NewsLink Fall 2011

Occupational TherapyNewslink

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 FALL 2011

SPECIAL Autism & Therapeutic Horseback Riding
POINTS OF
INTEREST: Therapeutic horseback riding A Single Subject Multiple Base-
has long been recognized as line Design (ABA), with differ-
 Pitt Occupational an intervention strategy for ent dosing (i.e., therapeutic
Therapy Newslink children with disabilities. Re- riding 1x/week; 3x/week; 5x/
is going “green” cent research by Margo week during the intervention
Holm, PhD, OTR/L, Profes- [B] Phase) was used. Each phase
 Research activities sor and Director of the Post- lasted 4 weeks. To examine
of faculty and professional Program in the generalization, data were col-
students Department of Occupational lected during all three phases of
Therapy, is helping to define the study (a) during the thera-
 Welcome to new and quantify the benefits of peutic riding/grooming sessions
members of the this therapy for children with by the researchers, (b) in the
Department autism. lived-in environment by the
parents, and (c) in the commu-
 Alumni News Recently featured in the Pitts- nity/social environment by the
burgh Post Gazette, Dr. parents. Data are currently
INSIDE Holm’s study examined the ASD-severity matched boys iden- being analyzed using level, trend
THIS ISSUE: effect of dosing and generaliza- tified target behaviors that they (celeration line), 2 SD band, and
tion of the effects of therapeutic wanted to decrease (e.g., finger C-Statistic methods.
From the 2 riding for children with Autism snapping) or increase (e.g., de-
Chair... Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Spe- mands using 3 or more words).
cifically, parents of three age and
Faculty 2
Highlights

Transfers Go 2 Fatigue: Overcoming the Barriers

High Tech

Community 3

Health

Student 3 Most everyone can recall one Ketki Raina, PhD, OTR/L, Energy — for increasing partici-
Successes time or another when fatigue has Assistant Professor, Department pation in everyday life, reducing
negatively affected their daily of Occupational Therapy, is at- work disability, and decreasing
Alumni 3 activities. Few can understand, tempting to identify better ways the impact and severity of post-
Spotlight however, the challenge of persis- to address this chronic and disa- TBI fatigue. Using a Problem-
tent and significant fatigue experi- bling condition. Dr. Raina is con- Solving Therapy (PST) frame-
OT at the 4 enced by anywhere from 50 – ducting a randomized clinical trial work to deliver Energy Conser-
museum 80% of persons who have sus- to test the effectiveness of a vation training, Dr. Raina hopes
tained a traumatic brain injury novel intervention—Maximizing to identify a successful non–
(TBI). pharmacological intervention.

PAGE 2 From the Chair...

Dr. Joan C. Rogers, With a new academic year MOT, and PhD programs who transitioned this fall from being
Chair, Department comes new students, new successfully graduated this past a long-term adjunct instructor
of Occupational faculty, new alumni, and even a academic year. As alumni, it is to fulltime assistant professor.
Therapy new look for our University of our hope that you continue
Pittsburgh Occupational Ther- your relationship with us here With a mission to lead in edu-
“The WISER Center apy Quarterly! at the University of Pittsburgh cation, to partner with the
really helped me and share your successes as community in regional devel-
Incoming students in our MOT occupational therapy practi- opment, and to be a pioneer
prepare for fieldwork. program hail from 10 states tioners. in research, our faculty and
It is a lot less that span all parts of the U.S. staff have initiated new pro-
We also welcomed 11 interna- At the University of Pittsburgh, jects and research. Check out
intimidating to tional occupational therapy we are happy to add Juleen the stories in this issue for
transfer a patient if students in our MS program Rodakowski, OTD, OTR/L
you have practiced in this fall. to our program as a T32 post-
an environment so doctoral scholar, and Pamela
We congratulate the 61 for- Toto, PhD, OTR/L who has
similar to the mer students from the MS,
hospital.”– Jill
Smolenski, Recent Faculty Achievements
MOT Graduate
Ketki Raina, PhD, OTR/L S  cD, OTR/L received a 2011- interventions” in PM & R.
has received the 2011 Educa-
tor of the Year Award from 2012 Innovations in Education Heather Livengood, PhD
the Pennsylvania Occupational grant titled “Maximizing Clinical student, Elizabeth Skid-
Therapy Association. Readiness Through Classroom more, PhD, OTR/L, and
Learning”. Scott Bleakley, PhD student
Denise Chisholm, PhD, co-authored the 2011 article
OTR/L has joined the Penn- Elizabeth Skidmore, PhD, Applying robotics in a clinical
sylvania Occupational Therapy OTR/L co-authored the 2011 rehabilitation setting for upper
Education and Licensure article “Cognitive impairment in limb neurological impairment.”
Board. acquired brain injury: A predic- in Topics in Spinal Cord Rehabili-
tor of rehabilitation outcomes tation.
Mary Lou Leibold, PhD, and an opportunity for novel
OTR/L and Nancy Baker,

Transfer Training Goes High Tech

Long gone are the days of tional therapy students to through 7 different emergency
students learning transfer practice transfer training skills scenarios at the Peter M. Win-
training skills by practicing on with medically complex ter Education & Research
each other. “patients”. These “patients” (WISER) center simulation lab.
are actually high technology As a result of this experience,
Through an Innovations in simulators designed with hu- the students increased their
Education grant, faculty mem- man features such as having a transfer skills as well as their
bers Ketki Raina, PhD, pulse and the ability to bleed. self-efficacy for managing medi-
OTR/L and Joanne Baird, cally complex patients.
MS, OTR/L have created an Pitt MOT and MS students
opportunity to allow occupa- tested their transfer skills

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

Student Spotlight: Community Health Promotion

Is there a role for occupational importance of the relationship be-
therapy in a community soup kitch- tween activity and health, but they
en? Recent graduate and former also learned strategies for healthy
MOT student, Matthew Blinky eating in the face of barriers.
responds with an emphatic YES! As
a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Feedback from the participants as
Fellowship, Matt was charged with well as the local center was very
the goal of “making a difference in positive.
society”. For his student project,
Blinky targeted the health and well- Matt recognized the Fellowship as
ness of adults from low-income an “opportunity to interact with
households by developing a healthy like minded people in an interdisci-
nutrition and food preparation plinary program to address health
program at a local soup kitchen. issues that can potentially change
Participants not only learned the lives”.

Students Making News “The comprehensive
nature of the program
Kerri O’Rourke was elected Vice lowship for commitment to ethical gy Day for the University of Pitts- as well as the
President of the Association of practices in healthcare and received burgh Health Career Scholars collaboration between
Student Delegates for the American the 2011 Pennsylvania Occupational Academy. different schools at
Occupational Therapy Association. Therapy Association Scholarship. the university made
University of Pittsburgh MOT stu- my experience at Pitt
Ruthie Plasterer was awarded an Students Kailey Bedford, Samu- dents achieved the GOLD level of quite unique and has
Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for el Boardman, Maria Borrelli, the American Occupational Thera- well prepared me to
the 2011 –2012 academic year. Samantha Homer, Tara Pren- py Association’s Student Member- the academia world.”
tice, Alyssa Rittenhouse, and ship Circle through 100% participa- Sana Abu-Dahad,
Rachael Simon was selected as a Andrea Vuchenich represented tion in membership. PhD, OTR/L (PhD ‘08)
recipient of the Jewish Healthcare the Department of Occupational
Foundation Jonas Salk Health Fel- Therapy at The Assistive Technolo-

Alumni Spotlight: Curtis Merring, MOT, OTR/L

Curtis Merring, MOT, OTR/L research studies to further under-
(MOT ‘08) is putting his clinical stand the role of rehabilitation in
knowledge and skills to good use as treating clients who have experi-
a full-time occupational therapist at enced a spinal cord injury or a
the Brain & Spine Recovery Center stroke.
in Austin, TX.
Curtis credits his occupational
In addition to his responsibilities as therapy education at the University
a hands-on practitioner, Curtis is of Pittsburgh for “teaching me the
also charged with the opportunity importance of an evidence-based
of creating and coordinating clinical approach to treatment.”

  
Department of Occupational Therapy Mission

 Educate students to practice and to be-
come leaders in evidence-based occupa-
tional therapy in a variety of settings

 Engage in research to advance the practice

University of Pittsburgh of occupational therapy
Department of Occupational Therapy
5012 Forbes Tower  Contribute to the profession and the com-
Pittsburgh, PA 15260 munity through service, participation, and
research

Phone: 412-383-6620 Alumni - Please contact us
Fax: 412-383-6613 if you would like to be
E-mail: [email protected]

Please contact us with changes to your email or address. highlighted in a future
issue!

OT at the Museum: No Bones About It!

The Discovery Room is an area in the information. Students were charged evolutionary masks, and growth
Carnegie Museum of Natural History with increasing attention to the site charts afforded opportunity to inter-
designed to allow museum patrons, and developing age-related infor- act with the exhibit. Educational con-
primarily children and their parents, mation and purposeful activity related tent was provided through a variety
to learn through hands-on, interactive to the content to increase participa- of media and at varying levels of com-
experiences with museum artifacts. tion. plexity to appeal to a broad audience.
As a result of these changes, the mu-
Under the direction of Nancy Before   seum reported that the average
Baker, ScD, OTR/L, Associate length of interaction for this exhibit
Professor, Department of Occupa- Modifications by the students includ- has increased!
tional Therapy, occupational therapy ed re-arrangement of the materials
students Giavonna Ferraro, Na- and use of color contrast to increase A er  
talie Seiler, and Kate Schramm attention. The addition of flipcharts,
were charged with the task of apply-
ing the principles of occupational
therapy to an existing exhibit to make
it more physically, socially, and cogni-
tively accessible to a broad spectrum
of museum patrons.

Initial assessment of a human skulls
display revealed a lack of purpose,
organization, and age-appropriate