A Whirlwind of Activity
It has been too long since I last blogged, and I am happy to be back at it. The fall was an incredibly busy time for me, especially November and December. In that time period, I attended the AOTA/NBCOT Student Conclave in Providence, Rhode Island, gave the keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Maryland Occupational Therapy Association, connected with two autism research foundations—the Autism Research Institute and the Organization for Autism Research—attended the AOTA/AOTF Summit in which we envisioned ways to enhance alignment of the two organizations, presented at the AOTA/AOTF Accelerating Clinical Trials and Outcome Research (ACTOR) conference, attended the AOTA Autism West Specialty Conference, and attended the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research Celebration.
So many events! So much activity! So much travel! Here are the special things that sparked my enthusiasm at each event:
The AOTA/AOTF Student Conclave: I was invigorated by the open discussion the students were able to have with a distinguished panel of occupational therapy leaders, including Paul Fontana, Amy Lamb, Paul Grace, Maureen Peterson, Chris Bluhm, Chris Alterio, and myself. And how thrilling it was that 80% of the more than 400 students present made the Centennial Commitment indicating they plan to maintain their AOTA membership through 2017.
The Maryland Occupational Therapy Association Conference: My keynote built on the theme of high definition occupational therapy (HD-OT) I have been discussing throughout my Presidency. This talk was the first one I presented that addressed how we can internalize a vision of ourselves as evidence-based practitioners. My spirit was ignited when a small group of attendees informally chatted with me about their takeaways from my talk. I was thrilled that they provided me with valuable input that has helped me conceptualize the Presidential Address I will give in Indianapolis on HD-OT in 3D.
Connecting with autism research foundations: This is only a piece of all the work I have been doing in the area of occupational therapy evidence-based practice and autism. It was certainly uplifting that these two organizations are interested in supporting occupational therapy intervention research related to autism and it was exciting to begin to build these linkages.
The AOTA/AOTF Research Summit: What was uplifting about this meeting was having the opportunity to share perspectives on how the two organizations are complementary. I like to envision bright futures, and, after the meeting, I began to see concrete paths to achievement of the Centennial Vision that the two organizations could take together.
The ACTOR Conference: This meeting, made possible through Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funding, was truly inspiring—a gathering of our most seasoned scientists with those at various stages in their research career trajectory. I cherished the opportunity to share knowledge on the pragmatics, politics, and multi-faceted aspects of research programs with the wonderful attendees and, truly, saw this as a landmark event that would accelerate clinical trial and outcomes research in occupational therapy.
The AOTA Autism West Specialty Conference: I had attended the Autism East Conference and this West Coast version was equally worthwhile. What I liked most about it was getting a sense of the wide range of evidence-based practices that occupational therapy practitioners employ in the diverse settings in which they work. Also fantastic was the consumer panel—hearing about how occupational therapy had benefitted each of them in their own heart-rending words.
The NCMRR Celebration: What an event! Did you know that NCMRR has been in existence since 1991? From 1998–2002, I was on its National Advisory Board and it was lovely to see how the agency’s portfolio had grown. My key takeaway was to once again perceive the close alignment between NCMRR’s research priorities and occupational therapy’s focus on participation.
So, one would think I would have been exhausted after so much travel. But the excitement of it all is actually rejuvenating. Do let me know if you have engaged in similar, upbeat, and inspiring activities!