The Department of Occupational Therapy had much to celebrate this past term, as numerous faculty members, staff research coordinators, research scientists/specialists and Doctor of Occupational Therapy and PhD students saw their hard work disseminated in peer-reviewed journals. These scholarly achievements reflect the department’s ongoing commitment to advancing the field of occupational therapy through impactful research, cutting-edge innovation and meaningful contributions to occupational therapy education and clinical practice.
The research covered a wide range of timely and important topics, including clinical education, fieldwork redesign, care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), sleep interventions for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer’s disease awareness and the role of artificial intelligence in occupational therapy. The variety of subjects demonstrates the department’s comprehensive approach to addressing clinically relevant health care and educational challenges.
Highlighted publications include:
Alzheimer’s Disease and Cultural Perspectives
- Wong, C.M., Como, D.H., Lekovitch, C., Chew, F., Leland, N.E. (2025). Nursing home staff perspectives of the benefits and challenges of providing dementia care. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 26(2), 105411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105411
- Williams, L.A., Terhorst, L., Williams, I.C., Skidmore, E.R., and Lingler, J.H. (2025). Perceived risk of Alzheimer’s disease: Insights into the Black and African American male perspective. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 104(4), 1028-1035. https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251317151
Caregiver Support and Acute Care
- Smiley, A., Griffin, J. M., Vitagliano, L. M., Wold, A. K., Mailloux, T., Hansen, B. B., Strader, K. D., Chesak, S., Khera, N., and Burns, M. R. (2025). Peer support for caregivers: An acute care quality improvement initiative. American Journal of Medical Quality, 40(4), 208-209. https://doi.org/10.1097/JMQ.0000000000000249
Clinical Education and Fieldwork Innovations
- Krebs, K. (2025). Exploring motivators for rural occupational therapy fieldwork educators: A pilot study. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815251332860
- Baird, J.M, Van Oss, T., Hoppe, M. Prast, J., Zapletal, A., and Raina, K. Student perceptions of the effectiveness of simulated versus clinical experiences in learning clinical skills. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9(3), 6. https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol9/iss3/6/
- Lekovitch, C., Marsico, A. and Raina, K. The Re-design of Level I Fieldwork to Foster Professional Competence and Career Adaptability. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9(3), 15. https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol9/iss3/15
Health Equity and Disability Support
- Caldwell, A., Brazendale, K., Richards, E., Vellody, K., and Bowling, A. SBM supports efforts to decrease health disparities experienced by persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Society of Behavioral Medicine. https://www.sbm.org/advocacy/policy-positions
Sleep and Pediatric Interventions
- Hartman, A.G., Joseph, H., Northrup, J., Murray, T., Brovender, I., Wong, V., and Soehner, A. (2025). The power down: A new sensory-based bedtime intervention for children with ADHD. Sleep, 48(Supplement 1), A440. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaf090.1016
Student Success and Belonging
- Isenberg, A.S., Mathia, E.L., Chen, S., McGreevy, E.M., Binning, K.R., and Raina, K.D. Social and academic belonging: Developing an ecological belonging program for occupational therapy students. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(5). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2025.051027
Technology and Workforce Innovation
- Stover, A. D., and Jacobs, K. (2025).Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) in occupational therapy practice: Bridging workforce gaps and redefining care. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 80(3), 1021-1028. https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815241312447
Congratulations to all the authors—Joanne Baird, Isabel Brovender, Angela Caldwell, Amy Hartman, Avital Isenberg, Kimberly Krebs, Cara Lekovitch, Natalie Leland, Ann Marsico, Erin Mathia, Tracy Murray, Ketki Raina, Elizabeth Skidmore, Adrianne Smiley, Alyson Stover, Lauren Terhorst and Carin Wong for their outstanding accomplishments!
