At Pitt Occupational Therapy, the education of future occupational therapists extends far beyond the classroom. Our Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students are seizing extraordinary opportunities to grow as leaders, advocates and change-makers and gain real-world skills that will define the next generation of health care professionals. From interdisciplinary leadership programs to community health initiatives, here’s a closer look at three programs where Pitt OT students are making their mark.
LEND Program
Leading for Children with Disabilities
The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Center of Pittsburgh is an interdisciplinary program dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders in the field of disabilities. Graduate and post-graduate students, practicing professionals and family members of children with disabilities come together in this dynamic program to develop the knowledge, skills and networks needed to drive meaningful change.
The LEND program’s mission is both ambitious and deeply personal: to forge lasting partnerships that improve the lives of children with special needs and their families. Trainees emerge from the program equipped to assume leadership roles in their fields and to advocate for a more inclusive, responsive health care system.
OTD students are consistently accepted to participate in this competitive program, which is overseen at Pitt by Associate Professor Angela Caldwell. It’s a unique chance to engage with a broader interdisciplinary community and to champion the needs of some of our most vulnerable populations.
PA AHEC Scholars Program
Serving Those Who Need It Most
The Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars Program is a two-year, self-guided supplemental curriculum designed to build students’ competencies in caring for individuals in rural, underserved and vulnerable communities. Many of our OTD students have been accepted into this prestigious program, which is a testament to their commitment to equitable, patient-centered care.
Through a blend of clinical, didactic and community-based activities, AHEC Scholars:
- develop a deeper awareness of the barriers to health care access facing rural and urban communities alike
- engage in interprofessional collaboration with AHEC Scholars across Pennsylvania and the nation
- examine how social determinants of health, behavioral health needs and cultural identity shape individual and community wellbeing
- cultivate a professional identity rooted in genuine reflection and responsiveness to the needs of vulnerable patients
The AHEC Scholars experience doesn’t just sharpen clinical skills, it shapes the kind of thoughtful, justice-oriented practitioners that our communities desperately need.
JHF Feinstein Fellowships
Activating the Next Generation of Health Care Leaders
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) Feinstein Fellowships offer OTD students an extraordinary opportunity to step into the arena of health care leadership, activism and systems change. Designed as a collaborative, multidisciplinary learning environment, the Feinstein Fellowships introduce fellows to skills that simply aren’t part of traditional health care graduate programs.
OTD students have been accepted across several fellowship tracks, each with a distinct focus:
Salk Health Activist Fellowship — Fellows learn how to build public will around critical health and social issues. Through training in case making, advocacy and network building, participants develop compelling platforms to inspire community action.
Patient Safety Fellowship — Interdisciplinary teams work together to construct real-world scenarios for key health system stakeholders, making the case for why a safety-first health care platform benefits patients, providers and communities.
Death and Dying Fellowship — In a low-pressure, multidisciplinary environment, fellows explore the legal, medical, social, cultural, familial and spiritual dimensions of death and dying. Through a combination of virtual and in-person sessions in the Pittsburgh area, participants build the capacity to engage with one of health care’s most profound and often overlooked challenges.
A Culture of Leadership
These programs reflect something essential about the Pitt OT community: a belief that occupational therapists are not just clinicians, but leaders, advocates and architects of a more equitable health care system. Whether working alongside families of children with disabilities, serving underserved communities or pushing for systemic safety reforms, our students are doing the work that matters.
We are proud of every student who steps forward to take on these challenges and we can’t wait to see the impact they will make.
