brent braveman's blog

I have begun to become very interested in understanding how persons affiliated with different political parties can come to common understandings. When I figure it all out I will run for Congress! LOL Here is part of a post I shared in a discussion...

Timing in the universe is a funny thing some times. Just this week I received the page proofs for a chapter that I wrote for a new book coming out through AOTA Press. It is a chapter on running “Online” meetings as a new form of communication...

Many thanks to all the AOTA members who voted in the 2013 AOTA General Elections! I learned last evening that I was elected as the new AOTA Secretary for July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016! I am absolutely thrilled to return to the Board of Directors and...

The last few weeks have been busy as I have spent part of my time in several activities related to occupational therapy and health care reform. As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is rolled out some of the challenges and opportunities for...

The AOTA elections have been open for a little more than a week. I have been hearing from many of my colleagues who have already voted and I encourage you to do the same if you have not already done so! My name is on the top of the ballot for the office...

Voting in the AOTA Elections begin Tuesday, January 15th at 12:01 EST! Please vote and please consider casting your vote for me to have the honor of serving as the next Secretary of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Here are 10 reasons...

When voting starts on January 15 th please consider my experiences and the skills and knowledge that I will bring to the table to help the AOTA Board of Directors achieve its priorities as your new Secretary! Each year the AOTA Board of Directors identifies...

One important role of the AOTA Secretary is to sit as a voting member of the AOTA Board of Directors. A critical function for the Board is its fiduciary responsibility which is the responsibility to manage the association’s budget and maintain its...

In the fall of 1984 I completed a 3 month fieldwork experience at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Department of Continuing Education. It was an amazing experience that introduced me to the workings of our professional association...

One way I stay abreast of news about health care and health care reform is to sign up for daily email notices from organizations such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and from America's Health Insurance Providers...

I have to admit that I am a political junkie! During our recent election cycle I visited CNN, the Huffington Post, Fox News, and most of the major poll sites not once but several times a day. I also spent a lot of time discussing and debating the candidates...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. The slate of candidates for the 2013 AOTA elections was posted today and I am happy to share that I am running for the office of AOTA Secretary. With just a few years until our Centennial year there is important work to be...

Leading up to and after our recent election, I have enjoyed debating various issues with friends and acquaintances on Facebook. Through that process and now in the last week it has become clear to me that there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings...

My blogging hiatus is over! Now that the national election is settled and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (AKA as "Obamacare") has little chance of being repealed or replaced the question becomes, "What now for occupational...

Wow, so almost two months since the last time I did a Blog entry....time does really fly when you are working hard and playing hard! I have been swamped at work and have been focusing on creating more balance in my life and having a ball playing with...

The AOTA Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation is gearing up for annual conference in Indianapolis! If you are attending conference and are interested in hearing the latest updates, look out for the Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday Afternoon...

Whew! The AOTA General Election wraps up today and we will soon know the results! If you have been meaning to vote, but thinking, "I'll do it tomorrow." This is it! Vote today! (and please consider voting for me!) Over the last month...

I had a great time this morning along with about 10 other staff from my department hosting a group of 5th graders and their mentors in a program called "Health Adventures." The students and mentors were introduced to occupational therapy...

This week I am enjoying my first vacation since I started my job as Director of Rehabilitation Services for MD Anderson Cancer Center in January of 2011. I am the Director of a 90 FTE Department of occupational and physical therapy staff and while I absolutely...

I have visited a couple of occupational therapy programs in the last few weeks in my role as the Chairperson of the AOTA Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform to talk about current reform initiatives, the potential impacts on occupational therapy and...

What a great day today! One of the roles that I have fulfilled for AOTA recently is to serve as Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation. I have worked with AOTA national affairs staff and with a great group of volunteers...

Hi everyone, Voting opens today in the AOTA General Elections. I am so excited about the idea of serving our Association as the Next Vice-President. Please log on to www.aota.org and vote! I am honored to consider my two opponents in this election...

Recently the new President of the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Ronald DePinho, shared his vision that we will cure 5 cancers in the foreseeable future. Now THAT is a vision worth supporting! I believe it to be true; when you have a strong, clear...

After a lot of hard work on the part of my Leadership Team I am ready to share the next step of our strategic planning process at the MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Rehabilitation Services. We have spent over 6 months revising our Mission Statement...

I have been blogging and sharing my experiences over the last few months about the strategic planning process for the Department of Rehabilitation Services at MD Anderson. The Department of Rehabilitation Services includes occupational therapy and physical...