Col u m bi a Un i ver si t y
M OT i vat or
w e see t h e n eed, w e m eet i t , w e ex ceed i t !
Fal l 2016
Col u m bi a Of f er s Fi r st OTD i n New Yor k St at e
The Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy have launched a Clinical Doctor ate of
Occupational Ther apy (OTD) pr ogr am . After going thr ough sever al levels of appr oval on the univer sity
level, and petitioning the state to add a new degr ee pr ogr am , the pr ogr am becam e the fir st OTD
appr oved in the state of New Yor k last fall.
The pr ogr am is designed for w or king pr ofessionals and w ill pr ovide those pr actitioner s w ho w ish to
r em ain in the pr actice ar ena w ith advanced know ledge and clinical skills in the ar ea of cognition and
per ception acr oss the life cour se and acr oss pr actice ar eas. To date, this is the only OTD pr ogr am that
focuses on cognition.
Gr aduates and cur r ent Colum bia OT students ar e offer ed an expedited adm issions pr ocess if they m eet
cer tain cr iter ia.
The OTD pr ogr am is now accepting applications for both fall and spr ing sem ester adm issions. You can
lear n m or e and apply on our w ebsite, colum biaot.or g.
Con gr at u l at i on s t o t h e Cl ass of 2016!
The m em ber s of the class of 2016 gr aduated in
M ay in tw o cer em onies, one on M or ningside
Cam pus on M ay 18th, and at the OT gr aduation
on M ay 19th. The keynote addr ess at the OT
gr aduation w as given by John Donovan and
Car en Zucker , ABC jour nalists w ho r ecently
published "In a Differ ent Key: The Stor y of
Autism ". They both also r ecently w on the Em my
Aw ar d for Outstanding Featur ed Stor y. The
student addr ess w as given by Paul Sw inner ton.
Sever al students and suppor ter s of the pr ogr am
w er e honor ed w ith aw ar ds. (For m or e on
aw ar ds given at gr aduation, see pages 4-5.)
The faculty and staff of the OT pr ogr am w ish
them all the best!
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
Let t er Fr om t h e Di r ect or
Hello Alum s!
Welcom e back to our OT M OTivator.
We have had a ver y exciting tim e, w ith new faculty,
new gr ants, exciting r esear ch, and of cour se,
exem plar y students. We ar e looking for w ar d to a new
OT m ultipur pose lab to help us educate our students
as w e usher in our 75th year of our degr ee gr anting
entr y-level pr ogr am . Save the date for our 75th
anniver sar y celebr ation on Apr il 22-23, 2017. Like that
w ell-know n bunny, w e ?keep going, and going, and
going?.
This edition of the OT M OTivator shar es the m any
achievem ents and exper iences that continue to
m otivate us. Our pur pose is not to sur vive, but to
thr ive and inspir e. W ith four academ ic pr ogr am s
under our um br ella: M S, M S/M PH, OTD, and EdD, w e
ar e able to addr ess the m ultiple academ ic joys and
challenges as w e contr ibute to the gr ow th of our
pr ofession on all levels.
As alw ays, w e hope you enjoy this edition of the
M OTivator. Please be sur e to send us alum ni new s as
w ell. Happy r eading!
Tabl e of Con t en t s
OTD Pr ogr am ..................................1
Gr aduation.....................................1
75th Anniver sar y...........................3
Gr aduation Aw ar ds.....................4-5
Resear ch Day..................................6
SpOTlight on Students................7-8
2016 AOTA Confer ence..................9
States of Gr ace.............................10
Pr ofessor and Dir ector , Pr ogr am s in Occupational
Ther apy
M acy Scholar Pr ogr am ................10
Vice Chair , Dept. of Rehabilitation and Regener ative
M edicine
Faculty Resear ch.....................11-13
Assistant Dean, College of Physicians and Sur geons
Obituar y.......................................16
New Faculty Intr oductions.....14-15
SpOTlight on Alum ni...................17
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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Col u m bi a Un i ver si t y Pr ogr am s i n Occu pat i on al Th er apy
t o Cel ebr at e 75 Year s
Class of 1951
The Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy w er e established
in 1941, a tim e w ith pow er ful im plications for health
pr ofessions. Wor ld War II accentuated the tr em endous
need for occupational ther apists, and the polio epidem ics
of the 1930s and the 1940s fur ther under scor ed the
effectiveness of the occupational ther apy pr ofession.
Dur ing the fir st four year s, the pr ogr am s w er e housed on
the Colum bia M or ningside cam pus; in 1945, they m oved
to the Health Sciences cam pus as par t of the Faculty of
M edicine.
In 1941, the cur r iculum included "cour ses pr oviding
scientific, m edical, and theor etical backgr ound together
w ith cour ses in var ious ar ts and cr afts and other
elem ents w hich enter into the actual pr actice of
occupational ther apy." (1941 Bulletin), as w ell as 9
m onths of clinical w or k in a hospital. The univer sity fee
w as $5 a sem ester and cr edits w er e $12.50 per point.
Things have changed just a little bit!
Class of 1986
Today, students continue w ith clinical cour sew or k, w ith
the addition of collabor ating w ith faculty on r esear ch
pr ojects and Level I and II fieldw or k in a var iety of
settings.
M or e than 1,800 gr aduates constitute the alum ni of these
pr ogr am s. We hope m any of you can join us in 2017 to
celebr ate 75 year s of occupational ther apy education.
Please feel fr ee to r each out to us w ith your m em or ies of
the pr ogr am s and other alum ni new s you m ay have to
shar e.
Celebr ate 75 Year s w ith Colum bia OT
Save t h e Dat e
Apr il 22 - 23, 2017
New Yor k, NY
M or e details to follow
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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2016 Com m en cem en t Aw ar ds
The follow ing m em ber s of the class of 2016 w er e r ecognized at gr aduation for their outstanding
w or k:
Th e Joan Bozu w a M em or i al Aw ar d f or Sch ol ar sh i p, Leader sh i p, Cr eat i v i t y, an d I n t egr i t y:
Lee Ann Westover
Th e St even Kat z Aw ar d f or Cl i n i cal Ex cel l en ce: Gail Stephens
Ach i evem en t Aw ar d f or Ex cel l en ce i n M en t al Heal t h : Lena Kadota
Pat r i ci a A. M i l l er Ach i evem en t Aw ar d f or Ex cel l en ce i n Ger on t ol ogy: M ar y Jegher s
Th e G. Gor don W i l l i am son Ach i evem en t Aw ar d f or Ex cel l en ce i n Pedi at r i cs: Kr isten Bar r y
Th e M ar gu er i t e Abbot t M em or i al Aw ar d f or Physi cal Di sabi l i t i es: Paul Sw inner ton
Rober t Evan der Ach i evem en t Aw ar d f or Ex cel l en ce i n Sci en ce: Jessica Spellane
Th e Bar bar a E. Neu h au s Aw ar d f or Ex cel l en ce i n Resear ch : Kr istin Gr egor y, M ar cy
Schlissel, M egan Sadlier -Br ow n, Alison Schuber t, and Lee Ann Westover
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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2016 Com m en cem en t Aw ar ds
2016 Su per v i sor of t h e Year
Leon Kir schner , M PH, OTR w as nam ed
Super visor of the Year. Our clinical educator s
ar e expected to pr ovide the clinical instr uction,
super vision and the exper ience one can only
get in a ther apeutic setting. The Super visor of
the Year aw ar d is given to the clinical
super visor w hose dedication to our pr ofession,
loyalty to our pr ogr am , and com m itm ent to our
students is r em ar kable. Leon's w or k has
exem plified pr ofessionalism , clinical excellence,
and innovative super vision. He has em br aced
and dedicated him self to pediatr ic pr actice, not
only w or king closely w ith our pr ogr am , but by
m entor ing our students to achieve far m or e
than standar d pr actice.
2016 Fr i en d of Occu pat i on al
Th er apy
Joseph W hite, w ho has w or ked w ith OT
students at the For t Washington Hom eless
Shelter for m or e than five year s, w as nam ed
the 2016 Fr iend of Occupational Ther apy for
his unw aver ing suppor t of our students. He
has been a w onder ful par tner , a gr eat
teacher , and has been the key to our
pr ogr am s' involvem ent at the For t.
2016 Di st i n gu i sh ed Al u m n i Aw ar d
Susan L. Gar ber , M A, OTR, FAOTA, FACRM , Class of
1965, r eceived the Distinguished Alum ni Aw ar d.
Susan is a pr ofessor of Physical M edicine and
Rehabilitation at Baylor College of M edicine. Her
w or k focuses on pr evention and tr eatm ent of
pr essur e ulcer s in people w ith spinal cor d injur ies.
In addition to her w or k at Baylor , she has spent
m any year s conducting r esear ch at The Institute of
Rehabilitation and Resear ch and the M ichael E.
DeBakey Veter ans Affair s M edical Center.
Susan is the 2016 r ecipient of the Eleanor Clar k
Slagle Lectur eship Aw ar d fr om the Am er ican
Occupational Ther apy Association.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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SpOTl i gh t on St u den t s
St u den t s Pr esen t at 34t h An n u al Resear ch Day
M aster s and doctor al students pr esented their r esear ch at the 34th Annual Resear ch Day on M ay
12th. Topics r anged fr om r ehabilitating handw r iting dysfunction to assessing hom e safety for the
for m er ly hom eless to sleep.
Ghazala Saleem , M S, OTR/L (see inter view on Page 6) pr esented her doctor al r esear ch, "M ental
Pr actice Com bined w ith Repetitive Task Pr actice to Rehabilitate Handw r iting Dysfunction in
School-age Childr en".
M aster s students Kevin Am ar antos, Jan Ber g, Ethan Chen, Richar d Peter s, and Zachar y Schluger
pr esented "Assessing Hom e Safety Fall and Accident Risk in the Pr em atur ely Aging, For m er ly
Hom eless ". They found that a for m er ly hom eless population w ith a m edian age in the 50s, w as
m ost like a non-hom eless population of 70 or 80 year olds. The pr em atur e aging associated w ith
this population is often over looked w hen dealing w ith their safety concer ns.
Kr istin Gr egor y, M egan Sadlier -Br ow n, M ar cy Schlissel, Allison Schuber t, and Lee Ann Westover
w on the Resear ch Aw ar d for their w or k on sleep, "Com par ative Effectiveness of Thr ee Occupational
Ther apy Sleep Inter ventions: A Random ized Contr olled Study". They r ecr uited par ticipants w ho
self-identified as having sleep issues and assigned them to either a contr ol gr oup, w hich pr acticed
good sleep hygiene habits, or one of tw o exper im ental gr oups. One exper im ental gr oup used a
Dr eam pad Pillow ® , and the other used Rest® m editation. Both gr oups also pr acticed the sam e
good sleep hygiene habits. At the end of the study, the iRest m editation gr oup exper ienced
statistically gr eater tim e asleep than both the Dr eam pad Pillow ® and sleep hygiene gr oups. The
Dr eam pad Pillow ® gr oup exper ienced statistically few er nighttim e aw akenings than the iRest®
m editation and sleep hygiene gr oups.
Other students pr esented the follow ing poster s:
Esta blishing Conver gent Va lidity a nd I nter r ater Relia bility of the Build A City Assessment by
Victor ia Babikian, Ashley Har tm an, Nicole M andr as, Em ily M cCue, Lindsay Steckler
Home M ir r or Ther a py: A Ra ndomized Contr ol Study Compa r ing Unima nua l a nd Bima nua l
Ther a py for I mpr oved Ha nd Function Post-Str oke by Clair e Batem an, Kr isten Gr aziano, Lena
Kadota, Paul Sw inner ton, Om id Zivar i
The Relationship Between Ta sk Constr a ints a nd M otor Decisions in Childr en with Cer ebr a l
Pa lsy by Liana Abadi, Lance DeGuzm an, Lesley Her ber t, Keting Su, Laur a Tillm an
Development of a n I nter a ctive DVD I nter vention for Adults Tr a nsitioning to Housing:
Suppor tive Education (SM ART 2) by Rachel Bolnick, Jennifer Gonzalez, Nicole Haw kins, M ar y
Jegher s
Development of a n I nter a ctive DVD I nter vention for Adults Tr a nsitioning to Housing:
Suppor tive Employment (SM ART 3) by Er ica Cir illi, M aeve Kir w an, Ozzie M elhado, Jessica
Spellane, Gail Stephens
M otor Pla nning Related to Self-Regulation a nd Pr ospective Pla nning in Childr en with Autism
Spectr um Disor der s by Shaina Andr ew s, Shoshana Bar r is, Kayla Br idge, Seada Br ucaj, Xavier
Car r oll, Tam m ie Choe, Elizabeth DeGennar o, Blythe Duckett, Devin Lam ke, Br ianna M iller , Steven
Peltzm an, Jennifer Thom pson
Childr en with HCP: Accur a cy a nd Explor ation Dur ing M otor Decisions by M ar i Ar naud,
Kr isten Bar r y, Rebekah Cam acho, Donna Falzone, Letha Fr ancis, Jam eela John, Katie Reynolds,
Chr istina Zum w alt
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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SpOTl i gh t on St u den t s
I n t er v i ew w i t h Gh azal a Sal eem , Ed.D., '09, '16
Dr. Ghazala Saleem is a 2016 gr aduate of the Ed.D. pr ogr am in M ovem ent Sciences at Teacher s
College, offer ed jointly w ith the Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy. She gr aduated fr om the
CUOT M aster s pr ogr am in 2009. She cur r ently w or ks as a senior occupational ther apist at NYC
Depar tm ent of Education. Her doctor al r esear ch focuses on the use of m ental pr actice in
conjunction w ith r epetitive task pr actice to im pr ove m otor planning abilities and in tur n
handw r iting skills in school-age childr en.
How di d you f i n d OT?
As an under gr aduate student w hile I w as shadow ing a physician, I encounter ed an occupational
ther apist. This occupational ther apist w as w or king w ith a patient w ho suffer ed a str oke. This
patient?s desir e w as to w ater her plants independently. After a few m onths, this patient w as able
to achieve her goal of w ater ing her plants. This intr igued m e a gr eat deal. I star ted r esear ching
the pr ofession and w as m oved by its em phasis on engagem ent in m eaningful activities.
W h at do you h ope t o do n ow t h at you ar e don e w i t h t h e Ed.D. pr ogr am ?
I like both teaching and r esear ch. Since I w ill be defending my disser tation soon, I am
consider ing both ar enas ser iously. I hope to take a r ole that facilitates scientific inquir y, foster s
pr ofessional contr ibution, w hile giving an oppor tunity to im par t know ledge.
I s t h er e an yt h i n g el se abou t you r ex per i en ce h er e t h at you w ou l d l i k e t o h i gh l i gh t ?
It w as an honor and an absolute pleasur e to w or k w ith esteem ed pr ofessor s w ho ar e r enow ned
in their fields and ar e passionate about pr oviding students w ith gr eat lear ning oppor tunities. I
have confident in my skills as a scholar and w ill alw ays cher ish my year s at Colum bia.
Ghazala Saleem pr esenting at
Resear ch Day in M ay.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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SpOTl i gh t on St u den t s
M em ber s of the class of 2016 visited the Today
Show to celebr ate OT m onth. Pictur ed ar e Lance
DeGuzm an, Blythe Duckett, Laur a Tillm an, Nicole
Haw kins, Sandr a Aubr ey, Jan Ber g, Gail Stephens,
Victor ia Babikian, Em ily M cCue, and Clair e
Batem an.
Lee Ann Westover , Victor ia Babikian,
Em ily M cCue, Jessica Spellane, Lance
DeGuzm an, Allison Schuber t, Jen
Thom pson, and Gail Stephens fr om the
class of 2016 par ticipated in the 2016
National Alliance on M ental Illness
Walk . The w alk r aises aw ar eness of
m ental health issues. Colum bia OT
par ticipates each year.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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2016 AOTA Con f er en ce
Per f or m an ce-Based Cogn i t i ve St at u s an d
Sel f -Aw ar en ess of Di sabi l i t i es i n Acu t e
Car e*
Gl en Gi l l en , M ei Yin Eng, Amy Fr ey, Kaitlyn
M cVeigh, Rebecca Sw ir now , Kyle Webson
Th r ou gh You r Pr of essor 's Eyes: Usi n g
Googl e Gl ass To En h an ce Heal t h car e
Edu cat i on
Gl en Gi l l en
A St u den t -Ru n Fr ee Pr i m ar y Car e Cl i n i c f or
t h e Hom el ess an d Su r r ou n di n g
Com m u n i t y*
Em i l y Raph ael -Gr een f i el d, Gl en Gi l l en ,
Devan Block, M ichaela Fr aser , Alice Jih
ELDERLY LGBT I n t er pr of essi on al Car e
Pr ogr am (ELI NC): An I n n ovat i ve M odel f or
Pr act i ce an d Tr ai n i n g OT St u den t s
Phyl l i s Si m on
About 40 students plus the OT faculty attended
the AOTA confer ence in Chicago in 2016.
Colum bia OT sponsor ed a table at the Br eakfast
w ith a Scholar event, in w hich Lisa Genova,
author of Still Alice, w as the keynote speaker.
She is standing in the center of the photo of our
faculty and som e of our students.
A r an dom i zed con t r ol l ed com par at i ve
ef f ect i ven ess pi l ot st u dy com par i n g
u n i m an u al an d bi m an u al m i r r or t h er apy
as a h om e pr ogr am .
Dan i el Gel l er , Daw n Ni l sen , Gl en Gi l l en , S.
Vanlew & M . Ber nar do
Pu bl i sh i n g m an u scr i pt s i n occu pat i on al
t h er apy f r om t h e per spect i ve of t h e edi t or
F.A. Stein and Sh ar on Gu t m an
A Hybr i d an d M u l t i -M odal Lear n i n g
Pr ogr am To Hel p M en t al Heal t h Cl i en t s
Tr an si t i on t o Com m u n i t y Li v i n g
Sh ar on Gu t m an , Em i l y Raph ael -Gr een f i el d
Fu n ct i on al Upper Ex t r em i t y Level s (FUEL):
A Hi er ar ch i cal Cl assi f i cat i on Tool f or t h e
Neu r ol ogi cal Upper Ex t r em i t y
Dan i el Gel l er ; N. Capasso; A. Dicem br i; R.
Feld-Glazm an; S. Van Lew
Use of Cogn i t i ve St r at egi es To Au gm en t
Task -Or i en t ed Tr ai n i n g Post -St r ok e
Colum bia OT w on tw o aw ar ds in the St.
Cather ine's Challenge - the m ost m oney r aised
for a fir st tim e par ticipant and second place
over all for m ost m oney r aised. Keep an eye
out for m or e infor m ation on the 2017
Challenge!
Daw n M . Ni l sen and Gl en Gi l l en
* Facu l t y; Alum ni
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
St at es of Gr ace Scr een ed on Cam pu s
States of Gr ace is a docum entar y about Dr.
Gr ace Dam m ann's r ecover y fr om a ser ious
accident and com ing to ter m s w ith her new
r eality. Par t of the r eason Gr ace w as
inter ested in m aking the film w as to pr ovide
a teaching tool for students in m edical
pr ofessions and other s involved in
r ehabilitation.
The Nar r ative M edicine pr ogr am invited the
film m aker s and Gr ace to a scr eening of the
film at CUM C on M ar ch 9th. Dr. Janet
Falk-Kessler gave an intr oduction, and M ar i
Ar naud, Class of 2017, ser ved as one of the
em cees. The scr eening w as w ell attended by Colum bia OT students. A tr ailer for the m ovie, as
w ell as educational r esour ces, ar e available by clicking her e.
OT St u den t s Par t i ci pat e i n M acy Sch ol ar Pr ogr am
The M acy Scholar pr ogr am , funded by a gr ant
fr om the Josiah M acy Jr. Foundation, involves
students fr om a var iety of disciplines to enhance
inter pr ofessional education. Occupational
ther apy has been involved in the pr ogr am for
thr ee year s, and Dr. Janet Falk-Kessler ser ves on
the com m ittee.
Students fr om all eight pr ofessional health
schools spend four w eeks lear ning about
nar r ative m edicine, attend a six w eek sem inar
on a health topic of inter est (past sem inar s have
included end of life car e and health car e justice),
and obser ve health car e team s in action.
M ar i Ar naud, class of 2017, par ticipated in the
pr ogr am and said "It has been a gr eat
oppor tunity to lear n how other disciplines think
about m edicine and be able to shar e the value of
OT w ith them star ting as students." Since
par ticipating, she has also been asked to help
w ith other inter disciplinar y pr ogr am s on
cam pus, including r ole playing inter pr ofessional
inter actions for a sem inar for m edical and
nur sing students.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
M acy Scholar par ticipants Tam ar a
Riew e-M oskovitz and Liana Abadi.
col u m bi aot .or g
Facu l t y Resear ch
Dr . Gl en Gi l l en I n t egr at es Googl e Gl ass i n t h e Cl assr oom
In the Physical Disabillities classr oom , it is often
har d to dem onstr ate (and see dem onstr ations) of
sm all technical things - the instr uctor is too far
aw ay or has contor ted them selves into a position
that is not cor r ect for the technique they ar e
dem onstr ating.
Dr. Glen Gillen r eceived a gr ant fr om the Vir gina
Apgar Academy of M edical Educator s to study the
im pact of Google Glass in the Physical Disabilities
classr oom , w hich allow ed him to show students
exactly w hat he w as seeing, up close, and in the
cor r ect alignm ent. He w as able to pr oject w hat
he w as seeing on Google Glass onto scr eens in the
classr oom , as w ell as play them in a loop w hile
students pr acticed and m ake them available to
students for later r eview. Since Google Glass is
voice contr olled, instr uctor s can keep their hands
pr oper ly positioned w hile asking it to take a
pictur e or str eam a video.
Typical classr oom view
He sur veyed his students after one sem ester of
Google Glass use, and 89% thought that it
enhanced the classr oom lear ning exper ience and
should continue to be used in the classr oom .
Thr ee teaching assistants w er e also sur veyed and
all thought that it w as an enhancem ent as w ell.
This technology has been adopted by the Dental
School and is being consider ed for use in other
classes. This r esear ch w as pr esented at the 2016
AOTA confer ence.
View w ith Google Glass
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
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OT Facu l t y an d St u den t s Par t n er w i t h e-l i n c t o
Su ppor t LGBT Ol der Adu l t s
The e-linc inter pr ofessional team pr ovides
suppor t in m any differ ent w ays, including
putting on health fair s focusing on LGBT
older adults.
OT Students Steven Peltzm an, Xavier Car r oll,
Keting Su, Allison Schuber t, and Lance
DeGuzm an par ticipated in e-linc as par t of
their Level 1 Older Adult fieldw or k .
Pr ofessor Phyllis Sim on and sever al Occupational
Ther apy students ar e par ticipating in the e-linc
pr ogr am in collabor ation w ith an inter pr ofessional
team of nur ses, physical ther apists, social w or ker s,
and m ental health pr ofessionals to pr ovide car e to
the aging LGBT adult com m unity. The $1.5 m illion
pr ogr am , funded by HRSA, w or ks in par tner ship
w ith SAGE, Ser vices & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual & Tr ansgender Elder s. It seeks to pr ovide
w ellness, pr evention, and pr im ar y car e for that
population as w ell as teaching students how to be
cultur ally com petent car e pr ovider s and to w or k as
par t of a collabor ative team . The pr oject is focusing
on pr oviding car e at SAGE center s in M idtow n and
Har lem as w ell as thr ough hom e visits. Clients ar e
offer ed m ental health car e, pr im ar y car e, car e
coor dination, and infor m ation about w ellness and
pr evention thr ough the Health E-living ser ies.
Pr ofessor Sim on said, ?This population has all the
typical issues of any aging population, plus m or e.
They m ay not have suppor t system s if they?ve been
disconnected fr om their fam ilies and have m any
unique needs?. Students fr om all disciplines in the
inter pr ofessional team r eceive tr aining on ser ving
the LGBT com m unity and how to becom e m or e
cultur ally com petent health car e pr ovider s. They
ar e also lear ning how to be par t of collabor ative
car e team s. Lance DeGuzm an '16 said "This
pr ogr am gave an integr ative appr oach that
pr epar ed m e in m ultiple dom ains of ger iatr ic car e
and pr ovided a unique per spective that fur ther
developed my cultur al com petency in LGBTQ car e."
At a r ecent m onthly sem inar , students w atched the
inter pr ofessional team discuss their r ounds and
saw how the team w or ked together in r eal tim e.
Students also pr ovide occupational ther apy
ser vices at clinics, m onitor cognitive health and
fitness, par ticipate in health fair s, and do hom e
visits to pr ovide pr evention and safety
r ecom m endations.
This r esear ch w as pr esented at the 2016 AOTA
confer ence.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
Pi l ot i n g t h e Xsen s Su i t f or
M ot or Lear n i n g Pr oj ect s
Dr. Kather ine Dim itr opoulou is w or king on a pilot pr oject
w ith Dr. Sunil Agr aw al, a pr ofessor of M echanical
Engineer ing to establish codes for par ticipants w ear ing
an Xsens suit, w hich can be used in futur e studies. The
Xsens suit is body w or n technology that can tr ack 3D
m otion and kinem atics. Using the suits, r esear cher s can
have par ticipants do functional tasks instead of only
per for m ing tasks in lab conditions.
Par ticipants get into the suit, and tr acker s ar e put into the
suit all over the body to tr ack m ovem ents. Once the suit
is hooked up, any m ovem ent the par ticipant m akes is
show n on scr een in 3D. Par ticipants ar e asked to
com plete a num ber of m otor planning tasks, including
w alking and stepping over bar s of var ious heights,. Their
m ovem ents ar e r ecor ded w ith the Xsens softw ar e and by
video cam er a.
Sever al m em ber s of the OT faculty and staff have
par ticipated in the study.
Ot h er Facu l t y & St u den t New s
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Cur r ently, the par ticipants ar e healthy adults, but the
team plans to use the system w ith childr en as w ell. Dr.
Dim itr opoulou just r eceived a 2016 Ir ving
Institute/Clinical Tr ials Office (CTO) Pilot Aw ar d to study
?An M otor Lear ning Appr oach to Im pr ove M otor Planning
in Childr en w ith Cer ebr al Palsy Hem iplegia", w hich w ill
utilize the Xsens suits and the video coding schem e.
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Dr . Em i l y Raph ael Gr een f i el d and Dr . Daw n
Ni l sen w er e inducted as
Fellow s of the Am er ican
Occupational Ther apy
Association.
Dr . Jan et Fal k -Kessl er has
been appointed to the New
Yor k State Boar d of
Occupational Ther apy for a
five year ter m .
Dr . Gl en Gi l l en has been
pr om oted to the r ank of
Pr ofessor.
Dr . Em i l y Raph ael Gr een f i el d has been
pr om oted to the r ank of
Associate Pr ofessor.
Dr . Kat h er i n e
Di m i t r i pou l ou has been
selected as a r ecipient of a
2016 Ir ving Institute/Clinical
Tr ials Office Pilot Aw ar d for
her pr oposal ?An M otor
Lear ning Appr oach to
Im pr ove M otor Planning in
Childr en w ith Cer ebr al Palsy
Hem iplegia.?
Dr . Jan et Fal k -Kessl er and
Dr . Sh ar on Gutm an
published "Developm ent and
Psychom etr ic Pr oper ties of
the Em otional Intelligence
Adm ission Essay Scale" in
OJOT.
Gai l St eph en s '16, w as
accepted to AOTA's Em er ging
Leader Developm ent
Pr ogr am .
Pr ofessor Dan Geller ser ving as a contr ol subject in Dr.
Kather ine Dim itr opoulou's study. Isir am e Om ofum a, a
m echanical engineer ing m aster s student, assists.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
OT Wel com es New Facu l t y M em ber s
Kat h er i n e Di m i t r opou l ou , Ph .D., OTR/L
Dr. Kather ine Dim itr opoulou w as bor n in Gr eece
and r eceived a BS in Occupational Ther apy fr om
the Technological Educational Institution in
Athens. After gr aduating, she w or ked on an EU
funded inter pr ofessional team r esponding to
people in cr isis. In her next position, she w or ked
w ith young adults w ith special needs to find goals
and tr ansition to adult life.
Kather ine m oved to the United States to attend
gr aduate school at New Yor k Univer sity, and
r eceived both a m aster s and PhD in Occupational Ther apy. Her r esear ch focused on bilater al
hand use in childr en w ith disabilities, as w ell as infant m otor decisions and how m other s
teach infants novel tasks.
Kather ine spent sever al year s teaching and ser ved as the depar tm ent chair for the
Occupational Ther apy pr ogr am at Long Island Univer sity. She cam e to Colum bia in 2014 in
or der to focus on r esear ch. She cur r ently teaches Resear ch I and II, Neur oscience of
Cognition, and pr eviously taught Pediatr ics.
Outside of w or k, Kather ine likes hiking, sw im m ing, fishing, sailing, and cooking.
Dan i el Gel l er , M .S., M .PH., OTR/L
Pr ofessor Daniel Geller is a 2002 gr aduate of the Colum bia
Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy and the
M ailm an School of Public Health dual degr ee pr ogr am . He
r ejoined the depar tm ent to teach Health Policy and
M anagem ent, Pr ofessional Foundations, and Clinical
Conditions II after w or king at NYU Rusk in the inpatient
and outpatient units. He also holds a r esear ch position at
NYU w or king in the m otor r ecover y lab.
Daniel is cur r ently pur suing a Ed.D. in M ovem ent Science
w ith a specialization in Occupational Ther apy at Teacher s
College. His r esear ch focuses on com par ing the effectiveness of unim anual and bim anual at
hom e m ir r or ther apy for im pr oving hand function post-str oke. He is also inter ested in
collabor ations betw een occupational ther apy and m usic ther apy.
Outside of the office, Daniel enjoys being outdoor s, hiking, sw im m ing, biking, m ovies, tr avel,
w alking ar ound the city, and puppies.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
Len i n C. Gr aj o, Ph .D., OTR
Dr. Lenin Gr ajo joined the Colum bia faculty in 2016. He
r eceived his B.S. in Occupational Ther apy fr om the Univer sity of
the Philippines, an Ed.M . fr om Har var d, and his Ph.D. in
Occupational Ther apy fr om Texas Wom an's Univer sity. Pr ior to
com ing to Colum bia, Lenin taught at Saint Louis Univer sity and
the Univer sity of the Philippines, and had a pr ivate pediatr ic
pr actice.
Lenin alw ays knew he liked teaching and w anted to w or k w ith
kids, and an aunt suggested that OT m ight be a good fit for him .
His r esear ch focuses on childr en in K-3 w ith r eading difficulties
and the r ole of occupational ther apy. He is testing the effectiveness of the Occupation and
Par ticipation Appr oach to Reading Inter vention (OPARI) in differ ent pediatr ic pr actice
settings. He also cur r ently has a gr ant fr om a tech com pany to cr eate a gam ing and lear ning
app for childr en w ith dyslexia.
At Colum bia, Lenin w ill be teaching Intr oduction to Gr ant Wr iting, specific m odules of OT
w ith Childr en, and cour ses in the OTD pr ogr am , including Theor ies of M easur em ent and
Instr um ent Developm ent.
Outside of the classr oom , Lenin enjoys explor ing New Yor k, eating and cooking, r eading,
going to m useum s, and doing kar aoke.
Colum bia OT faculty in hats fr om the Class of 2016
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
El ean or Sh el l ey: 1920 - 2016
Eleanor Shelly, a long-tim e faculty m em ber of Colum bia
Univer sity's Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy, and past
Dir ector of Occupational Ther apy Ser vices for
Colum bia-Pr esbyter ian Hospital, died at her r etir em ent hom e
in Bentley Village, Naples, Flor ida on Febr uar y 16, 2016 at 95
year s of age. She discover ed Occupational Ther apy thr ough
her per sonal exper iences w ith a ther apist w ho suppor ted her
son, Billy, and Eleanor , as they battled his eventual fatal illness
at a ver y young age. She w as also pr edeceased by her
husband, Nor m an Shelly, and m any fam ily m em ber s. She is
sur vived by her niece, Kathy Schlegel, of Pennsylvania.
Eleanor had the enviable ability to m eet difficulty and
tr agedy head on, w ith the m ost positive and constr uctive of
attitudes. Past student (and past faculty m em ber ) Adele
Ger m ain said, "She possessed a zest for life. A living
em bodim ent of "If life gives you a lem on, m ake lem onade.??
Eleanor or iginally ear ned her BS degr ee at Westchester
College. Her love of m usic and the theatr e led to a m ove fr om
Pennsylvania to New Yor k City. Befor e discover ing Occupational Ther apy, Eleanor had a chor al
car eer on Br oadw ay, including a par t in Gilber t and Sullivan's com ic oper a The Pirates of
Penzance. She incor por ated her love of m usic, gar dening, and other cr eative activities into her
new car eer of Occupational Ther apy. She gr aduated fr om the Colum bia Pr ogr am s in
Occupational Ther apy in 1962. She star ted w or king at Colum bia-Pr esbyter ian Hospital,
eventually w or king her w ay to Dir ector of Occupational Ther apy, and to her positions of
influence and teaching in the Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy, until her r etir em ent in 1982.
Eleanor and her husband follow ed her m entor and the past Dir ector of Pr ogr am s in
Occupational Ther apy, M ar ie-Louis Fr anciscus, in r etir em ent to Naples, Flor ida. They
continued their fr iendship until the death of M s. Fr anciscus, w hich w as soon follow ed by
Nor m an's passing.
Eleanor w as a huge advocate for independent living, and w hen she tur ned 80, she convinced
her husband to m ove into the Continuing Car e Com m unity of Bentley Village. She needed ver y
little car e her self, but inspir ed other s to independence and activity by dir ecting the chor us,
super vising gar dening and com m unity activities, and joining m any fr iends for r egular outings
to dinner par ties, m ovies, the theater , and a nip of scotch now and then. Eleanor stayed ver y
actively involved in her com m unity's social and quality of life pr ogr am s up until her final days.
The w eek befor e her death, Eleanor m et Peg Br ow n (a past faculty m em ber ) for lunch, and
discussed her decision to for go fur ther tr eatm ent for cancer and to em br ace Hospice Car e. She
loved her Hospice w or ker s, saying that even though she had lost m ost of her fam ily, Hospice
w as w ith her in the end, acting just as Eleanor w ould w ish of her fam ily.
A m em or ial ser vice w as held at the Unitar ian Univer salist Congr egation at 6340 Napa Woods
Way, Naples, Flor ida on M ar ch 9. If desir ed, the fam ily r ecom m ends that m em or ial
donations be sent to Avow Hospice at 1095 W hippoor w ill Lane, Naples, Flor ida 34105. The
phone num ber is 239-261-4404.
by Peg Br ow n
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g
SpOTl i gh t on Al u m n i
Al u m n i New s?
Send it to Eileen at
el2777@cum c.colum bia.edu and
w e w ill include it in our next
new sletter !
Alum ni donations help suppor t the follow ing
ar eas:
Sch ol ar sh i ps. Last year , students w er e given
12 aw ar ds fr om gener al gifts and 4 aw ar ds
fr om alum ni endow ed gifts.
St u den t su ppor t
Edu cat i on en h an cem en t . Gifts have helped
subsidize the cost of iClicker s that all students
ar e r equir ed to use in class.
Sof t w ar e f or cl assr oom i n st r u ct i on
How t o Gi ve
https://giving.colum bia.edu/giveonline/
Select "Occupational Ther apy" in the dr op
dow n m enu.
Futur e donations can suppor t:
Sch ol ar sh i ps. 80% of our students r ely on
Financial Aid.
Th e n ew OT m u l t i pu r pose l ab. We have
gotten space to build a new OT lab this fall.
An y ar ea of pr act i ce. Futur e gifts can be
dir ected to suppor t individuals w ho ar e
inter ested in a specific ar ea of pr actice.
I n t er n at i on al Pr ogr am St i pen ds
By m ail to:
CUM C Office of Developm ent
516 West 168th Str eet, 3r d Floor
New Yor k, NY 10032
If you ar e inter ested in annual giving or
m ajor gifts, please contact Janet Falk-Kessler.
Pr ep Cou r ses f or t h e NBCOT ex am
Updat ed adm i ssi on s t ech n ol ogy
Any suppor t that alum ni and fr iends of
Colum bia OT can pr ovide w ill help enhance
our student's exper ience.
Colum bia Univer sity Pr ogr am s in Occupational Ther apy
col u m bi aot .or g