Taff, Steve, PhD, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA

Clinical Interests

School-based pediatrics

Research Interests

Dr. Taff’s research interests include universal design for learning in health professions education, student and faculty mental health and wellbeing, trust and psychological safety in academic medicine, the impact of sociopolitical and natural factors on occupational engagement, use of theory and philosophy in occupational therapy education, and liberatory learning theories.

Teaching Roles

In the MSOT program, Dr. Taff leads M01 6535 Professional Identity and Practice III: Role of Occupational Therapists in Academic and Clinical Education Settings. In the OTD program, he teaches M01 6730 Leadership in Occupational Therapy. In the PhD program, Dr. Taff guides the Teaching Practicum.

Education

2005: PhD in education and educational psychology, University of Missouri-St. Louis
1997: MS in occupational therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, Program in Occupational Therapy
1989: BS in microbiology, Missouri State University

Background

Dr. Taff earned his bachelor's degree in microbiology in 1989 from Missouri State University, his master's degree in occupational therapy in 1997 from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and his doctoral degree in education and educational psychology in 2005 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After graduating from the Program in 1997, Dr. Taff worked as a pediatric occupational therapist at Special School District (SSD) in St. Louis County before accepting a management position as the director for the occupational therapy, physical therapy and adaptive physical education department at SSD, where he served for nearly seven years. Dr. Taff has also served as adjunct professor in St. Louis University’s School for Professional Studies, teaching courses in special education, human growth and development, classroom management, and teaching methods. Dr. Taff has continued interests in curriculum development (formal, informal, and hidden); educational research and the scholarship of teaching and learning; learning theories; and the historical, philosophical, and sociocultural aspects of health professions education. He maintains leadership roles in the School of Medicine Office of Faculty Promotions & Career Development and the Academy of Educators and contributes to various university improvement initiatives.

Selected Publications

Taff, S. D., Gronski, M., Lee, Y., Stoffel, A., Carroll, T. C., Lee, J., & Baum, C. M. (2025). Evidence-Informed Teaching Practices Across Faculty Terminal Degree Categories. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9 (1). https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol9/iss1/1.

Bakhshi, P., Mitra, S., Taff, S.D., & Trani, J-F. (2025). A child-centred care approach to the learning process: Lessons learned from a participatory intervention in primary schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2479033

Smiles, H., Mechling, C., Taff, S. D., & Milton, L. E. (2025). Perspectives of School-Based Occupational Therapists. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 13(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.2233

Hamed, R., & Taff, S.D. (2024). Educating the educator: Applying a growth mindset approach to prepare educators for major changes in occupational therapy education. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78, 7806347010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050776

Taff, S.D., Kniepmann, K., Grajo, L.C., Russell-Thomas, D.C., & Berg, C. (2023). The impact of basic needs fulfillment on the health, wellbeing, and academic engagement of occupational therapy students. Occupational Therapy in Healthcare. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380577.2023.2269429

Taff, S.D. (2023). A framework for creating and using teaching philosophy statements to guide reflective and inclusive instruction. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education.

Cruz, D. M. C., Taff, S. D., & Davis, J.A. (2023). Occupational engagement: Some assumptions to inform occupational therapy. Cadernos Brasileiros de Terapia Ocupacional, 31, e3385. https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoAR259233852

Pitonyak, J.S., Giles, A.K., George-Paschal, L.A., Piernik-Yoder, B., & Taff, S.D. (2023). The use of mentored inquiry communities to foster the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL): Outcomes of the American Occupational Therapy Association SoTL program (2007-2017). International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 17(1), 1-8. 

Hooper, B., Krishnagiri, S., Price, P., Taff, S. D., & Bilics, A. (2020). Assignment Artifacts and What They Reveal About How Occupation Is Addressed in US Occupational Therapy Curricula. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(4), 7404205090p1-7404205090p11. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.036012.

Berg, C., Philipp, R., & Taff, S.D. (2019). Critical thinking and transformational learning: Using case studies as narrative frameworks for threshold concepts. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 3(3), 1-14. https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol3/iss3/13.

Babulal, G.M., Selvaratnam, A., & Taff, S.D. (2018). Existentialism and occupational therapy: Implications for practice, research, and education. Occupational Therapy in Healthcare, 1-19.

Taff, S.D., Hooper, B., Krishnagiri, S., Bilics, A., & Price, P. (2018). Traversing hills and valleys: Exploring doing, being, becoming, and belonging, experiences in teaching and studying occupation. Journal of Occupational Science. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2018.1488606

Hooper, B., Gupta, J., Bilics, A., & Taff, S.D. (2018). Balancing efficacy and effectiveness with philosophy, history and theory-building in occupational therapy education research. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6 (1), 1-9.

Krishnagiri, S., Hooper, B., Price, P., Taff, S.D., & Bilics, A. (2017). Explicit or hidden? Exploring how occupation is taught in U.S. occupational therapy curricula. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71 (2), 7102230020p1-7102230020p9. doi:10.5014/ajot.2017.024174

Hooper, B., Mitcham, M.D., Taff, S.D., M. Krishnagiri, S., Price, P., & Bilics, A. (2015). Energizing occupation as the center of teaching and learning. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (Suppl. 2), 6912360010. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.018242

Taff, S.D., Babulal, G.M., & Bakhshi, P. (2014). The accountability-wellbeing-ethics framework: A new philosophical foundation for occupational therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81, 320-329. doi: 10.1177/0008417414546742

Book Chapters and Other

Ikiugu, M.N., Taff, S.D., Kantartzis, S., & Pollard, N. (Eds.). (2025). Routledge companion to occupational therapy theories, concepts, and models. New York: Routledge.

Taff, S.D., Kantartzis, S., Pollard, N., & Ikiugu, M.N. (2025). Contextualizing theory use and development in occupational therapy. In M.N. Ikiugu, S.D. Taff, S. Kantartzis, & N. Pollard (Eds.), Routledge Companion to Occupational Therapy Theories, Concepts, and Models. New York: Routledge.  

Taff, S.D., Russell-Thomas, D.C., Tyminski, Q.P., Wilson, A., Barco, P., & Berg, C. (2021). Occupational therapy in pandemic: Facing challenges, building resilience, and sparking innovation. In A. Lynch, L. Tekell, & R. Ashcraft (Eds.). Trauma, Occupation, and Participation. Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association Press.

Taff, S.D. (2021). What is philosophy? In S.D. Taff (Ed.). Philosophy and occupational therapy: Informing education, research, and practice. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Taff, S.D., & Babulal, G.M. (2021). Reframing the narrative on the philosophies influencing the development of occupational therapy. In S.D. Taff (Ed.). Philosophy and occupational therapy: Informing education, research, and practice. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Taff, S.D. (Ed.). (2021). Philosophy and occupational therapy: Informing education, practice, and research. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Taff, S.D., Grajo, L.C., & Hooper, B.R. (Eds.). (2020). Perspectives on occupational therapy education: Past, present, and future. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Taff, S.D., Grajo, L.C., & Hooper, B.R. (2020). Occupational therapy education: Weaving together the past, present, and future. In S.D. Taff, L.C. Grajo, & B.R. Hooper (Eds.). Perspectives on occupational therapy education: Past, present, and future. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Taff, S.D. (2020). Educational philosophies influencing the development of early occupational therapy curricula. In S.D. Taff, L.C. Grajo, & B.R. Hooper (Eds.). Perspectives on occupational therapy education: Past, present, and future. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Harvison, N., Taff, S.D., Grajo, L.C., & Hooper, B.R. (2020). Imagining the occupational therapy educational landscape in 2050. In S.D. Taff, L.C. Grajo, & B.R. Hooper (Eds.). Perspectives on occupational therapy education: Past, present, and future. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.

Clough, C., Gronski, M.P., & Taff, S.D. (2019). Best practices in preparing students to practice occupational therapy in schools. In G.F. Clark, J. Rioux, & B. Chandler (Eds.). Best practices for occupational therapy in schools (2nd. Ed.). Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.

Taff, S.D. & Danforth, S. (2016). John Dewey and philosophy of disability. In M.A. Peters (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. Springer.

Awards/Honors

2025: Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, Washington University Graduate and Professional Student Council
2022: Exemplary Educator Award, Washington University School of Medicine
2021: Honor Roll, Academy of Educators, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine
2019: Inaugural Fellow, Academy of Educators, Washington University School of Medicine
2017: Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, Emerson Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri
2016: Roster of Fellows Award, Advancing education, promoting diversity, and supporting collaboration, American Occupational Therapy Association
2008: Excellence in Teaching Award, St. Louis University, School for Professional Studies