UNC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

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UNC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

http://tinyurl.com/sotaspringapparel This is the official page for the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at UNC Chapel Hill.

For questions about the MSOT admissions process, please post your inquiry under the "Discussions" tab on this page or email OSInfo@med.unc.edu. Please note that questions containing private information should be sent via email rather than posted on the discussion board. It is recommended that prospective applicants read the admissions page and all the related links for before contacting the division for information. Admissions Page:
http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/ocsci/degree-programs/ms-admissions

03/30/2026

✨It's time! See you tonight!✨

🔗https://go.unc.edu/mitchellsymposium
🔗OSOT Donation Link: https://go.unc.edu/OSOTGift

03/25/2026

🧵Sew into crafting!🧵

The history of OT is deeply threaded (see what we did there😉) into promoting self-expression, engagement & participation. The Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) held a February Bake & Craft sale that featured MSOT student artisan works such as potholders, homemade cards, bracelets, crocheted headbands & bookmarks.

Want to learn more? The Occupational Therapy Leaders and Legacies Society (OTLLS) provides a list of videos, books & publications that honor the therapeutic use of arts & crafts in occupational therapy practice.

03/24/2026

Reminder:

📆We hope to see you soon!

Monday, March 30 @ 6 p.m.

Annual Mitchell Symposium featuring Dr. Janet Njelesani, Associate professor, Occupational Therapy, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

The Mitchell Symposium in Occupational Science is named in honor & memory of Dr. Marlys Mitchell, the founder of the master's program in occupational therapy at the UNC School of Medicine, & her husband, Earl, a great supporter of Marlys.

Symposium scholars deliver a public lecture & participate in talks, discussions & meetings with faculty, students & researchers from throughout the division & UNC Department of Health Sciences . Initiated in 2011, the symposium has been made possible through generous gifts from friends & alumni of the division.

03/17/2026

Weather forecast: Sunny skies & blooming scholarship 🌷☀️🎓

Congrats to OS PhD student Monica Ridlehoover on receiving the
UNC Department of Health Sciences Student Research Excellence Award! 👏 Monica was recognized for her research accomplishments & commitment to research thus far.

03/16/2026

🎊Join us in congratulating Dr. Ryan Lavalley, who has been promoted to Associate Clinical Professor based on his extensive community & professional service & scholarship. 🎉

Dr. Lavalley is a graduate of the Occupational Science PhD program & has been part of the Division since 2019. He began as a Postdoctoral Research Associate & joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2021.

UNC Department of Health Sciences
UNC School of Medicine

03/06/2026

🥣Soup champ, coming through!🏆

Congratulations to Abby Meyer, UNC MSOT c/o 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣7️⃣ & official 2026 Division of OS/OT Soup Cook-Off champion!

Community meetings are soup-er 😉opportunities for all Division members to gather & share meaningful occupations (especially the delicious ones).

03/05/2026

🎉Congratulations to Dr. Kathryn "Katie" Sorensen who has been appointed as American Occupational Therapy Association - AOTA's Academic Fieldwork Coordinator - Academic Leadership Council (AFWC-ALC) Chairperson. The Academic Leadership Council provides a forum at the national level to present, examine & debate educational issues. Dr. Sorensen will be leading efforts related to fieldwork.

Way to go, Katie!🎊🙌

03/03/2026

new drop but make it research 😎✨📘

From the Journal of Occupational Science & more, check out the latest & greatest from our recent & current PhD in Occupational Science students (highlighted in blue).

✏️Faculty co-authors (not highlighted) include Dr. Nancy Bagatell, Dr. Vanessa Jewell, Dr. Ryan Lavalley, Dr. Khalilah Johnson.

02/27/2026

📆We hope to see you soon!

March 30 @ 6 p.m. | Annual Mitchell Symposium featuring Dr. Janet Njelesani, Associate professor NYU Steinhardt - Department of Occupational Therapy

The Mitchell Symposium in Occupational Science is named in honor & memory of Dr. Marlys Mitchell, the founder of the master's program in occupational therapy at the UNC School of Medicine, & her husband, Earl, a great supporter of Marlys.

Symposium scholars deliver a public lecture & participate in talks, discussions & meetings with faculty, students & researchers from throughout the division & UNC Department of Health Sciences . Initiated in 2011, the symposium has been made possible through generous gifts from friends & alumni of the division.

02/19/2026

✨Taught by OS/OT faculty member Hilary Till, first year MSOT students take OCCT 781: Environments & Technologies, which highlights the environmental dimensions of occupational performance & environmental, assistive & rehabilitation technologies used in occupational therapy practice.

✨Students learn to assess various environmental characteristics & their impact on occupational performance, modify the environment for therapeutic effect, & utilize technology as a means to access, engage in & control the environment.

✨This particular class featured the Division's own guest lecturer, Dr. Kathryn "Katie" Sorensen, to present on the topic "Beyond the Ramp," which explores functional wheelchair use in community & home spaces. Students dove into familiarizing themselves with the accessibility features on their devices & application of case studies.

02/17/2026

✍Register today!

Members of our OS/OT Division will be presenting at Carolina Center for Public Service's Carolina Engagement Week Feb. 25th & 27th. Hope to see you there!

"Sustaining Partnerships for Student Experience" with Dr. Lauren Selingo & Dr. Ryan Lavalley
📆Wednesday, Feb. 25
📍Carolina Student Union, Room 3411
🕒1 - 2 p.m.

"Occupational Therapy Rural Health Committee: Reflections from the pilot year" with Sara Peña (staff), Miranda Bravo (UNC MSOT c/o 2026), Darius Ingram (UNC), Edye Barbour (UNC Health) & Dr. Jennifer Renshaw (Cape Fear Community College)
📆Friday, Feb. 27
📍Online via Zoom
🕒11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

02/13/2026

New publications, same team. We ❤️ research.

Check out the latest & greatest from UNC faculty:

📗Sorensen, K. (faculty), Magasi, S., VanPuymbrouck, L., & Newhouse, L. (2026). Practical and Ethical Considerations Related to Supporting Students and Practitioners With Disabilities. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 80(2), 8002347010.

📗LaPoint, S., Klein, C. B., Sandbank, M. (faculty), Bottema‐Beutel, K., Fletcher‐Watson, S., Divan, G., ... & Green, J. (2025). Maximizing the Quality and Reporting Standards of Autism Intervention Science. Autism research, 18(11), 2166-2173.

📗Conrad K., Jensen L., Ashcroft, S. (adjunct), Bailliard, A., Jewell, V.D. (faculty). Retrospective chart review of the acute care psychosocial evaluation process for females diagnosed with breast cancer. Translational Sc Occup. 2025;2(3):1-15. https://doi.org/10.32873/unmc.dc.tso.2.3.01

📗Jewell, V.D. (faculty), Lally, K., Schultze, M., Qi, Y., Schnack, K., McGill, M., Vaughn, R.M. Occupation-Centered Intervention Assessment improves client-centered interventions in inpatient brain injury rehabilitation. Translational Sc Occup. 2025;2(2):1-19. https://doi.org/10.32873/unmc.dc.tso.2.2.01.

📗Jewell V.D. (faculty), Abbott, AA., Knezevich E, Dostal K, Feiten B, Eberly L, Radenz K, Brown V, Boyle E, Dave G, Nagykaldi Z. Development of a diabetes rural stakeholder research team and patient-centered research agenda. OTJR: Occup Ther J Res. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492251381742

📗Fischer, K., Perry, G., Qi, Y., Moore, C., Jewell, V.D. (faculty). Student psychosocial well-being and burnout during level II fieldwork: an explanatory mixed methods analysis. J Occup Therap Ed. 2025;9(1):1-26. Retrieved from https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol9/iss1/4.

UNC Department of Health Sciences
UNC School of Medicine

Address

CB #7122 UNC-CH Bondurant Hall
Chapel Hill, NC
27599

Website

http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/ocsci

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