Salus University was well-represented at the 2018 American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA) Conference and Expo held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 19 – 22.
AOTA is the national professional association that represents the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students of occupational therapy to improve the quality of occupational therapy services offered to the public at large. The organization provides programs and activities directed toward assuring the quality of occupational therapy services, improving consumer access to healthcare services, and promoting the professional development of members.
In attendance from Salus were Fern Silverman, EdD, OTR/L, director of the University’s Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy; Brianna Brim, MOT, academic fieldwork advisor and instructor; Andrea Tyszka, MS, OTR/L, SIPT, associate professor; Caitlyn Foy, DOT,MOTR/L, assistant professor and Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) advisor; Ruth S. Farber, PhD, associate professor; Mitchell Scheiman, OD, PhD, director of Biomedicine; Melissa Tran, associate director of Admissions; four SOTA officers, and two first-year students.
A total of twelve presentations were given by many of the University’s attendees:
Overall, the conference was perceived to be great for networking and learning from both faculty and students. “This year’s AOTA conference was filled with thought provoking sessions, interesting discussions, and inspiring speakers,” said Dr. Silverman. According to her, conferences are the best place to network face-to-face with colleagues from around the country which can often lead to new collaborations and joint scholarly initiatives.
Students in attendance also felt strongly that this was a great conference and provided a great stepping stone into the profession. “I was happy to see that the American Occupational Therapy Association is so supportive of student presentations, and it was great to meet other students who are getting involved in research and improving occupational therapy services early in their careers,” said Sharber a second year OT student who also presented. Sharber also has a message for her fellow students: “I know several students who are hesitant to submit their work as conference presentation proposals [but] I strongly recommend that students in all fields consider applying for state and national conference presentations [because as it] seems daunting, it is an accessible and welcoming opportunity, and we all have the opportunity to gain invaluable experience from attending and presenting at professional conferences.”