NewsLink Summer 2017

University of Pittsburgh
Department of Occupational Therapy

Summer 2017 - Volume 6, Issue 4

FROM THE CHAIR...

We are Pitt Proud: Past, Present, and Future! Pitt OT
welcomes our alumni, fieldwork educators, clinical and
research collaborators, and current students to attend
our 35th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday,
September 14, 6:00 to 9:00 PM, in the University Club
Ballroom A. The idea for the celebration was suggested
by a Pitt OT alumna who was a graduate of the first
OT class. Since then, a committee of faculty, staff, and
alumni from various cohorts in the program have worked
together to plan a wonderful opportunity to meet, reflect,
and stimulate new interactions among alumni, students,
and our community partners.

The committee has unearthed photos and memorabilia
that span our 35 years and illustrate the growth,
accomplishments, and contributions of our alumni,
students, faculty, and staff. These photos and
memorabilia will be displayed, along with welcome
messages from distinguished leaders of the University and the profession of occupational therapy. To
celebrate our anniversary and the exciting opportunities on our horizon, I will also provide a brief
overview of our past, present, and future. Please join us in celebrating 35 years of occupational
therapy education and professional development. We are going to party like it's 1982! Event details
are available at www.shrs.pitt.edu/event/pitt-ot-35th-anniversary-celebration.

Kindly RSVP by September 7: bit.ly/PittOT35thRSVP.

A NEW GENERATION OF
LEADERS: CSCD GRADUATES EXCEL IN ADVANCING

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

In July, Pitt OT recognized two new graduates from the Clinical Science Doctorate (CScD) Program
—Dr. Kelly Dickson and Dr. Nicole Habovick. Working across the lifespan, these students
demonstrated the distinct value of occupational therapy, from the newly born to the aged. Dickson
and Habovick excelled in advocating for both the profession and the clients that they serve by
choosing capstone projects that highlighted the need for occupational therapy.

During Habovick’s time in the CScD Program, she worked
closely with UPMC’s Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
(CHP) to design her capstone project. Upon starting her
project, CHP did not have a standardized protocol on how
to effectively and efficiently transition an infant with a
feeding tube to bottle or breastfeeding. In an effort to
resolve this, Habovick focused her capstone on developing
and implementing an evidence-based approach, called
Infant-Driven Feeding (IDF), within CHP’s Level IV
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Habovick created a
seven-step process for the development and
implementation of the IDF protocol for future evidence-
based quality improvement projects. This process
consisted of creating clinical pathways, training the NICU
staff, and constructing educational materials and
resources.

Habovick's capstone project resulted in the IDF protocol being used for 73 percent of CHP's NICU
patients within the first 25 days of implementation. Additionally, the development and implementation
of the IDF protocol was feasible. Nurses increased their knowledge of IDF constructs, and
preliminary data showed improved patient outcomes such as length of stay and time to achieve a full
oral feeding. Although future studies are needed to determine if the implementation of the IDF
protocol can significantly decrease length of stay and time to full feeds within CHP’s NICU, the
hospital has already witnessed many clinical benefits such as improved caregiver involvement,
improved nurse autonomy, and consistent bedside care.

During her time in the CScD Program, Dickson had the opportunity to develop and implement an
occupational therapy program within UPMC’s Living-at-Home Program (LAHP). The LAHP provides
community-based long-term care support, service referral, and care coordination to older adults in
Pittsburgh to support aging in place. Aging in place is defined as the ability to live in one’s own home
and community independently, safely, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level
(CDC, 2013). Dickson created an occupational therapy program to supplement the efforts of nursing
and social work in order to improve clients’ independence in activities of daily living (ADLs) and
instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Through in-home OT efforts, Dickson provided
educational materials, facilitated goal-setting, and initiated skills training with clients and their
caregivers.

Overall, the integration of an occupational therapy program within the LAHP was feasible—the
clients who participated reported satisfaction throughout the OT process and the LAHP team valued
OT’s distinct contributions to care plans. Although community-based programming that specifically
supports aging in place is an emerging area of practice within occupational therapy, the majority of
clinicians across the continuum of care have an important role in helping older adults remain safe,
happy, and healthy within their homes and communities. Integrating performance-based evaluations
and intervention strategies that focus on personal barriers, such as fear, pain, depression, and
fatigue, will greatly enhance the ability to improve outcomes related to aging in place.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Pamela Nutt, MOT, OTR/L (MOT ‘12) As an undergraduate student in the Rehabilitation Science
Program, Nutt thought she was on a journey to become a physical therapist, but Dr. Pamela Toto and
the “Introduction to Occupation Science” course altered her path. As she learned about occupations,
activities, and routines, she knew almost immediately that she was born to be an occupational
therapist.

Nutt has spent the past two years working for UPMC
Shadyside. In her everyday responsibilities, Nutt uses the
training she received at Pitt OT to always consider the
individual's medical condition, roles, and personal values.
Currently, she serves as the representative of the
Rehabilitation Department for the Fall Injury Prevention Task
Force, studying trends and seeking solutions in reducing
falls and injuries associated with falls in the hospital. Nutt also
serves as the lead OT for the Rehabilitation Department
Quality Improvement Project for 2017, "Deleting Delirium: The
Role of OT in Empowering Change," tracking the impact of
early occupational therapy in the reduction and prevention of
ICU delirium.

In the spring of 2018, Nutt will join Pitt OT as an adjunct
instructor in the Rehabilitation Science Program for the very
class that first inspired her career in OT, “Introduction to Occupation Science.”

In her free time, Nutt enjoys traveling, skiing, camping, concert-going, and attending Pittsburgh
Pirates games. Pam, you make us Pitt Proud!

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: A CHILD'S PLACE

Written by: Kasey Gehlhaus and Hanna Morris (MOT '17)

A Child’s Place is a Child Advocacy Center for Allegheny County where children are evaluated for
allegations of child abuse: physical, sexual, and neglect. The waiting room is often a busy and
chaotic place filled with children of all ages, family members, child advocates, detectives, and
caseworkers. Children coming into the office can be distressed, anxious, and angry in the unfamiliar
setting. The staff at A Child’s Place asked us, as recent Pitt OT graduates, for suggestions and ideas
on how to help the children feel at ease and decrease negative behaviors as well as improve the
overall environment of the waiting room.

We visited A Child’s Place to examine the environment and setup of the waiting room area, designed
by Lemieux Foundation’s Austin’s Playroom Project. We interviewed the physicians, nurse
practitioner, and art therapist, who all work closely with the children, in order to get a better idea of
the population and behaviors often encountered. Additionally, we collaborated with our resident
pediatric experts at Pitt, Drs. Angela Caldwell, Roxanna Bendixen, and Alyson Stover, for further
insight and ideas.

We presented our recommendations to A Child’s Place staff and educated them on the sensory
system and the effects of calming and alerting input. We emphasized the importance of creating a
calming environment to decrease agitation and other behavioral issues among children and their

family members. Our recommendations complimented several aspects of the waiting room that were
calming, such as the bubbling fish tank and cool green walls.

We also provided several specific suggestions to increase calming stimuli, such as creating a “quiet
room” in a small, unused area of the waiting room that could feature a variety of calming sensory
stimuli such as dim lights, calming music, bean bag chairs, and weighted objects such as pillows or
stuffed animals.

Because the office sees a variety of age groups, we recommended creating stations with age-
appropriate calming activities. For preschoolers, we suggested play dough, wooden bead maze toys,
and stuffed animals. For school-age children, we discussed coloring, puzzles, and sensory bottles.
We talked about using adult coloring books, yoga, breathing exercises, and a desk set aside for
homework and other purposeful tasks to help calm adolescents and teens. To increase interaction
and build up relationships, we also suggested arranging the seats to allow families to sit together and
encourage parents and guardians to engage in the calming activities with their children.

We are so glad that we had the opportunity to advocate for our profession and make a difference in
the Pittsburgh community.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Making the decision to come to the University of Pittsburgh was
one of the easiest decisions Allison Juris (MOT '18) ever made.
Citing the outstanding reputation of Pitt OT as an enticing factor,
Juris also expressed that Pittsburgh is filled with many
opportunities both within the University and the community.

Recently, Juris worked as a research assistant in Dr. Angela
Caldwell's pediatric lab, where she found the work to be
exceptionally meaningful to her professional development.
Outside of the classroom and Department, she has participated
in two fellowships with the Jewish Health Foundation. Both
fellowships were great opportunities to advocate for occupational
therapy in an inter-professional environment, a responsibility that
she enthusiastically accepted. Additionally, Juris has organized
and participated in numerous activities at the Ronald McDonald
House and other community engagement events.

In the next five years, Juris would like to complete Pitt's Clinical
Doctorate Program in occupational therapy. After that, she hopes to work in a children's hospital,
continuing her ongoing education through attending conferences and workshops, and
further developing her role as a practitioner. Allison, you make us Pitt Proud!

AT PITT OT, YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS

Dr. Amit Sethi is the principal investigator of the Neuromotor Recovery and Rehabilitation Lab in the
Department of Occupational Therapy. The overall objective of Dr. Sethi’s research is to develop and
test novel interventions and technologies to improve hand function and independence in daily tasks
in individuals with stroke.

Currently, Dr. Sethi is investigating whether the combination of transcranial current stimulation and
functional electrical stimulation to the weak hand is more beneficial than functional electrical hand
stimulation alone to improve hand function after chronic stroke. His research also examines the
mechanisms of intervention by investigating both the structural and functional changes in the motor

areas of the brain. This study is funded by the National
Institutes of Health National Center of Neuromodulation for
Rehabilitation.

Additionally, with funding from the Clinical and
Translational Science Institute and the Innovation Institute
at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Sethi is also developing
novel technologies to promote functional use of the weak
hand during and outside of therapy after stroke. This will
allow patients to track their improvement over time and
receive therapist-guided feedback outside of therapy.

September 14 UPCOMING EVENTS
September 14
October 6 - 7 35th Anniversary Celebration
November 3 - 4 Click here for more information

University of Pittsburgh OT Student
Conclave

POTA Annual Conference
Click here for more information

AOTA/NBCOT National Student Conclave
Click here for more information

FACULTY STUDENTS
ACHIEVEMENTS MAKING NEWS

Nancy Baker was selected to be a Visiting Marybeth Moscirella (OTD ‘20) was
Scholar by the Center for Rehabilitation awarded the Connections4Health
Research Using Large Datasets; University Community Health Fellowship with the
of Texas Medical Branch. Birmingham Free Clinic.

Alexandra Harper was appointed as a Part- Allison Osborne (MOT ‘18) was awarded
Time Instructor, starting September 1, 2017. the AMBUCS Scholarship.

Juleen Rodakowski presented at the 21st Sarah Walker (MOT ‘18) was awarded a
International Association of Gerontology Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy
and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress in Association Scholarship.
July in San Francisco, CA. The title of her
poster was “Caregivers included in Madeleine Wirth (OTD ‘20) received the
discharge planning reduces hospital George I. Carson Fellowship.
readmissions:
A meta-analysis.” Chao-Yi Wu, PhD student, received funding
from the University of Pittsburgh Provost’s
Elizabeth Skidmore was elected as a 2017 Research in Diversity Fund.
Fellow of the American Congress of
Rehabilitation Medicine. MOT and OTD students Katrina de la Cruz,
Ashley Greivenkamp, Bora Kim, Ashley
Alyson Stover was elected to the University Martin, Rachel Martin, Monica Morrison,
Senate Governmental Relations Committee. Kelsey O’Brien, Jace Odhner, Maria
Violante, and Sarah Walker along with Dr.
Alyson Stover presented at the 12th Roxanna Bendixen, volunteered at the
International Conference on Interdisciplinary Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Sensory
Social Sciences in July in Hiroshima, Japan. Friendly Performance: Music of Flight and
Her presentation was titled “Treatment for Fantasy in June.
Adolescents with Mental Health Diagnoses:
Using Sensory Integration Theory, Self- MOT and OTD students Juliana Carlin,
awareness Training, and Occupation.” Suzanne Davis, Sara Ellis, Kristen Korner,
Elise Krause, Lauren Lukacs, Kylee
Pamela Toto presented a poster Moninger, Shelby Scott, Katie Slater, Caitlin
titled “Using Performance-Based ADL/IADL Smith, Kelly Stipetich, and Sarah
Data to Explore a Self-Report Model of Walker along with Dr. Denise Chisholm,
Preclinical Disability,” which she co- raised money for and participated in the
authored with Lauren Terhorst, Margo Holm, 2017 Arthritis Foundation Walk for the Cure.
and Joan Rogers at the 21st International
Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics
(IAGG) World Congress in July in San
Francisco, CA.

Jennifer White was elected to the University
Senate Community Relations Committee.
Jennifer was appointed as a full-time faculty
member and joined the department as an
instructor on July 1, 2017.

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