School of Health Professions News: Fall 2024
OT Program Presents Research In Six States
In October, members of Shenandoah University’s occupational therapy program presented at the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association 2024 Fall Annual Conference. Both students and faculty had the opportunity to present posters to conference attendees. Assistant Professor Lacy Woods Hochkammer, OTD, and Assistant Professor Alysha Skuthan, Ph.D., presented “The Power of Partnership: Midwives & OTs for Holistic Maternal Care.” Dr. Skuthan also presented with several SU alumni. She and Kala Doss-Rowe, Ph.D., presented “Exploring Implications of Occupation-Based Living Skills Education Programing with Discharge Preparedness in an Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital (Mental Health).” Domonique Gholson, PP-OTD, created a poster about “Amplifying Advocacy for Cultural Humility Within the Workplace (General Professional Issues),” and Molly Madison, OTD, presented “Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Protocol for Vivistim Therapy Patients (Rehabilitation, Disability & Participation).” Gholson and Madison both collaborated with Skuthan, as did Catherine S. Gilliam, OTD, who presented a “School-Based Mentorship Guide (Child & Youth).”
Two PP-OTD students, Alicia Arter and Chelsea Lincoln, attended and presented at the Missouri Occupational Therapy Association Conference in October alongside Skuthan. Arter’s poster discussed “Student Regulation: Promoting Ready Bodies to Learn Within the School Setting by Educating Teachers and Staff” and Lincoln’s work focused on “Assistive Technology for Writing in Elementary School: A Multi-Tiered Occupational Therapy Program.”
OTD student Maggie Achenbrener featured her work at the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association Conference with the help of Skuthan. Achenbrener presented “Diving into Aquatic Therapy: How a Level One Fieldwork Placement Increased OT Students’ Understanding of Scope of Practice Regarding Aquatic Therapy.”
In November, PP-OTD alumni Rochelle Kingston, Uchendu Nwachukwu, and Meshack Mtango presented at the New York Occupational Therapy Association Conference. Dr. Kingston shared a qualitative study about living with congenital radioulnar synostosis, Dr. Nwachukwu presented his school-based occupational therapy program to increase daily living skills in adolescents with ASD, and Dr. Mtango introduced his occupation-based diabetic foot program.
Fellow PP-OTD alum Aize Oleforo attended the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association Conference. While there, Dr. Oleforo presented the poster “Postpartum Self-Help Guide: An Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Tool.” Oleforo worked with Skuthan for the presentation.
Occupational therapy faculty and students also attended the Maryland Occupational Therapy Association (MOTA) 2024 Annual Conference. Assistant Professor Crystal Barchacky, OTD, shared about “Trauma-Informed Care Across All Healthcare Settings.” Assistant Professors Daniel Martin, D.Sc., and Autumn Servera, OTD, presented “Predictive Factors of State Licensure Board Disciplinary Actions in Occupational Therapy.”
Dr. Martin and Dr. Servera went on to publish the research presented at MOTA 2024. The professors collaborated with students Hope Fuller, Madison Collins, Victoria Courtright, Manisha Joshi, Kelly Hubbard, Faith Kretzer, and Sydney Ragsdale, who are working towards their degrees in occupational therapy. Read the full research article in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.
In addition to publishing research articles, the occupational therapy faculty were also featured in other publications. Dr. Barchacky provided her expertise in the article “The Best Baby Activity Centers that Entertain, Engage and Delight.” Read all of her insights on Babylist.com.
– Written by Natalie Gales ’25
