I joined the faculty of the Occupational Therapy Department at Ithaca College in 1998, when our first class of students was entering the senior year.  I served as Graduate Chair from 1999-2002, and as Chair and Program Director from 2004-2011. My teaching in recent years has included courses related to the assessment and treatment of children (with particular emphasis on working with infants and toddlers and their families), research methods, healthcare and culture, and occupational science.  I enjoy research, and have worked with many graduate students in completing their individual theses and group research projects in areas related to pediatric practice. 

Last year year seven graduate students worked with me and faculty colleagues Sharon Stansfield from Computer Science and Helene Larin from Physical Therapy on the development and evaluation of a robotic mobility device designed to provide independent movement to infants with disabilities.  Students presented the results of a study with five typically developing infants in April at the American Occupational Therapy Association's annual conference in Philadelphia.  These infants, who ranged in age from 7 to 9 months of age, learned to control their movement on our WeeBot (a robot controlled by infant leaning over a WiiFit balance board) in just a few training sessions! Another group of nine graduate students began a project in August, working with infants in local day care centers.  You can find videos and other information about this project at this web site: http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/cs/facstaff/sstansfield/totsOnBots/. 

I also have a strong interest in the effects of culture on health and healthcare.  Through this interest I have had a number of international experiences in occupational therapy, including teaching courses for students in Sweden, Russia, and England, and have led several groups of students in a short-term study abroad course in the Dominican Republic, most recently in the summer of 2008. I spent the academic year 2006-2007 living and working in London (at the Ithaca College London Center) and Buenos Aires, Argentina.  This summer I travelled to Santiago, Chile to participate in a seminar, and Ibarra, Ecuador to join a colleague who works in a clinic in that city. 

I am delighted to welcome prospective students and their parents to the department.  I really enjoy sharing information about our program and about the field of occupational therapy, so please call me!

Sc.D.     Therapeutic Studies, Sargent College, Boston University

M.A.      Special Education for Infants and Toddlers, University of Connecticut

B.S.       Occupational Therapy, University of New Hampshire