Department: Occupational Therapy

Department: Occupational Therapy

Sargent College Students Awarded Travis M. Roy Scholarships

The Travis M. Roy Scholarship, which each year recognizes one occupational therapy doctoral student and one physical therapy doctoral student who are passionate about studying issues related to spinal cord injury and paralysis. It is named for Travis Roy (COM’00, Hon.’16), who became a quadriplegic from a BU hockey game injury and who, before his death in 2020, […]

Neurodiversity-Affirming Scholarship: The PAUSE Program Pilot Study

Professor and Chair Dr. Emily Rothman, ScD, is serving as principal investigator on an innovative interdisciplinary research team funded by the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) to develop the PAUSE Program which will be offered in collaboration with the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE). The PAUSE Program represents a novel, manualized intervention designed as […]

EL-OTD Students at the 2025 AOTA Hill Day

By Grace AbouAssaly AOTA Hill Day provided me with an invaluable opportunity to network, advocate, and deepen my passion for the profession I will soon be practicing. The experiences and connections I gained will stay with me throughout my career. Having previously advocated on Capitol Hill with the LEND Program, I felt both honored and […]

Boston University at the 2026 WFOT Congress

Platform Presentations AI: Inspiring Change, Innovating Futures — Jacobs, K.  WFOT Symposium Artificial Intelligence — Chaired by Jacobs, K. Poster Presentations 4M OT-AgeWELL: A scalable, innovative home modification model for safe aging in place across diverse global communities — Durkin, R. A novel hybrid implementation–efficacy trial of AquOTic: An occupational therapy-based water competency intervention for […]

Advancing Health Equity: Dr. Temor (Tay) Amin-Arsala’s Innovative Policy Leadership in LGBTQ+ Data Collection

During June 2025, Clinical Assistant Professor Temor (Tay) Amin-Arsala, OT, OTD, OTR, wrote a policy entitled, Need for Collection of LGBTQ+ Data, for GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTW+ Equality. The policy highlights the importance of multiple sources of reliable data for LGBTQ+ health in the current socio-political climate.  GLMA is a national organization dedicated to […]

Katharine B. Parodi, PhD, EdM

Scholarly, Research, and/or Practice Interests Dr. Katharine (Katie) Parodi is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Boston University Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. She completed her doctoral education and postdoctoral training in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Dr. […]

Boston University Presents at the 2025 AOTA Conference

Boston University presented at the 2025 AOTA Conference in Philadelphia from April 3-5th, 2025. Below is a list of the presentations, talks, courses, etc. we led over the course of the expo. If you have questions about our work, feel free to reach out to us at ot@bu.edu for more details. We’d love to share […]

Diverse-OT Celebrates Another Year of Successful Programming

Diverse-OT is a graduate student group, led by Entry-Level OTD students and supervised by Clinical Associate Professor Leanne Yinusa-Nyahkoon, ScD, OTR, that provides interprofessional opportunities for discussion and education on issues related to diversity and inclusion at Boston University. During the 2024-25 academic year, Diverse-OT held a number of successful events including:  Overcoming Ableism as […]

Sargent College’s Department of Occupational Therapy Welcomes New Faculty

We are thrilled to welcome Jessie Franco, OT, OTD, OTR  and Temor “Tay” Amin-Arsala, OT, OTD, OTR to Sargent College! Read more about our new faculty members below. Temor “Tay” Amin-Arsala, OT, OTD, OTR (they/them/he/him), is a Clinical Assistant Professor with a diverse clinical background, having practiced in schools, skilled nursing facilities, mental health and […]

Jessie Franco, OT, OTD, OTR

Scholarly, Research, and/or Practical Interests Jessie Franco is an experienced occupational therapist specializing in adult rehabilitation, with a diverse clinical background across multiple settings including inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care, and acute hospitals. Her areas of expertise include acute care, splinting, burns, neurology, trauma, and orthopedics. Driven by a passion for teaching […]

Anne Escher Named to AOTA Roster of Fellows

Anne Escher, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Roster of Fellows. She was honored for her remarkable contributions to the profession, in particular her leadership in advocating for access and inclusion. This honor “recognizes occupational therapists who through their knowledge, expertise, leadership, […]

Is a New Schizophrenia Drug Really a Gamer Changer? (quoting Kim Mueser and Daniel Fulford)

(10/7/2024, Futurity) Expert Quote: “The data so far do not suggest the drug is game-changing from an efficacy standpoint,[but] that there are significant reductions in overall symptoms, including both typical symptoms of psychosis, like hallucinations and delusions, and symptoms like mood or anxiety,” says Kim Mueser, a professor of occupational therapy. “The initial results of […]

David Sechrest, BA, MA

Scholarly, Research, and/or Practical Interests David Sechrest is interested in the advancement of academic writing skills as well as the unique goals of writing in the health sciences. His particular focus is narrative medicine, an interdisciplinary domain that combines elements of both the humanities and health fields as a tool for practitioners to better understand their identities, […]