Clinical Research Track Experiences: Maureen Hyde, OTD/S ‘18

Maureen Hyde, OTD/S ‘18
Mentor: Benjamin Philip, PhD
Clinical Research Track: Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Laboratory

Why did you choose WUOT for your occupational therapy education?

I chose WUOT because of the school’s excellent reputation and the research opportunities available through the Program.

How is OT a good fit for you and your personal goals?

OT is a great fit for me because I love helping people. From an academic perspective, OT combines areas that interest me from both the sciences and humanities.

Briefly describe why you selected your mentor.

I was interested in joining Dr. Philip’s Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Laboratory because neurorehabilitation has been an interest of mine within the field of OT. Also, I really enjoyed taking Dr. Philip’s neuroscience course and I was excited for the opportunity to be mentored by him.

Briefly describe your master’s or doctoral project.

I am studying handedness in the context of peripheral nerve injury. More specifically, to quantify hand capacity following unilateral peripheral nerve injury to the dominant hand and compare this to patient-centered measures such as activity participation and quality of life.

What type of guidance did your mentor provide?

Dr. Philip encourages me to work independently and to be creative, however, I have frequent communication with him and he provides a great deal of guidance and support.

How does this scholarly experience contribute (beyond the rest of the set curriculum) to your overall skill and preparation as a generalist practitioner?

This experience has contributed to both my appreciation of research as well as interprofessional collaboration. I have learned so much about the nervous system and upper extremity impairment and assessment.

How will this scholarly experience align with your career goals?

This has given me some research experience and has improved my ability to critically appraise scientific literature.

How would you describe this scholarly experience to prospective students?

This scholarly experience has been very challenging and rewarding. I am very fortunate for such great mentorship and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the other students in the lab as well. I am looking forward to the next steps of our project.