Somerville, Emily, OTD, OTR/L

Research Interests

• Promoting the participation of older adults with functional limitations through the provision of intensive, tailored home modification interventions designed to enhance the performance of daily activities in the home.
• Specific interest in helping older adults manage medications independently in the home.

Teaching Roles

Dr. Somerville is a course director for Using Evidence to Practice and a course assistant for Translational Science, Occupational Therapy in Inpatient Rehabilitation and OT for Adults with Functional Cognition Challenges. She is the course director for the post-professional OTD course Outcomes and Evaluations.

Education

2017: Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD), Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Program in Occupational Therapy
2007: MS in occupational therapy, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Program in Occupational Therapy
2005: BS in occupational therapy, Covenant College

Background

After earning a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 2005, Dr. Somerville first joined Dr. Susan Stark’s Participation, Environment and Performance Laboratory (PEPL) where she led occupational therapy study interventions in the various studies conducted in the lab. She also trained occupational therapists in the community to deliver evidence-based interventions developed by PEPL. She was also a study coordinator for a study that aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of a novel enhanced rehabilitation-transition program to reduce environmental barriers and improve daily performance and community participation.

Most recently, Dr. Somerville transitioned to the Education Division and now spends the majority of her time teaching and mentoring students. She works in the Washington University School of Medicine Interprofessional Student Pro Bono Clinic, which provides trauma-informed occupational therapy, physical therapy, and/or interim medical inter-professional care for adults who are uninsured and underinsured in the greater St. Louis area. She also sees clients as part of the Washington University Community Practice.

Selected Publications

Schwartz, J.K., Aylmer, K.A., Green, S., Tayeb, S., Unni, E.J., Wolf, T.J., & Somerville, E. (2024). Performance of medication tasks: Relationship between patient reported outcomes, performance-based, and objective assessments. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78(3).

Somerville, E., Blenden, G., Kretzer, D., Holden, B., Bollinger, R., Krauss, M., Haxton, M., Martin, N., Carter, A., Stark, S. (2024). Differences in daily activity performance between inpatient rehabilitation facility and home among stroke survivors. Neurorehabilitation and Repair, 38(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/15459683241246266

Krauss, M. J., Holden, B. M., Somerville, E., Blenden, G., Bollinger, R., Barker, A., Carter, A. & Stark, S. L. (2024). Community Participation Transition After Stroke (COMPASS) Randomized Controlled Trial: Effect on Adverse Health Events. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 000:1-9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2024.05.015.

Krauss, M. J., Somerville, E., Bollinger, R. M., Chen, S. W., Kehrer‐Dunlap, A. L., Haxton, M., Yan, Y., & Stark, S. L. (2024). Removing home hazards for older adults living in affordable housing: A stepped‐wedge cluster‐randomized trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 72(3), 670-681.

Somerville, E., Bollinger, R., Keleman, A., Haxton, M., Sarrami, B., Chen, S.-W., Yan, Y., & Stark, S. (2023). Tailored Medication Management Intervention for older adults: A study protocol. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 86(4). doi 10.1177/03080226221135366.

Blenden G., Somerville E., & Stark S. (2023). Efficacy, Feasibility, and Acceptability of In-Home Stroke Education for Stroke Survivors. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 35(3):200-205. doi:10.1177/10848223221145171

Somerville, E., Yan, Y., & Stark, S. (2023). A Process Evaluation of a Fall Prevention Intervention Using the RE-AIM Framework. OTJR : occupation, participation and health, 15394492231182398. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492231182398

Fritz, B. A., King, C. R., Mehta, D., Somerville, E., Kronzer, A., Abdallah, A. B., ... & ENGAGES Research Group. (2022). Association of a perioperative multicomponent fall prevention intervention with falls and quality of life after elective inpatient surgical procedures. JAMA network open, 5(3), e221938-e221938.

Stark, S., Keglovits, M., Somerville, E., Hu, Y. L., Barker, A., Sykora, D., & Yan, Y. (2021). Home hazard removal to reduce falls among community-dwelling older adults: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA network open, 4(8), e2122044-e2122044

Rodakowski, J., Mroz, T. M., Ciro, C., Lysack, C. L., Womack, J. L., Chippendale, T., .... Somerville, E., Park, Melissa, & Piersol, C. V. (2021). Stimulating research to enhance aging in place. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and health, 15394492211022271.

Bollinger, R., Somerville, E., Keglovits, M., Hu, Y. L., & Stark, S. (2021). Feasibility of an Automated Bidet Intervention to Decrease Caregiver Burden. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(5).

Somerville, E., Massey, K., Keglovits, M., Vouri, S., Hu, Y. L., Carr, D., & Stark, S. (2019). Scoring, clinical utility, and psychometric properties of the in-home medication management performance evaluation (HOME–Rx). The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(2), 7302205060p1-7302205060p8.

Stark, S., Somerville, E., Conte, J., Keglovits, M., Hu, Y. L., Carpenter, C., ... & Yan, Y. (2018). Feasibility trial of tailored home modifications: Process outcomes. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1), 7201205020p1-7201205020p10.

Stark, S., Somerville, E., Keglovits, M., Conte, J., Li, M., Hu, Y. L., & Yan, Y. (2017). Protocol for the home hazards removal program (HARP) study: a pragmatic, randomized clinical trial and implementation study. BMC geriatrics, 17(1), 1-9.

Murphy, M. C., Somerville, E., Keglovits, M., Hu, Y. L., & Stark, S. (2017). In-home medication management performance evaluation (HOME–RX): A validity study. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(4), 7104190020p1-7104190020p7.

Stark, S., Stark, S., Keglovits, M., & Somerville, E. (2016). A randomized controlled feasibility trial of tailored home modifications to improve activities of daily living. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(4_Supplement_1), 7011520290p1-7011520290p1.

Somerville, E., Smallfield, S., Stark, S., Seibert, C., Arbesman, M., & Lieberman, D. (2016). Occupational therapy home modification assessment and intervention. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(5), 7005395010p1-7005395010p3. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2016.705002.

Keglovits, M., Somerville, E., & Stark, S. (2015). In-home occupational performance evaluation for providing assistance (I–HOPE assist): An assessment for informal caregivers. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(5), 6905290010p1-6905290010p9.

Stark, S. L., Somerville, E., Keglovits, M., Smason, A., & Bigham, K. (2015). Clinical reasoning guideline for home modification interventions. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(2), 6902290030p1-6902290030p8.

Stark, S. L., Somerville, E. K., & Morris, J. C. (2010). In-home occupational performance evaluation (I–HOPE). The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(4), 580-589.

Stark, S., Landsbaum, A., Palmer J., Somerville, E. & Morris, J. (2009). Home modifications improve daily activity performance of older adults. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76, 235-245.

Book Chapters and Others

Achterhof, S., Somerville, E. (2017). The links between healthcare and housing, research and practice. Innov-age, 19

Renda, M., Lee, S., Keglovits, M., & Somerville, E. (2016). The role of occupational therapy in reducing hospital readmission. OT Practice, 21, 15.

Stark S., Somerville E., & Russell-Thomas D. (2011). Choosing assessments for home modifications. In: Christenson M & Chase C, eds. Occupational therapy and home modifications: Promoting safety and supporting participation, Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.

Awards and Honors

2021: The Arlene and Meyer Kopolow Award for Excellence in Geriatrics, Psychiatry and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine
2019: AOTA Cordelia Myers AJOT Best Article Award