Stories from our Occupational Therapy Programs

Academics
Written By Chatham University

World Occupational Therapy day is celebrated every October 27, highlighting the critical work of Occupational Therapists around the world in treating physical, sensory, and cognitive problems, allowing people greater independence and quality of life. Chatham University offers both an Occupational Therapy, Entry-Level (ELOTD) program and an Occupational Therapy, Post-Professional (PPOTD) program to meet the needs of today’s professionals in the field, offering interprofessional education, community outreach, capstone project opportunities and more.

Join us as we look back on some of our favorite ELOTD and PPOTD stories from years past, and happy World Occupational Therapy Day!

Featured
Using Occupational Therapy to Build Accessible Playgrounds
Using Occupational Therapy to Build Accessible Playgrounds

Anna Stathis, ELOTD ’24, assisted Cornell School District in designing a new playground as part of her capstone.

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She’s a Chatham Alum, a Professor, and President of the PA OT Association
She’s a Chatham Alum, a Professor, and President of the PA OT Association

Chrissy Daeschner, PPOTD ’22, found a passion for geriatric occupational therapy after working in home healthcare. “It truly is a space where you see a person really at their most vulnerable.”

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This Chatham OT Student Wants to Make the Field More Diverse
This Chatham OT Student Wants to Make the Field More Diverse

Brendan Flynn, ELOTD ’25, wants to bring more men into medical field comprised mostly of women.

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Alumni Profile: Makayla Himes ELOTD ’23
Alumni Profile: Makayla Himes ELOTD ’23

Makayla Himes said her doctoral capstone at Chatham University led to her new job as an occupational therapist.

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With Go Baby Go!, students use classroom knowledge to bring fun to families
With Go Baby Go!, students use classroom knowledge to bring fun to families

By modifying toy cars, Chatham students help kids with disabilities have fun in the fast lane.

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Miracle Moments with Brian Muni, OTD ’22
Miracle Moments with Brian Muni, OTD ’22

Earning his Doctorate in Occupational Therapy helped Brian Muni, OTD ’22 translate his love of music into a rewarding career helping children

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Students Get Hands-On and Beyond with Augmented Reality Cadaver Lab
Students Get Hands-On and Beyond with Augmented Reality Cadaver Lab

Students in Dr. Ahmed El Sergani’s Clinical Applications of Basic Sciences course have been using augmented reality to enhance their experience in Chatham’s human cadaver lab

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Stories from our Occupational Therapy Programs
Stories from our Occupational Therapy Programs

Celebrate World Occupational Therapy Day with Chatham University’s Occupational Therapy programs.

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Meet OT Student and Lacrosse Star, Anna Prendergast
Meet OT Student and Lacrosse Star, Anna Prendergast

Chatham Occupational Therapy student and lacrosse player, Anna Prendergast was recently selected as the PAC mid-fielder of the week for her outstanding efforts on the field. We caught up with Anna to learn more about her life as a student-athlete, her future plans, and why she loves OT so much.

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Five Things You Might’ve Missed About Chatham’s OT Program
Five Things You Might’ve Missed About Chatham’s OT Program

April marks Occupational Therapy Month and we’re celebrating by counting down five of the more unique and advantageous highlights of our OTD programs. Click the link to learn more about our multiple tracks, international opportunities, and real-world experience.

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Four Alumnae Women of Color Making an Impact in Their Field
Four Alumnae Women of Color Making an Impact in Their Field

In honor of HERstory month, which celebrates women of color from February 15 through March 15, Chatham’s Career Development and Alumni Relations teams collaborated to highlight four Chatham alumni who are excelling in their careers: Chindinma Ojini, Cynthia H. Jones, Genesis Caplan, and Teresa Smith.

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Alumna Profile: Jessica Listhaus, OTD '21
Alumna Profile: Jessica Listhaus, OTD '21

Recent Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy graduate, Jessica Listhaus is using her capstone work—and that of her peers—to influence her ongoing occupational therapy work at the New York City Department of Education and in her own private practice.

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Getting a Little Creative— A New Intergenerational Living Partnership between Chatham and Vincentian Schenley Gardens
Getting a Little Creative— A New Intergenerational Living Partnership between Chatham and Vincentian Schenley Gardens

Chatham’s new intergenerational living partnership with Vincentian Schenley Gardens gives health science students the opportunity to live alongside residents in an assisted care facility. In exchange for low monthly rent, students spend time with residents and offer activities that include everything from classes and outings to tech assistance and news curation.

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3 Questions with a Future Occupational Therapist, Part 2
3 Questions with a Future Occupational Therapist, Part 2

Chatham’s Occupational Therapy program is well-known for the student success it yields, but what does that experience look like in real time? We caught up with current OTD student Vanessa Verboort to learn more about how she is honing her skills as a future occupational therapist thanks to one-on-one mentorship with her professors.

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3 Questions with a Future Occupational Therapist
3 Questions with a Future Occupational Therapist

Chatham’s Occupational Therapy program is well-known for the student success it yields, but what does that experience look like in real time? We caught up with current OTD student, Stephanie Cascio to learn more about how she is honing her skills as a future occupational therapist via fieldwork, leadership opportunities, and community service.

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Alumna Profile: Jillian Hamilton OTD '18
Alumna Profile: Jillian Hamilton OTD '18

Jillian Hamilton’s journey through our Occupational Therapy Program started with the encouragement of a friend, and along the way, the camaraderie she felt with her classmates and the mentorship of faculty members saw her through to the finish line. Now, Hamilton is using learnings from her OT thesis project to improve the lives of children with developmental delays.

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Student Profile: Olivia Young
Student Profile: Olivia Young

Olivia Young ‘23 keeps busy as an RA, Exercise Science major, and a leader in the WithChatham student organization. Learn more about her, her Chatham favorites, and her plans for her future as an Occupational Therapist in this for students, by students feature!

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Ainsley Berringer & Her Healing Horses
Ainsley Berringer & Her Healing Horses

At her therapeutic horse center, Hilltop Horizons, Master of Occupational Therapy student, Ainsley Berringer has found a way to merge her love of horses with her love of empowering others, all while utilizing a very special (and equine-centric) therapeutic strategy.

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Ask an Expert: Staying Fit During Quarantine
Ask an Expert: Staying Fit During Quarantine

In this edition of Ask an Expert, Exercise Science student and future Occupational Therapist Cagney Sargent ‘20, provides helpful hints on safely working out from home during quarantine.

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Chatham OT Students Launch #OTChangingLives
Chatham OT Students Launch #OTChangingLives

April marks National Occupational Therapy month and Chatham’s Occupational Therapy students are celebrating by sharing their health and wellness tips through the #OTChangingLives campaign. Check out their daily health checklist and more!

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Campus Sensory Garden Offers New Path to Mindfulness
Campus Sensory Garden Offers New Path to Mindfulness

Proposed by Occupational Therapy students, the sensory garden at Eden Hall Campus is one of the many ways ChathamU combines sustainability and health science. This therapeutic garden is designed to engage the senses, provide a respite from the often frenetic pace of college life, and serve as a both a healing and a research tool.

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The Crazy, Intense, Kind of Beautiful World of Problem-Based Learning
The Crazy, Intense, Kind of Beautiful World of Problem-Based Learning

I sat in on a number of sessions of a PBL course (called Essentials for the Physician Assistant II) for the MPAS program to learn what all the fuss was about, and let me say: This might be the best way anyone has taught anyone anything, ever.

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Making an Impact in Ecuador
Making an Impact in Ecuador

For many of the School of Health Sciences students, it would be their first time treating patients in such a context—navigating different cultures, different specialties, even different words. And if that weren’t novelty enough, they’d be doing it in Ibarra, Ecuador.

 

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Interprofessional Education in the Health Sciences
Interprofessional Education in the Health Sciences

The goal of interprofessional education at Chatham is to prepare students in nursing, psychology, physician assistant studies and occupational and physical therapy to learn from and about each other’s professions in order to practice as part of a collaborative, patient centered team.

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Chatham University offers both an Occupational Therapy, Entry-Level (ELOTD) program and an Occupational Therapy, Post-Professional (PPOTD) program. We also offer an Integrated Degree Program for qualified undergraduates eligible for guaranteed or preferred admission to our competitive health and lab science programs.Click the links to visit our website and see which program is right for your needs!

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