In honor of National Black History Month and Women's History Month, this special episode explores the invaluable contributions of Black women occupational therapy practitioners, scholars, and leaders who have shaped the profession and continue to drive health equity forward. We are joined by Arameh Anvarizadeh, Natalie Chang Wright, and co-host Varleisha Lyons to reflect on the legacy of trailblazers who broke barriers, discuss the ongoing challenges in diversifying the field, and highlight the critical role of occupational therapy in addressing health disparities. Featuring insightful conversations with established voices in OT, this episode examines the future of leadership, mentorship, and advocacy in building a more inclusive and equitable profession.

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The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policies, positions, or endorsements of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). AOTA does not assume responsibility for any interpretations, applications, or consequences of this material in light of current laws or policies.

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On today's episode, we delve into the pressing issue of concussions and their often-overlooked aftermath. Anna Boone and Whitney Henderson share their expertise and discuss the staggering number of individuals who sustain concussions each year in the U.S., many of whom remain undiagnosed or lack access to follow-up care and rehabilitation services. While much attention has been focused on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), we shine a light on those experiencing post-concussion syndrome (PCS) with mild persistent symptoms that hinder their daily lives. This episode emphasizes occupational therapy practitioners' critical role in evaluating and intervening in these cases, particularly regarding high-level instrumental activities of daily living, work, school, and social participation. Join us as we explore effective metacognitive strategies that empower clients to recognize meaningful changes and engage in their recovery process.

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Additional Resources:

Cognitive Strategy Training Feasibility Trial

Persistent Concussive Syndrome through an Occupational Lens

Anna Boone Research Profile

Whitney Henderson Research Profile

In today's episode, we speak with Emily Barr about patient safety and some of the research and advocacy efforts she has been involved in as the Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety executive director. She describes OT's distinct role in addressing patient safety and provides recommendations for students, clinicians, educators, and advocates to improve patient safety standards, reduce healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes.

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Additional Resources:

National Quality Forum focus on HARM project

National Quality Forum update to serious adverse event reporting

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005

CMS Patient Safety Measure for Hospitals

CMS Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement

On Today's episode, we speak with Tasha Holmes and Lauren Wlazelek about how AOTA Fellowship Programs can enhance your OT practice. They highlight the benefits and opportunities that recognized fellowships can bring to individual practitioners and organizations. Additionally, they share personal and systematic examples of how fellowship participation benefits students, practitioners, patients, universities, and health systems.

Additional Resources:

Visit the AOTA Fellowship homepage to learn more

On Today's episode we speak with DeOnna Clark, Beth, Johnson and Melissa Tilton about how you can identify, address, and prevent compassion fatigue and burnout in your OT practice. They highlight the need to destigmatize burnout and compassion fatigue, introduce the emotional PPE project, and provide personal and systematic recommendations to decrease the barriers that healthcare workers face when seeking, accessing, and receiving emotional and mental health support

The 2024 AOTA Podcast episodes are sponsored by NYU Steinhardt’s top-ranked Department of Occupational Therapy.

Additional Resources:

Emotional PPE Project

Professional Quality of Life website

On today's episode, we speak with Renee Causey-Upton. Renee is the Associate Chair/Graduate Program Coordinator and an Associate Professor at Eastern Kentucky University. She shares clinical recommendations for occupation-based treatment in orthopedic settings and describes the research she has conducted and mentored related to pre and post-operation interventions for total knee replacement surgery.

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Resources:

OT for Ortho Recovery CEU

OT Practice Guidelines for Musculoskeletal Conditions

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons

National Association of Orthopedic Nurses

On today's episode, we speak with Maggie Deforge, an OT practitioner and chair of the group Occupational Therapy for Native Americans. She shares lived experiences, insights, and recommendations to address Native issues and to encourage culturally safe practices across settings.

Additional Resources:

ot4natives.org

OT MDI Network

Today we are joined by Dr. Denise Donica and Dr. Jana Cason to discuss occupational therapy and handwriting telehealth interventions. They draw on their own experience as school-based practitioners and OT educators to help OT professionals to understand and implement best practices for handwriting telehealth service delivery.

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Additional Resources:

AOTA

Western Psychological Services

Pearson

Beery VMI

Telehealth Share Youtube

Adam the OT

Handwriting Without Tears

Size Matters

Loops and Other Groups

Pilot Study

Expanding Telehealth