This Chatham OT Student Wants to Make the Field More Diverse
When Brendan Flynn, ELOTD ’25, stepped into the field of occupational therapy, he was excited.
Brendan Flynn is working towards obtaining his entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree. (Photo courtesy of Brendan Flynn, ELOTD ’25)
After previously studying physical therapy, Flynn was looking forward to bringing the rehabilitative ideas of PT to helping people get back into the activities they love, like kicking a soccer ball or playing piano.
But he was also surprised to learn the field he was entering did not have broad diversity among practitioners. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, over 80% of American occupational therapists are white women.
Flynn said he wants to help change that, and not just by bringing more men into the practice.
“It’s really [about] bringing all aspects of diversity into OT,” he said.
“Now, you’re seeing people of color come into being practitioners in the field,” he continued. “You’re seeing more males come into it. So, just really taking that and running with it, so we have practitioners of all kinds, so when we have patients who might prefer to see a particular type of therapist, they have that ability to see them.”
One of his first steps was becoming an ambassador for BrOT (pronounced “bro-tee”), an organization aimed at increasing awareness of the practice of OT and encouraging underrepresented groups to become occupational therapists.
As the name suggests, male practitioners are a major focus, but they’re only part of it.
“Our patients are very diverse,” Flynn said. “When you look at our caseloads, day in and day out, they’re coming from all walks of life. They’re coming from different cultural backgrounds, different countries. I think, if we’re going to be more diverse, it needs to start with the practitioners.”
This semester, Brendan wants to set up one big event to launch this initiative: taking occupational therapists and Chatham OT students to a hockey game. He’s also heard from OT students from other local universities who are interested in helping grow the initiative.
When it comes to Chatham University, Flynn said, “I think it is a top-tier university for graduate programs, especially occupational therapy.”
“You have faculty who are super invested in the students, they come from all areas of practice, and they are very well versed in what they do and what they know in those practice areas.”
Learn more about occupational therapy at Chatham University, including entry-level and post-professional degree programs, at chatham.edu.