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student experience and support
the Department’s educational
mission. The Department cele-
brates Dr. Brayley for her
generosity and her example.
Thank you Dr. Brayley!
In 1982, the University of
Pittsburgh first opened its doors
to occupational therapy students
under the leadership of the
founding Chair of the Depart-
ment of Occupational Therapy,
Dr. Caroline Brayley. Dr. Brayley
and her team laid the foundation
for the 34 years of program
excellence that have followed.
In 2015, Dr. Brayley demonstrat-
ed her continued commitment to
occupational therapy education
through a generous gift to the
Department, establishing the
endowed Caroline Robinson
Brayley Student Enrichment
Fund. Dr. Brayley’s gift is the
largest single donation ever re-
ceived by the Department of
Occupational Therapy. The
endowed enrichment fund
supports 1) student tuition,
2) travel to conferences or other
academic experiences, and 3) hono-
raria for invited speakers. This
donation will greatly enrich the
For her effort and commitment to
educational excellence, assistant
professor Joanne Baird, PhD, OTR/L
was selected to receive the 2015
Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy
Association (POTA) Academic
Educator Award. Dr. Baird was
recognized by faculty, students,
and practitioners as an exemplar
of best teaching practice.
Dr. Baird’s strength is in
transitioning students from the
classroom to the clinic. She
provides “real-world” learning
opportunities and mentors
students in their development as
professionals. Her passion for
occupational therapy is well-
known across the university and
has resulted in her being a highly
requested guest lecturer for
students interested in health
professions. In addition to her
department roles, Dr. Baird co-
ordinates, manages, and oversees
the educational and continued
competency programs for the
University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center/Centers for Rehab Ser-
vices occupational therapy
students and practitioners.
Due to her expertise in field-
work education and instruction,
Dr. Baird was selected by AOTA
in their first cohort of trainers
for the Fieldwork Educator
Certificate Program. Additionally,
Dr. Baird is a Distinguished
Scholar and Fellow of the
National Academies of Practice
and a member of the Society for
Simulation in Healthcare. Most
recently her expertise was
recognized by the Occupational
Therapy Academy who identified
her as a Distinguished Scholar
and Fellow. Congratulations
Dr. Baird!
A Legacy of Leadership and Service
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
From the
Chair...
2
Faculty
Highlights
2
JHF
Fellowships
2
Student
Spotlight
3
Student
Successes
3
Alumni
Spotlight
3
Farewell to
Dr. Leibold
4
Top Honors in Education
SP EC IA L
PO IN TS OF
I N TERES T:
Caroline
Robinson
Brayley
Student
Enrichment
Fund
Faculty and
Student Honors
Dr. Caroline Brayley (L) and current Chair Dr. Elizabeth Skidmore (R)
Occupational Therapy Newslink V O L U M E 5 , I S S U E 3 W I N T E R 2 0 1 6
(L to R) MOT student Elise Pure, POTA Keynote
Speaker LTC Douglas A. Etter, and Dr. Joanne
Baird at the 2015 POTA Award Ceremony
P A G E 2
Faculty Achievements
From the Chair... There has been much recent debate in higher education about best practices for “educational excellence.”
While no consensus has been achieved yet, several common themes have emerged. First, many agree that
educational excellence is achieved through the vision and dedication of outstanding educators and leaders.
The Winter 2016 issue of the PITT Occupational Therapy Newslink highlights just a few examples of the leaders
and educators who have contributed to educational excellence in the Department of Occupational Therapy
over the years. Dr. Caroline Robinson Brayley, founding Chair and Faculty Emerita in the Department of
Occupational Therapy, teaches us that outstanding educators and leaders make their mark through life-long
commitment and lead by example. The second common theme in the debate on best practices for
“educational excellence” is the importance of stimulating leadership skills and community engagement
among student that extend beyond focused disciplinary skills. This issue provides several examples that illus-
trate our students’ and graduates’ excellence not only in their academic and professional achievements, but
also in their leadership and community engagement. We are very proud of the high caliber student that we
attract to our programs, and the multiple examples of excellence among our graduates. If you, through your
own experiences or your knowledge of another’s experiences, have additional examples, please email us at
otpitt@shrs.pitt.edu so that we can feature these experiences in up-
coming issues of the PITT Occupational Therapy Newslink.
healthcare leaders to identify
solutions to health care prob-
lems that rise above slow and
incremental change when hu-
man lives and suffering are in
the balance.
In a cohort of 32 scholars,
MOT students Samantha
Chamberlin, Anne Chen,
Stephanie Rouch, and Casie
Strausbaugh worked in
multidisciplinary teams to
On December
3, 2015, four
first year MOT
students had
the opportunity
to showcase the results of
their semester-long experience
in the Jonas Salk Fellowship.
Sponsored by the Jewish
Healthcare Foundation and
Health Careers Futures, the
fellowship trains tomorrow’s
identify solutions to major health
problems by learning and applying
four problem-solving lenses with
community experts: social
advocacy, crisis management,
predictive modeling, and
disruptive innovation.
Problems explored were senior
living, perinatal depression, ado-
lescent risky behaviors, nutrition
for diabetes and cardiovascular
disease, and HIV/AIDS.
for older adults at-risk for dementia,
and Pamela Toto, PhD, OTR/
L, authored a paper, Observation-
based performance to evaluate
technology: Performance Assess-
ment of Self-Care Skills.
Nancy Baker, ScD, OTR/L
authored two papers Upper
Extremity Arthritis: Epidemiology
and ergonomic Interventions and
Analysis and Interpretation of meta-
analyses at the 2015 ACR/AHRP
conference in San Francisco, CA.
Laurent Terhorst, PhD,
received a secondary appoint-
Roxanna Bendixen, PhD,
OTR/L was selected to attend
the Training in Grantsmanship
for Rehabilitation Research
grant writing workshop held
January 12-16, 2016 in Charles-
ton, SC.
At the 2015 Gerontological
Society of America Annual
Conference, in Orlando, FL,
Juleen Rodakowski, OTD,
MS, OTR/L and Elizabeth
Skidmore, PhD, OTR/L
authored a paper, Feasibility of
meta-cognitive strategy training
ment at the Clinical and Transla-
tional Science Institute.
In November 2015, Denise
Chisholm, PhD, OTR/L partici-
pated in the Faculty Panel Session
for PITT’s Grad School Week .
Assistant professor Amit Sethi,
PhD, OTR/L, presented at Reha-
bilitation Grand Rounds on the
Connections between brain and the
heart: implication for motor recovery
after stroke at the University of
Toronto, Toronto, ON.
Dr. Elizabeth Skidmore,
Chair, Department of
Occupational Therapy
OT Students Shine in the JHF Fellowship
Student Spotlight: Jaclyn Mazza
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 5 , I S S U E 3
Jaclyn Mazza, OTS, is this year’s
recipient of the Joan C. Rogers
Occupational Therapy Award, a
scholarship given to a student in the
Master of Occupational Therapy
program who demonstrates the qualities
of high level scholastics, exemplary
professionalism, and commitment to
advancing the profession.
Jaclyn entered the program as a
“nontraditional” student following a
successful career working with
marine animals. Jaclyn is clear in her
desire to become an outstanding
occupational therapist and takes
advantage of opportunities to
maximize her learning opportunities,
frequently beyond the classroom. She
pursues academic and leadership
roles with impressive methodical
intensity. She is unshaken by barriers and is
extremely effective in thinking “outside the
box.” Jaclyn leads by setting up opportunities
that are inclusive and foster a team approach.
Jaclyn maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA in a
challenging curriculum, and is a member of Pi
Theta Epsilon. She has formally
served as an anatomy lab assistant for
1st year MOT students and served as
the AOTA Assembly of Student Delegate rep-
resentative for her class. In that role, she has
increased class participation in AOTA activi-
ties to its highest level in program history.
EXCELLENCE for promotion of
occupational therapy through
service leadership.
The University of Pittsburgh
Student Association (UPSOTA) had
a busy semester! Under the leader-
ship of UPSOTA president Jordan
Shoup, OTS, UPSOTA organized
an interprofessional fundraiser (OT,
PT, and ST students) to raise $650
used to purchase 15 bags of toys
for children with special needs
served by the Alliance for Infants
and Toddlers.
UPSOTA also
held a canned
good collection
that raised over
100 canned
goods for the
local foodbank, and hosted a “Mitten Tree”
collecting new hats, scarves, mittens and
gloves for distribution at a local homeless
shelter. Lastly, UPSOTA organized holiday
caroling at a local assisted living facility
where one of the residents happens to be
a fellow OT professional!
Kelly Dickson, OTS, was
selected as the 2016 recipient of
the University of Pittsburgh
Department of Occupational
Therapy Award of Scholarly
EXCELLENCE for promoting aging-
in-place through research and ser-
vice .
Elizabeth Bondarenko, OTS,
was selected as the 2016 recipient
of the University of Pittsburgh
Department of Occupational
Therapy Award of Professional
Students Making News
Alumni Spotlight: Abby McKenzie...A Perfect Match While it was always apparent that Abby
McKenzie (MOT ‘13) would be a
perfect fit for pediatric occupational
therapy, it was a surprise to all when
she found out she was also the perfect
match to save someone’s life.
This past fall, Abby was notified by BE
THE MATCH (www.bethematch.org)
that her DNA was the perfect match to
someone battling a life-threatening
illness. The odds for being a match are
1 in 540. Abby responded to the
request by donating her peripheral
blood stem cells and in doing so,
enabled a stranger in need to receive a
critical bone marrow transplant.
After graduating from the University of
Pittsburgh, Abby began her career in a
pediatric clinic specializing in Autism in
Austin, TX. While she enjoyed the
weather, her love of her family fueled a
desire to return to the north.
Currently, Abby works at Marietta
Memorial Hospital as an outpatient
pediatric therapist, working primarily
with children who experience develop-
mental delay, social/emotional delays,
and Autism. In February 2016, she will
begin work at the Perlman Center at
Cincinnati Children's Hospital - a
specialty center for children with
physical disabilities. Abby’s long term
professional goal is to open her
own specialty center for
children with Autism. Good
luck with your goal, Abby! We
think you are the perfect
match!
Jaclyn Mazza (L) and Dr. Skidmore
Antje Price, OTR, center, with UPSOTA students
an Assistant Professor and our Academic
Fieldwork Coordinator. Although Dr.
Leibold is officially retired, we feel
fortunate that part of her retirement
adventure will be continuing at Pitt as an
adjunct faculty member.
Although Dr. Leibold earned many
accolades and wore multiple hats during
her adventure at Pitt, it is likely most
people recognize her for her excellent
service as Academic Fieldwork Coordina-
tor. In this position, she went above and
beyond working with our Fieldwork
Educators and Master of Occupational
Therapy students to ensure a seamless
transition from classroom to clinic.
Managing Level I and Level II Fieldwork
placements for 100+ students has the
potential for chaos, however Dr. Leibold
managed it with excellence, grace and a
touch of humor. Although Dr. Leibold’ s
curriculum vitae is filled with professional
publications and presentations, awards,
teaching grants and service to the
occupational therapy community, in her
The announcement of Dr. Mary Lou
Leibold’s retirement from the
University of Pittsburgh Department
of Occupational Therapy in
December 2015 was bittersweet. We
are excited for her and the next
phase of her journey, but she will be
greatly missed. When asked about her
future plans Dr. Leibold simply stated,
“I plan to enjoy the adventure.”
Dr. Leibold’s clinical adventure start-
ed when she obtained her Master of
Science Degree in Occupational
Therapy from the Virginia Common-
wealth University. She spent the
majority of her clinical career at
Mercy Hospital and Harmarville
Rehabilitation Center, Inc. where she
was a Supervisor, Student Fieldwork
Coordinator and Clinical Director.
Dr. Leibold first arrived at Pitt as a
Part-Time Instructor in 2000, briefly
took a position at Chatham University
as an Assistant Professor and in 2004,
returned to the Pitt MOT program as
eyes, working with the students was the
most rewarding role she played. Her
contribution is evident in the caliber of
students that graduate from the Pitt MOT
program.
We have no doubt that Dr. Leibold will
enjoy her retirement, perhaps digging her
toes into the sand, and planning her next
adventure.
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Occupational Therapy
5012 Forbes Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-383-6620
Fax: 412-383-6613
Email: OTPitt@shrs.pitt.edu
Department of Occupational Therapy Mission
Educate students to practice and to become
leaders in evidence-based occupational
therapy in a variety of settings
Engage in research to advance the practice
of occupational therapy
Contribute to the profession and the
community through service, participation,
and research
Enjoying the Adventure
Please contact us with changes to your email or address.
Alumni - Please contact us!
We would like to highlight
YOU in a future issue!