AOTA's INSPIRE 2025
Members of WashU Medicine Program in Occupational Therapy will be at the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) INSPIRE Conference & Expo in Philadelphia from April 3-5, 2025. Come see us at Booth #1140! Information about our presentations, alumni reception and awards are below.
Presentations
Faculty, clinicians, staff and current students will present posters and short courses during the conference. Click on the plus sign below to view the presentations for each day.
Thursday, April 3
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Importance of Sports as Occupation for Toddlers with Physical Disabilities: Combining Nonprofit Programming with OT Education (Poster 1-319)
Chelsea James, MOT, OTR/L, RCYT, RYT-200; Erica Willimann
12:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Preliminary Effect of Implementation Intentions for Prospective Memory Among People With Parkinson's Disease (Late Breaking Research Poster Session)
Jennifer Desantis; Erin R. Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L; Grace Skinner; Kathleen Best, MOT, OTR/L
Friday, April 4
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Supporting Functional Cognition of Children & Youth with Executive Dysfunction Through Therapeutic Groups: Guidelines for Practice (Poster 3-333)
Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L; Kathryn Kienholz; Erin Furney
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Development of a Practical Guide for Faith Leaders to Support Family Caregivers (Poster 4-807)
Macy Knorr; Kathy Kniepmann, OTD, MPH, EdM, CHES, OTR/L
3:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.
Designing Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers: Examples & Lessons From an Executive Function Support Series for Teachers of the Deaf (Poster 4-315)
Kathryn Kienholz; Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L
3:15 pm. – 4:15 p.m.
Client Transitions Across the Continuum of Care: Opportunities for Professional Advocacy (Short Course 238)
Sara Kate Frye, OTD, MS, OTR/L, ATP; Sharon Montgomery, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, CEAS; Marybeth Moscirella, OTD, OTR/L; Grayson Owens, OTD, OTR/L; Amanda Wheeler, PhD, OTR/L, CLT
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Functional Cognition: Moving the Profession Forward (Short Course 266)
Gordon Giles, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA; Carolyn Baum PhD, OTR, FAOTA; Lisa Connor, PhD, MSOT, OTR/L; Dorothy Edwards, PhD; Erin R. Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L; Yael Goverover, PhD, OTR/L; Joan Toglia, PhD, OTR/L FAOTA
Saturday, April 5
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Application of Metacognitive Principles to Pediatric Functional Cognition Groups: Lessons & Strategies from Train Your Brain Summer Camp (Poster 5-332)
Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L; Kathryn Kienholz; Erin Furney
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
The MasterMinds Small Group Program: A New Approach to Co-management of Functional Cognition in Children & Families (Poster 5-321)
Seth E. Lewis; Taryn Brown; Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Translating Knowledge to Practice to Support OT for Children with Hemophilia (Poster 5-330)
Samatha Coats, OTD, OTR/L; Jessica Sparrow, OTD, OTR/L, BCP
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Pediatric Oncology: Equipping OTPs for Evidence-Based Transition Planning Across the Cancer Care Continuum (Poster 6-333)
Samantha Coats, OTD, OTR/L; Jessica Sparrow, OTD, OTR/L, BCP
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Supporting Self-Determination with Transition-Age Youth With Disabilities: An OT & Community Agency Collaboration (Poster 6-505)
Wanda J. Mahoney, PhD, OTR/L; Jessie L. Bricker, OTD, OTR/L; Taylor Tenore
3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Driving the Future: OT's Impact on Mobility & Community Access (Short Course 365)
Peggy Barco, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, SCDCM, CDRS; Elin Schold Davis, OTR/L FAOTA, CDRS; Anne E. Dickerson, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, SCDCM, GSA; Susie Martin Touchinsky, OTR/L, SCDCM, CDRS
Alumni Reception
Please join fellow alumni, students, faculty and staff for food and drinks at our Annual Alumni Reception on Thursday, April 3, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. EDT at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Franklin 9, 1200 Filbert Street (guest entrance), Philadelphia, PA 19107. Conference registration is not required. Please RSVP by visiting bit.ly/WUOT-Alumni-2025.
Award Honors
All awards unless otherwise noted will be conferred during the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 5, from 4:15 pm–5:45 p.m. EDT at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The ceremony is open to the public, and conference attendance is not required. For more information, please visit AOTA’s conference website at inspire.aota.org.
2025 Roster of Fellows Awardees
AOTA's Roster of Fellows Award recognizes occupational therapists who through their knowledge, expertise, leadership, advocacy, and/or guidance have made a significant contribution over time to the profession with a measured impact on consumers of occupational therapy services and/or members of the Association. We celebrate the following alumni who will be honored with the 2025 Roster of Fellows Award.
Ganesh M Babulal, PhD, OTD, MSCI, MOT, OTR/L, is being recognized as a “transformative, leading researcher advancing occupational therapy’s future;”
Erin Foster, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, is being recognized for “advancing science and practice supporting functional cognition;”
Mary Hildebrand, OTD, OTR/L, is being recognized for “excellence serving students, clinicians, caregivers, and community;”
William Janes, OTD, MSCI, OTR/L, is being recognized for being a “leader in assistive technology research and practice;” and
Jennifer Sambrook Pitonyak, PhD, OTR/L, SCFES, CIMI, is being recognized for being a "life course/mental health/OT education leader."
2025 AOTF Dr. Carolyn Baum Cognitive Function in Daily Life Mentor Awardee
Congratulations to Timothy J. Wolf, OTD, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, who is the inaugural recipient of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation's (AOTF's) Dr. Carolyn Baum Cognitive Function in Daily Life Mentor Award. This award recognizes outstanding mentors in functional cognition research and provides funding to support their mentee's research. Dr. Wolf's mentee is Melanie Morriss Tkach.
2025 AOTF Nancy Talbot Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award
Congratulations to Lindsay Spell, OTD, OTR/L, whose AOTF Nancy Talbot Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award was renewed for 2025. Her project is the Asthma Home Occupation-based Modified Environmental Assessment (HOME). In year two, she will be conducting user testing to assess the acceptability of Asthma HOME among occupational therapists and establish a community advisory board to refine the assessment. She will be honored at the 2025 American Occupational Therapy Foundation's State of the Science Symposium in Philadelphia on April 4.
2025 AOTF Certificate of Appreciation
Congratulations to Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, who will receive a 2025 AOTF Certificate of Appreciation for serving on their Award Committee from 2021 to 2024. In that role, Hoyt reviewed all award applicants and met with the committee to discuss and select winners. She was also honored with a 2024 Certificate of Appreciation for her volunteerism and for securing $50,000 to establish the AOTF Dr. Carolyn Baum Cognitive Function in Daily Life Mentor Award to fund future trainees.