UIC Department of Occupational Therapy

03/10/2026

Great news--UIC OT is now on Instagram! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/uic_ot/ to keep up with department events, research innovation, spotlights, and student life!

03/10/2026

🎉Good things are happening in the Community Engagement, Independent Living, and Participation SOPC. Our first cohort of students completed their capstone projects at clinical, community, and academic sites across Chicago and established a foundation for the second cohort of student members to follow. We are so proud of our student's creativity, passion, and commitment as they’ve worked hard to create meaningful projects that meet the needs of diverse communities, groups, and individuals.

💡Please scroll down our updated web page to learn about our current members and play a short video describing a growing portfolio of capstone projects here:
https://ahs.uic.edu/academics/occupational-therapy/entry-level-occupational-therapy-doctorate/scholarship-of-practice-collaboratives/community-engagement-independent-living-and-participation-sopc/

🤝Thanks to our partners, including Movement Revolution, Clearbrook , UIH Outpatient Hand Therapy Clinic, Bonaventure House, HB Threads, Association House of Chicago, and University of Chicago Outpatient Hand Therapy Clinic.

02/28/2026

🎉 Our first fifteen students in the Health Equity and Social Justice Scholarship of Practice Collaborative (SOPC) completed their capstone projects and passed the baton to our second cohort of students.

💡Please scroll down our updated web page to learn about our current members and play a short video describing a growing portfolio of capstone projects here: https://ahs.uic.edu/academics/occupational-therapy/entry-level-occupational-therapy-doctorate/scholarship-of-practice-collaboratives/health-equity-and-social-justice-sopc/

🤝 In true form, these projects continue to be responsive to the needs of clinical and community partnering sites in our locale, including:
Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), El Valor, Rohingya Culture Center of Chicago, UIH Breast Cancer Clinic, Cambodian Association of Illinois, UIH Lifespan Disability Clinic, South Asian American Policy and Research Institute - SAAPRI, Wellness House, Rizal Center, Revive Center for Housing and Healing, and Network of Inclusion and Advocacy Health Hands. These projects illustrate what to expect when choosing to be part of this SOPC at UIC OT, a department steeped in the tradition of advancing a ‘scholarship of practice’ model. We trust that their peers will continue being inspired by how these next set of capstone projects take shape to advance health equity and social justice.

02/23/2026

🎉 Our first five students in the Theory and Evidence-Based Practice Related to Human Occupation Scholarship of Practice Collaborative completed their capstone projects and passed the baton to our second cohort of students who are completing their projects this Spring
💡 Please scroll down our updated web page to learn about our current members and play a short video describing a growing portfolio of capstone projects here: https://ahs.uic.edu/academics/occupational-therapy/entry-level-occupational-therapy-doctorate/scholarship-of-practice-collaboratives/theory-and-evidence-based-practice-related-to-human-occupation-sopc/
🤝 These projects provide a great learning experience. The projects currently underway involve partnership with the UIC Inclusive Care Clinic, Clearbrook, Maryland Hyde Center, Chinese American Service League, & Rise, and Amplify OT - Occupational Therapy & Medicare Policy, Quality, and Advocacy to help to bridge the gap between education and practice by using theory and evidence to improve client outcomes across the lifespan.

02/19/2026

Join the UIC OT department for our annual SOP Day, focusing on Taking Care of Each Other: Broadening the Caregiving Paradigm for OT Education, Research, and Practice.

To register and request accommodations, go to: https://Go.UIC.edu/SOPDay2026Registration

We hope to see you there ❤️💙

02/10/2026

Join us on Monday, February 16th for our UIC OTD Program Preview Session! Prospective students interested in UIC's occupational therapy doctorate program will have the opportunity to meet professors, ask questions to a panel of current students, and learn about the program in a relaxed, virtual environment. We hope to see you there!

Sign up using the following link: https://forms.gle/UYZyHdTcZeKpPQkAA

02/10/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Dalmina Arias, OTD, OTR/L, on being selected as one of six national AOTA RISE Diverse Leaders Program (DLP) Scholars — a leadership initiative funded by The Sandra Hoskins Legacy Foundation, dedicated to advancing future growth and innovation within the occupational therapy profession.

The RISE DLP supports emerging leaders from historically underrepresented backgrounds committed to transforming the future of the OT profession. As a RISE Scholar, Dr. Arias will lead an initiative that partners with rural and urban community organizations and schools across Illinois to introduce students to the power and possibility of occupational therapy. With a vision to open doors for students who are historically underrepresented in the OT profession, Dr. Arias is creating pathways into OT that have often been inaccessible to many. Her work seeks to inspire the next generation of diverse leaders within the profession — equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to pursue careers in occupational therapy and make a meaningful impact in their communities.

Dr. Arias is honored to join a dynamic network of leaders and changemakers dedicated to building a more just, inclusive, and representative future for the OT profession.

Discover the occupational therapy profession through AOTA’s RISE (Recruiting, Inclusion, Sustainability, and Education) Pathways Program. Learn from ...

02/05/2026

Dalmina Arias shares tips on how to maintain good posture during frigid temperatures on Univision Chicago.

01/23/2026

Let’s hear it for Anna and Cinthia from who completed their fieldwork with us today- woohoo! Our clients loved having you, and so did we! Wishing you all the best in your OT career!

12/04/2025

ONE WEEK AWAY from the 1st Program Preview of the application cycle! https://forms.gle/UYZyHdTcZeKpPQkAA
Share to anyone you know that has applied to UIC OT for Fall 2026 :)

12/01/2025

If you or anyone you know has applied to the UIC OT Program for the Fall 2026 application cycle, sign up for a Program Preview Session!
Register here: https://forms.gle/UYZyHdTcZeKpPQkAA

11/25/2025

A bittersweet moment for the UIC OT family this weekend 🥰 Kathy Preissner received the Lifetime Achievement Award this Friday at the 2025 ILOTA Conference, followed by a celebration of her retirement surrounded by colleagues and family.

Join us in congratulating Kathy! Through her empathy and dedication, she has touched countless lives and contributed meaningful, lasting advances to OT ❤️💙