holland, PhD, OTR/L, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Nancy Talbot Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Dominique Como, PhD, EdM, OTR/L, University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Gary Kielhofner Doctoral Research Scholarship
Amy McArthur, PhD Candidate, MS, OTR/L, University of Illinois 

Bonita Kraft Occupational Therapy Doctoral Student Scholarship
Clarissa Mireau, PhD Candidate, MA, OTR/L, TPS, Nova Southeastern University 
Occupational Therapy

Stay tuned for the announcement of our remaining grant recipients! 

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.  

Congratulations to our 2022 Intervention Research Grant Recipients:

Megan Chang, PhD, OTR/L, MS, San Jose State University
Use of a Telehealth Approach to Build Resilience in Parents of Children with Autism through Mindfulness Practice
Mentor: Laurie Drabble, PhD

Erika Kemp, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, The Ohio State University
Determining Efficacy and Active Ingredients of the AquOTic program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Mentor: Amy Darragh, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Kendra Heatwole Shank, PhD, OTR/L, CAPS, Towson University
MCI Intervention for Out-of-Home Participation: Aging, Cognition, & Meaningful Engagement (ACME) 
Mentor: Malcolm Cutchin, PhD 

Alix Sleight, PhD, OTD, MPH, OTR/L, Cedars-Sinai
The RISE (Re-Invent, Integrate, Strengthen, Expand) Occupation-Based Self-Management Program for Cancer Survivors: A Feasibility Study 
Mentor: Pamela Roberts PhD, OTR/L, SCFES, FAOTA, CPHQ, FNAP, FACRM

Victoria Wilburn, DHSc, OTR, FAOTA, Indiana University Indianapolis
Utilizing Ecological Momentary Assessment with Adolescents Attending a Recovery High School y
Mentor: Brandon Sorge, PhD

The purpose of this grant program is to lay the necessary groundwork for larger intervention studies and for larger implementation studies and support the profession’s Vision 2025 of occupational therapy as an evidence-based profession. The intent of the IRG program is to provide seed funding for the development of new and/or novel ideas in order to generate preliminary data as proof of concept. Most larger funders, including federal sources and most of the major nonprofit foundations, require this data in order to apply to them, yet sources to fund this preliminary work are limited at best. The AOTF IRG occupies a very important niche and fills a critical gap by investing in the development of ideas and data in the early state of the occupational therapy research enterprise. 

The Intervention Research Grant program receives donations from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the AOTF St. Catherine Challenge.  

Congratulations to the 2022 Implementation Research Grant Recipients:

Anna Boone, PhD, MSOT, OTR/L, CBIS, University of Missouri
Analysis, Refinement, and Implementation: Emphasizing Practical Implementation of Functional Cognitive Assessments
Mentor: Dorothy Farrar-Edwards, PhD

Janet Njelesani, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, New York University
Implementing an Occupational Therapy Intervention to Support Young Caregivers
Mentor: Aimee James, PhD, MPH, MA

Jennifer Weaver, PhD, MA, OTR/L, BS, CBIS, Colorado State University
Identifying Implementation Strategies to Facilitate Adoption of a Recovery Ruler in Clinical Practice
Mentor: Trudy Mallinson, PhD

Videos of their research coming soon!

The IR grant specifically supports research that is focused on helping occupational therapists take evidence-informed practice from theory to reality in their practice setting. This research grant develops and evaluates the processes used to implement, sustain, and or scale-up evidence-based practice into routine care with an end goal to improve the quality and effectiveness of care.

Learn more about the IR Grant.