OJOT Board Member Profiles | Occupational Therapy (2024)

Aditi Tuell, MS, OTR/L, CHT, CLT

Assistant Copy Editor

Aditi Tuell, MS, OTR/L, CHT, CLT, is a board certified occupational therapist with certification in both hand and lymphedema therapy. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Allied Health Sciences in Manipal, India, in 2001; her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI, in 2003; and is currently working on her doctorate at Western Michigan University in their Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Program (having commenced in July 2022). She currently works for NovaCare Rehabilitation in Kalamazoo, MI, providing hand and lymphedema therapy in an outpatient orthopedic setting. She also works as an adjunct faculty for the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University. In additional to orthopedic rehabilitation, Aditi has extensive experience treating neurological and medically complex conditions in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings.

Allison Chamberlain Miller, MS, OTR/L, CAPS

Associate Editor

Allison Chamberlain Miller, MS, OTR/L, CAPS is a clinical assistant professor and an occupational therapist working in short-term rehab and long-term care. She completed her master’s degree in occupational therapy at Western Michigan University. Her undergraduate degree is in communication from Michigan State University, and she has a professional background in health care marketing and hospital revenue cycle management. She received the Marion R. Spear Award upon graduation in December 2012. She is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) by the National Association of Home Builders.

Barbara Rider, PhD, OT, FAOTA

Advisory Board

Barbara Rider, PhD, OT, FAOTA is a professor emeritus from Western Michigan University (WMU). Dr. Rider received her Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She received a Master's Degree in Special Education from the University of Kansas, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Michigan. Dr. Rider’s early career included clinical practice in the Veteran’s Administration Hospital and in a specialized school for children with disabilities. In addition, she produced foundational research in the areas of sensory integration and developmental reflexes. She served as chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at WMU from 1976-1986. It was during this time that she reflected on the value of her prior research and instilled this value of research into the WMU occupational therapy faculty members. She was among the first occupational therapists to prioritize research as a part of education and practice, and she required faculty members to participate in scholarship and higher education activities.

As her career moved forward, Dr. Rider continued to practice, educate, research, lead, and invest in the advancement of the occupational therapy profession. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) honored Dr. Rider in 2003 with the Lindy Boggs Award, recognizing her many contributions to the profession. Since her retirement in 1991, she continues to publish, educate, and practice occupational therapy with children and adults who have developmental disabilities and mental health disorders.

Additionally, Dr. Rider is active in her community, serving two elected terms and one appointed term as Kalamazoo County Commissioner. She served many years on the Board of Kalamazoo County Department of Human Services and also served as chair of this board for five years. Active in many human service boards and committees over the years, Dr. Rider also serves on the board of the Shepherd’s Center of Kalamazoo.

Ben J. Atchison, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Advisory Board

Ben J. Atchison, PhD, OTRL, FAOTA, joined the advisory board in 2022 after serving as the Managing Editor of OJOT from 2012-2017 and returning in 2018. He is Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University (WMU). Upon his retirement on June 30, 2017, Dr. Atchison celebrated 42 years of a career that included teaching, service, and scholarship with expertise in pediatrics with a special emphasis in childhood trauma. He is a co-founder of the Southwest Michigan Children’s Trauma Assessment Center at WMU and Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Beth Elenko, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, CLA, FAOTA

Assistant Editor

Dr. Beth Elenko, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, CLA, FAOTA, is an associate professor and admissions coordinator at New York Institute of Technology and recognized as a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association. She received her entry-level occupational therapy (OT) degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1987 and her advanced master’s (1995) and doctoral degree from New York University in applied research in OT in 2000. This is where her clinical, academic, and scholarly journey began to intertwine. Dr. Elenko has worked extensively in the pediatrics population from the NICU to school-based practice, but most notably with the birth to 3 years of age population. She believes this time is critical for occupational therapists to engage with young children and their families and impact them on a positive trajectory for their future while providing family-centered best practice strategies in Early Intervention (EI). She works extensively to help progress the academic world to train professionals effectively to provide effective EI practice and has been on a mission to disseminate knowledge of these crucial practices into the OT profession, in addition to teaching research and evidence-based practices. She promotes family-centered best practices as the root and obvious intervention model to apply to infants, young children, and their families. However, she believes we ineffectively teach these topics in our entry-level education. We also do not train and support our occupational therapists to learn more once they are practicing. Dr. Elenko’s research interests include understanding both the therapist and families’ perspectives to improve and provide effective service delivery in EI, as well as examining the leadership in OT, primary care services in OT, and sensory processing strategies.

Bryan M. Gee, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, CLA, FAOTA

Assistant Editor

Dr. Bryan M. Gee, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, CLA, FAOTA holds degrees from Idaho State University (Ph.D. & MEd), the University of St. Augustine (OTD), and D’Youville College (BS/MS). Dr. Gee holds American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) board certification in Pediatrics and is Level I, II, and III Certified by the STAR Institute. Dr. Gee has published over 40 peer-reviewed research articles and more than 80 national presentations on sensory-based interventions, therapy dosage and therapy-related practice patterns, parent education and training, and sensory processing. He has completed AOTA’s Academic Leadership Institute. Dr. Gee is also the founding director of the entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program and founding chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. In addition, Dr. Gee has held various volunteer positions with AOTA and NBCOT and currently is an associate editor with the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and sits on AOTA’s Commission on Education. Dr. Gee was inducted into the AOTA Roster of Fellows in April, 2023.

Cynthia J. Cunningham, PhD

Copy Editor

Cynthia J. Cunningham, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of English at Western Michigan University, and a former associate editor of the journal Comparative Drama. Dr. Klekar teaches courses in eighteenth-century literature, British literature, restoration drama, and the novel. She is coeditor of The Culture of the Gift in Eighteenth-Century England (Palgrave, 2009), and she has published articles in Eighteenth-Century Studies, Philological Quarterly, Eighteenth-Century Theory and Interpretation, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Eighteenth-Century Fiction. In 2007, Dr. Klekar gave a talk at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Paula Backscheider Archival Fellowship Award, the Richard H. Popkin Travel Award, the WMU Support for Faculty Scholars Award, and the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Innovative Course Design Award. She is currently working on a collaborative project on the significance of gift exchange to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and a book on generosity and disability in eighteenth-century English literature.

Debbie Amini, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Assistant Editor

Debbie Amini, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is the director of professional development with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Quinnipiac University and her EdD in adult education from North Carolina State University. She has over 30 years of experience as a hand therapist and academic. She founded and directed an occupational therapy assistant program in North Carolina and served as an assistant professor in a master’s level occupational therapy program before moving to her current position with the AOTA. She has been published in peer-reviewed journals, newsletters, and trade journals; has written several book chapters; and authored several CE courses. She served as a columnist for ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners for 15 years. Her topics included occupation-based hand rehabilitation and occupation-based practice. She has presented nationally and regionally on topics related to hand therapy, splinting, teaching, learning, and documentation. She has served in several AOTA volunteer positions, most recently as chairperson of the Commission on Practice where she oversaw the development of the third edition of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. She is the 2014 recipient of the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association’s (NCOTA) highest honor, the Suzanne C. Scullin Memorial Award, for contributions to the practice of OT and to the NCOTA.

Diane Powers Dirette, PhD, OTL, FAOTA

Editor-in-Chief, Co-founder

Diane Powers Dirette, PhD, OTL, FAOTA is a professor in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program at Western Michigan University. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University and her master’s and doctorate degrees at New York University, studying occupational therapy at all levels. She has published in national and international journals and has presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Dirette’s main research interests are focused on treatments for people with acquired brain injuries, for whom she developed a frame of reference titled Self-awareness Enhancement through Learning and Function (SELF). Other areas of research include evidence-based practice, the use of compensatory strategies for cognitive deficits, and OT service provision in post-secondary settings. She has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals in the health professions and is the coeditor of the textbooks, Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction 8^th Edition and Conditions in Occupational Therapy: Effect on Occupational Performance. She is the cofounder and Editor-in-Chief of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Dirette was inducted to the American Occupational Therapy Association Roster of Fellows in 2016.

Erin Barrus, MS, OTRL, BFA

Art Editor

Erin Barrus, MS, OTRL, BFA, currently serves as the senior operations specialist for Cancer Care at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids and as a part-time instructor at Western Michigan University (WMU) in the Occupational Therapy department. She received her master's degree in occupational therapy from WMU and her bachelor of fine arts in Interior Design from Kendall College of Art and Design. In 2017, Erin was a recipient of legacy Spectrum Health’s Experience ACE Award for her work on the oncology units at Butterworth Hospital. In 2014, Erin was the recipient of the Marian R. Spear award and the Fred Sammons and Barbara Rider Endowed Scholarship of the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association through the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Erin has returned to school as a PhD student in WMU’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program where she has a strong interest in prehabilitation, cancer survivorship, and designing spaces to enhance and empower interdisciplinary work while improving the quality, safety, and experience for all.

Fred Sammons, PhD (Hon), OT, FAOTA

Advisory Board

Fred Sammons, PhD (Hon), OT, FAOTA is a dedicated contributor to the growth of the profession of occupational therapy. His background in engineering and his dedication to helping people with disabilities engage in self care, leisure, and social pursuits led him to work closely with occupational therapists. The honorary doctorate in occupational therapy, awarded by the Western Michigan University (WMU) Department of Occupational Therapy, recognizes the many contributions he has made to the profession. In his early years, he pioneered the design, manufacture, and distribution of adaptive equipment, collaborating with occupational therapists and patients to identify needs and to generate product ideas. Additionally, Sammons provided the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) with its first computer, demonstrating that he has always had an eye on the future and technological advances.

The recipient of many honors from AOTA, he continues to give to the profession through grants, scholarships, and donations that support research, education, and clinical programs. In his retirement, he has been an active member of AMBUCS, Inc., with whom he collaborates to develop designs for adapted bicycles and tricycles (AmTrykes) for children with disabilities. He expresses great pride in his innovative seating system and in the ways in which he has been able to adapt these bikes to each child’s needs. His love for innovation and technology that help others has been present throughout his life and continues today.

Guy L. McCormack, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Editorial Board

Guy L. McCormack, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is a guest speaker and advisor and previously served as the interim program director and clinical professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program at the University of the Pacific. He is also a professor emeritus at Samuel Merritt University. He received his BS in Occupational Therapy at the University of Puget Sound, his MS at the Ohio State University, and his PhD at Saybrook University. He is a co-editor for the AOTA OT Manager, author of Pain Management for Health Professionals, and author of Therapeutic Use of Touch for Health Professionals. Dr. McCormack has published numerous journal articles and presented several papers at state, national, and international conferences. He teaches Management, Guided Research, Aspects of Neuroscience, Advanced Clinical Practice, Conditions of Dysfunction, and Complementary Systems of Health Care. Dr. McCormack has been funded to conduct research on the use of Neurofeedback Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and on the use of computer programs with older adults to prevent cognitive decline. In addition, he has investigated the effects of complementary therapies on pain perception and anxiety in persons with cancer.

Joseph M. Pellerito Jr., PhD, OTR/L

Co-founder

Joseph M. Pellerito Jr., PhD, OTR/L earned a Ph.D. in medical sociology at Wayne State University (WSU), a master’s degree in technology for physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy with a minor in sociology at Western Michigan University's Lee Honors College. He is a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities and their caregivers, with a career that includes working as an administrator, scholar, professor, entrepreneur, and therapy practitioner. He has extensive experience and expertise in fundraising, grant writing, developing and managing graduate education programs in higher education, focus groups and strategic planning, program assessment, and professional and family caregiver education and training.

Karen Jacobs, OT, EdD, OTR, CPE, FAOTA

Advisory Board

Karen Jacobs, OT, EdD, OTR, CPE, FAOTA is the Associate Dean of Digital Learning and Innovation, a Clinical Professor and the Program Director of the online post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy program at Boston University (BU), College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College. She has worked at BU for 38 years.

Karen is a past president and vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She has over 40 awards and honors including a 2005 Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri, Iceland; the 2009 Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT); the Award of Merit from AOTA in 2003; the 2011 AOTA Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award and 2020 AOTA Outstanding Mentor. Karen is the founding editor-in-chief of WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation and a board-certified professional ergonomist.

Michelle Suarez, PhD, OTR/L

Editorial Board

Michelle Suarez, PhD, OTR/L is an assistant professor at Western Michigan University and teaches the pediatric content to occupational therapy master’s level students. She completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Science in 2012 from Western Michigan University. She has 12 years of pediatric occupational therapy practice experience in outpatient and school-based settings. Her research interests include treatment for feeding dysfunction, sensory integration, and autism research. She has published several manuscripts in pediatric practice areas. She received the 2010 Pisaneschi Prize for best research practicum presentation and the Department Graduate Research and Creative Scholar award while completing her PhD.

Molly Bathje, PhD, MS, OTR/L

Assistant Editor

Molly Bathje, PhD, MS, OTR/L, is an assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Program at DePaul University. An occupational therapist for over 20 years, she received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from St. Ambrose University, her master’s degree in health systems management from Rush University, and her PhD in interdisciplinary health sciences from Western Michigan University. Dr. Bathje’s clinical experiences focused on inpatient and outpatient mental health care, serving children through older adults. Other clinical experiences include pediatrics, acute care medicine, long-term care, and community based care. Her scholarship and service focus on identifying and addressing the health care disparities that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities face within the health care system. She believes effective interdisciplinary preparation of future health care providers is a vital component of improving health outcomes for this population. She has published in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and newsletters on topics related to mental health, teaching and learning, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. She was the inaugural Art Editor for the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. Her scholarship and service has been recognized by a variety of institutional and state occupational therapy association awards.

Nancy Hock, PhD, OTRL, CHT

Managing Editor

Nancy Hock, PhD, OTRL, CHT is the chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University (WMU), following her service as faculty and Grand Rapids Coordinator since 2011. Dr. Hock has 27 years of clinical practice, primarily in hand therapy, and has presented a local, regional, national, and international conferences. She developed a pro bono campus hand clinic at WMU in Grand Rapids to maintain her clinical practice while also actively engaging in research and supporting the development of future skilled clinicians. Dr. Hock began serving as the Managing Editor of OJOT in April of 2022 after serving on the review board since 2021.

Paula W. Jamison, PhD, OT

Advisory Board

Paula W. Jamison, PhD, OT, is a former faculty member of Western Michigan University’s Occupational Therapy Department and has taught for the university’s Holistic Health Program. With over 15 years of experience as a meditation instructor, her clinical interests included applications of self-regulation strategies in mental health and pediatric settings. Dr. Jamison became an occupational therapist after a career as a French scholar, teacher, college administrator, translator, and editor. She is currently active in community service, most notably preserving the Ladies’ Library, one of Kalamazoo’s most significant nineteenth-century buildings, and making it ADA compliant.

Randy P. McCombie, PhD, OTR/L

Editorial Board

Randy P. McCombie, PhD, OTR/L received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Lock Haven University, an MS and a PhD in Applied Social Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, followed by an undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University. He has taught an extensive array of university courses in the areas of psychology and occupational therapy. Dr. McCombie is currently an Associate Professor Emeritus with the School of Medicine at West Virginia University, where he formerly served as Chair/Program Director of the Division of Occupational Therapy. His primary teaching interests include Research Methods, Occupational Science, Global Healthcare and Occupational Therapy, and Innovations in Healthcare. Dr. McCombie’s teaching philosophy incorporates the belief that the desire to learn and expand one’s knowledge and understanding of the world is part of the human genome, and that teaching allows one the opportunity and privilege to be at the forefront of that inner motivational drive and enhancement of humanity as exhibited by both students and faculty. His primary research interests utilize an applied social psychological application, i.e., an emphasis on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, focusing on professional/educational matters relevant to the practice and profession of occupational therapy. Dr. McCombie holds a particular interest in the “interconnectiveness” of the international occupational therapy community and a recognition of the teaching, service, and research opportunities afforded by that interconnectiveness.

Rob Lyerla, Ph.D, MGIS

Advisory Board

Rob Lyerla, Ph.D, MGIS joined the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy advisory board in November 2022 to provide statistical support and expertise for research articles. Dr. Lyerla is a professor in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. program at Western Michigan University (WMU). Prior to joining the faculty at WMU, Dr. Lyerla had a 20-plus-year career in the US Department of Health and Human Services. After joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an officer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Dr. Lyerla worked as a staff epidemiologist in viral hepatitis at the CDC. He then was seconded for 5 years to the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva, Switzerland, to help monitor the global HIV epidemic in Asia and the former Soviet Union. He returned to the US and worked as a senior scientist with the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. Dr. Lyerla retired from government service after serving as the associate director for science at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Dr. Lyerla has published over 30 scholarly journals and maintains an active research portfolio in public health and epidemiology.

Rondalyn Whitney, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Editorial Board

Rondalyn Whitney, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is a highly regarded scholar in the field of autism and related disorders, with 20+ years’ experience. Her scholarship focuses on maternal stress and mother-child interactions when raising a child with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Focusing on the co-regulation of the child, the story of adverse childhood experience, and family quality of life and occupational deprivation is a unique perspective in her work.

Rosanne DiZazzo-Miller, Ph.D, DrOT, OTRL, CDP, FMiOTA, FAOTA

Assistant Editor

Rosanne DiZazzo-Miller, Ph.D, DrOT, OTRL, CDP, FMiOTA, FAOTA is an associate professor in the Master of Occupational Therapy Program at Wayne State University (WSU). Her research expertise is in training and quality of life for caregivers of people with dementia in terms of (a) needs assessment and analysis for community-dwelling individuals living with chronic conditions; and (b) the scholarship of teaching and learning, interprofessional teaching and learning, and instructional design and delivery. She is an NIH funded researcher who has secured over $260,000 of grant funding as PI or co-PI, and an additional $2.85 million as a co-I. She is the lead editor of three books, the author of chapters in leading textbooks in the occupational therapy profession, and has published several peer-reviewed research papers based on both qualitative and quantitative methodology. Dr. DiZazzo-Miller was awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016, was named to the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association Roster of Fellows in 2017, and became an Academic Leadership Academy Fellow at WSU in 2019. She is currently an assistant editor for the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT) and serves as a gerontology subject matter expert for the American Occupational Therapy Association on the Advanced Certification Commission. She was inducted into the AOTA Roster of Fellows in April, 2023.

Sharon A. Gutman, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

Advisory Board

Sharon A. Gutman, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA is a prolific scholar who has substantially contributed to the occupational therapy literature through a career spanning over 30 years that produced 70+ peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 books, 14 book chapters, and 24 editorials as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT). Her body of 70+ peer-reviewed journal articles uniquely addresses interventions with marginalized populations including housing programs for sheltered homeless adults, and supported education and employment for adults with chronic mental illness. Many of these publications are intervention effectiveness studies and Dr. Gutman has substantially contributed to the evidence supporting the profession’s role in mental health practice. Dr. Gutman has also made innovative contributions to the education of occupational therapists through her 10 textbooks which are heavily used in occupational therapy programs nationally and internationally, and have been translated into several languages. She is perhaps best known for her 6-year editorship of AJOT (2008 – 2014), through which she significantly increased the journal’s impact factor and Journal Citation Report rank. In 2009, Dr. Gutman was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows and in 2020, was awarded the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, to recognize her contribution to the profession’s body of literature. Dr. Sharon Gutman is currently a professor in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program at Rutgers University.

Shirley P. O'Brien, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

Assistant Editor

Dr. Shirley Peganoff O’Brien is a University Foundation Professor at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in occupational science and occupational therapy and recognized as a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association. She received a BS in occupational therapy from Temple University Philadelphia, PA; a MS in occupational therapy from Rush University, Chicago, IL; and a PhD from the University of Kentucky in educational policy analysis and evaluation. Dr. O’Brien has teaching and research expertise in policy development and leadership, sensory modulation and autism, online learning, and student mentoring. She is recognized for her application of interprofessional practice in community settings. Dr. O’Brien has received numerous awards for her work in pediatric occupational therapy practice, leadership, and teaching. She serves as coordinator of the Faculty Innovators at EKU and coordinator of the post professional doctoral program in occupational therapy. She has presented and published on the topics of effective technology use in the classroom, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), and designing learning environments, along with other disciplinary applications in pediatrics, autism, and transition programing for students with disabilities into college environments.