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  Allison Chamberlain Miller, MS, OTR/L

  Associate Editor

  Allison Chamberlain Miller, MS, OTR/L is a clinical assistant professor and an occupational therapist working in short-term rehab and long-term care. She completed her master’s degree in occupational therapy at Western Michigan University. Her undergraduate degree is in communication from Michigan State University, and she has a professional background in health care marketing and hospital revenue cycle management. She received the Marion R. Spear Award upon graduation in December 2012.

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  Barbara Rider, PhD, OT, FAOTA

  Advisory Board

  Barbara Rider, PhD, OT, FAOTA is a professor emeritus from Western Michigan University (WMU). Dr. Rider received her Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She received a Master's Degree in Special Education from the University of Kansas, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Michigan. Dr. Rider’s early career included clinical practice in the Veteran’s Administration Hospital and in a specialized school for children with disabilities. In addition, she produced foundational research in the areas of sensory integration and developmental reflexes. She served as chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at WMU from 1976-1986. It was during this time that she reflected on the value of her prior research and instilled this value of research into the WMU occupational therapy faculty members. She was among the first occupational therapists to prioritize research as a part of education and practice, and she required faculty members to participate in scholarship and higher education activities.

  As her career moved forward, Dr. Rider continued to practice, educate, research, lead, and invest in the advancement of the occupational therapy profession. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) honored Dr. Rider in 2003 with the Lindy Boggs Award, recognizing her many contributions to the profession. Since her retirement in 1991, she continues to publish, educate, and practice occupational therapy with children and adults who have developmental disabilities and mental health disorders.

  Additionally, Dr. Rider is active in her community, serving two elected terms and one appointed term as Kalamazoo County Commissioner. She served many years on the Board of Kalamazoo County Department of Human Services and also served as chair of this board for five years. Active in many human service boards and committees over the years, Dr. Rider also serves on the board of the Shepherd’s Center of Kalamazoo.

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  Ben J. Atchison, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

  Advisory Board

  Ben J. Atchison, PhD, OTRL, FAOTA, joined the advisory board in 2022 after serving as the Managing Editor of OJOT from 2012-2017 and returning in 2018. He is Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University (WMU). Upon his retirement on June 30, 2017, Dr. Atchison celebrated 42 years of a career that included teaching, service, and scholarship with expertise in pediatrics with a special emphasis in childhood trauma. He is a co-founder of the Southwest Michigan Children’s Trauma Assessment Center at WMU and Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

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  Cynthia J. Cunningham, PhD

  Copy Editor

  Cynthia J. Cunningham, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of English at Western Michigan University, and a former associate editor of the journal Comparative Drama. Dr. Klekar teaches courses in eighteenth-century literature, British literature, restoration drama, and the novel. She is coeditor of The Culture of the Gift in Eighteenth-Century England (Palgrave, 2009), and she has published articles in Eighteenth-Century Studies, Philological Quarterly, Eighteenth-Century Theory and Interpretation, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Eighteenth-Century Fiction. In 2007, Dr. Klekar gave a talk at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Paula Backscheider Archival Fellowship Award, the Richard H. Popkin Travel Award, the WMU Support for Faculty Scholars Award, and the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Innovative Course Design Award. She is currently working on a collaborative project on the significance of gift exchange to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and a book on generosity and disability in eighteenth-century English literature.

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  Debbie Amini, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA

  Assistant Editor

  Debbie Amini, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is the director of professional development with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Quinnipiac University and her EdD in adult education from North Carolina State University. She has over 30 years of experience as a hand therapist and academic. She founded and directed an occupational therapy assistant program in North Carolina and served as an assistant professor in a master’s level occupational therapy program before moving to her current position with the AOTA. She has been published in peer-reviewed journals, newsletters, and trade journals; has written several book chapters; and authored several CE courses. She served as a columnist for ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners for 15 years. Her topics included occupation-based hand rehabilitation and occupation-based practice. She has presented nationally and regionally on topics related to hand therapy, splinting, teaching, learning, and documentation. She has served in several AOTA volunteer positions, most recently as chairperson of the Commission on Practice where she oversaw the development of the third edition of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. She is the 2014 recipient of the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association’s (NCOTA) highest honor, the Suzanne C. Scullin Memorial Award, for contributions to the practice of OT and to the NCOTA.

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  Diane Powers Dirette, PhD, OTL, FAOTA

  Editor-in-Chief, Co-founder

  Diane Powers Dirette, PhD, OTL, FAOTA is a professor in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program at Western Michigan University. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University and her master’s and doctorate degrees at New York University, studying occupational therapy at all levels. She has published in national and international journals and has presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Dirette’s main research interests are focused on treatments for people with acquired brain injuries, for whom she developed a frame of reference titled Self-awareness Enhancement through Learning and Function (SELF). Other areas of research include evidence-based practice, the use of compensatory strategies for cognitive deficits, and OT service provision in post-secondary settings. She has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals in the health professions and is the coeditor of the textbooks, Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction 8^th Edition and Conditions in Occupational Therapy: Effect on Occupational Performance. She is the cofounder and Editor-in-Chief of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Dirette was inducted to the American Occupational Therapy Association Roster of Fellows in 2016.

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  Fred Sammons, PhD (Hon), OT, FAOTA

  Advisory Board

  Fred Sammons, PhD (Hon), OT, FAOTA is a dedicated contributor to the growth of the profession of occupational therapy. His background in engineering and his dedication to helping people with disabilities engage in self care, leisure, and social pursuits led him to work closely with occupational therapists. The honorary doctorate in occupational therapy, awarded by the Western Michigan University (WMU) Department of Occupational Therapy, recognizes the many contributions he has made to the profession. In his early years, he pioneered the design, manufacture, and distribution of adaptive equipment, collaborating with occupational therapists and patients to identify needs and to generate product ideas. Additionally, Sammons provided the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) with its first computer, demonstrating that he has always had an eye on the future and technological advances.

  The recipient of many honors from AOTA, he continues to give to the profession through grants, scholarships, and donations that support research, education, and clinical programs. In his retirement, he has been an active member of AMBUCS, Inc., with whom he collaborates to develop designs for adapted bicycles and tricycles (AmTrykes) for children with disabilities. He expresses great pride in his innovative seating system and in the ways in which he has been able to adapt these bikes to each child’s needs. His love for innovation and technology that help others has been present throughout his life and continues today.

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  Guy L. McCormack, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

  Editorial Board

  Guy L. McCormack, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is a guest speaker and advisor and previously served as the interim program director and clinical professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program at the University of the Pacific. He is also a professor emeritus at Samuel Merritt University. He received his BS in Occupational Therapy at the University of Puget Sound, his MS at the Ohio State University, and his PhD at Saybrook University. He is a co-editor for the AOTA OT Manager, author of Pain Management for Health Professionals, and author of Therapeutic Use of Touch for Health Professionals. Dr. McCormack has published numerous journal articles and presented several papers at state, national, and international conferences. He teaches Management, Guided Research, Aspects of Neuroscience, Advanced Clinical Practice, Conditions of Dysfunction, and Complementary Systems of Health Care. Dr. McCormack has been funded to conduct research on the use of Neurofeedback Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and on the use of computer programs with older adults to prevent cognitive decline. In addition, he has investigated the effects of complementary therapies on pain perception and anxiety in persons with cancer.

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  Jennifer Fortuna, PhD, OTR/L

  Art Editor

  Jennifer Fortuna, PhD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Therapy at Grand Valley State University. Jennifer has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Grand Valley State University. She completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at Western Michigan University. Her clinical specialties include pediatrics, visual-motor training, and health literacy. Jennifer has presented at regional, national, and international conferences.

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  Joseph M. Pellerito Jr., PhD, OTR/L

  Co-founder

  Joseph M. Pellerito Jr., PhD, OTR/L earned a Ph.D. in medical sociology at Wayne State University (WSU), a master’s degree in technology for physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy with a minor in sociology at Western Michigan University's Lee Honors College. He is a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities and their caregivers, with a career that spans nearly three decades and includes working as an administrator, scholar, professor, entrepreneur, and therapy practitioner. He has extensive experience and expertise in fundraising, grant writing, developing and managing graduate education programs in higher education, focus groups and strategic planning, program assessment, and professional and family caregiver education and training. Dr. Pellerito has held leadership and administrative positions in the private, academic, and public sectors, including the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) in the Detroit Medical Center (DMC), professor and department chair at WSU, vice president of development and consumer technology for iCan!, chief operating officer for Abilities Group LLC, and chief consultant and client advocate for HEROES NATION LC. He published the first textbook on driver rehabilitation and community mobility, is frequently invited to speak throughout North America on topics relevant to the disability community, and is planning to publish his sixth textbook in 2014.

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  Karen Jacobs, OT, EdD, OTR, CPE, FAOTA

  Advisory Board

  Karen Jacobs, OT, EdD, OTR, CPE, FAOTA is the Associate Dean of Digital Learning and Innovation, a Clinical Professor and the Program Director of the online post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy program at Boston University (BU), College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College. She has worked at BU for 38 years.

  Karen is a past president and vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She has over 40 awards and honors including a 2005 Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri, Iceland; the 2009 Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT); the Award of Merit from AOTA in 2003; the 2011 AOTA Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award and 2020 AOTA Outstanding Mentor. Karen is the founding editor-in-chief of WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation and a board-certified professional ergonomist.

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  Michelle Suarez, PhD, OTR/L

  Editorial Board

  Michelle Suarez, PhD, OTR/L is an assistant professor at Western Michigan University and teaches the pediatric content to occupational therapy master’s level students. She completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Science in 2012 from Western Michigan University. She has 12 years of pediatric occupational therapy practice experience in outpatient and school-based settings. Her research interests include treatment for feeding dysfunction, sensory integration, and autism research. She has published several manuscripts in pediatric practice areas. She received the 2010 Pisaneschi Prize for best research practicum presentation and the Department Graduate Research and Creative Scholar award while completing her PhD.

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  Molly Bathje, PhD, OTR/L

  Assistant Editor

  Molly Bathje, PhD, OTR/L, is an assistant professor and the academic coordinator in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Rush University. She received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from St. Ambrose University, her master’s degree in health systems management from Rush University, and her PhD in interdisciplinary health sciences from Western Michigan University. Her clinical experience includes mental health, pediatrics, acute care medicine, long-term care, and academics. Her scholarship focuses on graduate school admissions procedures, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and health disparities in people with disabilities. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and newsletters and has presented locally, nationally, and internationally. She was the inaugural art editor of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy and is currently the newsletter coordinator for the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association’s Occupational Therapist of the Year award.

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  Nancy Hock, PhD, OTRL, CHT

  Managing Editor

  Nancy Hock, PhD, OTRL, CHT is the chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University (WMU), following her service as faculty and Grand Rapids Coordinator since 2011. Dr. Hock has 27 years of clinical practice, primarily in hand therapy, and has presented a local, regional, national, and international conferences. She developed a pro bono campus hand clinic at WMU in Grand Rapids to maintain her clinical practice while also actively engaging in research and supporting the development of future skilled clinicians. Dr. Hock began serving as the Managing Editor of OJOT in April of 2022 after serving on the review board since 2021.

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  Paula W. Jamison, PhD, OT

  Advisory Board

  Paula W. Jamison, PhD, OT, is a former faculty member of Western Michigan University’s Occupational Therapy Department and has taught for the university’s Holistic Health Program. With over 15 years of experience as a meditation instructor, her clinical interests included applications of self-regulation strategies in mental health and pediatric settings. Dr. Jamison became an occupational therapist after a career as a French scholar, teacher, college administrator, translator, and editor. She is currently active in community service, most notably preserving the Ladies’ Library, one of Kalamazoo’s most significant nineteenth-century buildings, and making it ADA compliant.

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  Rachel Harley, MS, OTR/L

  Assistant Copy Editor

  Rachel Harley, MS, OTR/L is a recent graduate of Western Michigan University’s master of science in occupational therapy program. Rachel worked as a graduate assistant for OJOT during her time as a student, prior to transitioning into this role. As an occupational therapy clinician, she is passionate about working with the adult and geriatric populations, and is specifically interested in neurological conditions and vision. She has clinical experience working with many diagnoses, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, numerous orthopedic conditions, developmental disabilities, and homelessness. Her undergraduate degree is in psychology from Grand Valley State University.

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  Randy P. McCombie, PhD, OTR/L

  Editorial Board

  Randy P. McCombie, PhD, OTR/L received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Lock Haven University, an MS and a PhD in Applied Social Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, followed by an undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University. He has taught an extensive array of university courses in the areas of psychology and occupational therapy. Dr. McCombie is currently an Associate Professor Emeritus with the School of Medicine at West Virginia University, where he formerly served as Chair/Program Director of the Division of Occupational Therapy. His primary teaching interests include Research Methods, Occupational Science, Global Healthcare and Occupational Therapy, and Innovations in Healthcare. Dr. McCombie’s teaching philosophy incorporates the belief that the desire to learn and expand one’s knowledge and understanding of the world is part of the human genome, and that teaching allows one the opportunity and privilege to be at the forefront of that inner motivational drive and enhancement of humanity as exhibited by both students and faculty. His primary research interests utilize an applied social psychological application, i.e., an emphasis on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, focusing on professional/educational matters relevant to the practice and profession of occupational therapy. Dr. McCombie holds a particular interest in the “interconnectiveness” of the international occupational therapy community and a recognition of the teaching, service, and research opportunities afforded by that interconnectiveness.

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  Rondalyn Whitney, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

  Education Editor, Editorial Board

  Rondalyn Whitney, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an associate professor and director of faculty scholarship and development at West Virginia University. Her scholarship focuses on maternal stress and mother-child interactions when raising a child with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Focusing on the co-regulation of the child, the story of adverse childhood experience, and family quality of life and occupational deprivation is a unique perspective in her work.

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  Sharon A. Gutman, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

  Advisory Board

  Sharon A. Gutman, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA is a prolific scholar who has substantially contributed to the occupational therapy literature through a career spanning over 30 years that produced 70+ peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 books, 14 book chapters, and 24 editorials as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT). Her body of 70+ peer-reviewed journal articles uniquely addresses interventions with marginalized populations including housing programs for sheltered homeless adults, and supported education and employment for adults with chronic mental illness. Many of these publications are intervention effectiveness studies and Dr. Gutman has substantially contributed to the evidence supporting the profession’s role in mental health practice. Dr. Gutman has also made innovative contributions to the education of occupational therapists through her 10 textbooks which are heavily used in occupational therapy programs nationally and internationally, and have been translated into several languages. She is perhaps best known for her 6-year editorship of AJOT (2008 – 2014), through which she significantly increased the journal’s impact factor and Journal Citation Report rank. In 2009, Dr. Gutman was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows and in 2020, was awarded the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, to recognize her contribution to the profession’s body of literature. Dr. Sharon Gutman is currently a professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program at Rutgers University.

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  Shirley P. O'Brien, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

  Assistant Editor

  Dr. Shirley Peganoff O’Brien is a University Foundation Professor at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in occupational science and occupational therapy and recognized as a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association. She received a BS in occupational therapy from Temple University Philadelphia, PA; a MS in occupational therapy from Rush University, Chicago, IL; and a PhD from the University of Kentucky in educational policy analysis and evaluation. Dr. O’Brien has teaching and research expertise in policy development and leadership, sensory modulation and autism, online learning, and student mentoring. She is recognized for her application of interprofessional practice in community settings. Dr. O’Brien has received numerous awards for her work in pediatric occupational therapy practice, leadership, and teaching. She serves as coordinator of the Faculty Innovators at EKU and coordinator of the post professional doctoral program in occupational therapy. She has presented and published on the topics of effective technology use in the classroom, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), and designing learning environments, along with other disciplinary applications in pediatrics, autism, and transition programing for students with disabilities into college environments.