WashU Medicine Occupational Therapy Program

02/14/2026

🏆 Celebrating the Winning Teams of the 2026 Assistive Tech (AT) Make-A-Thon sponsored by Cecropia Strong and the Mo Better Foundation!

"Most Innovative" went to Team 3 for their switch-adapted football launcher. Their demo was one of the highlights of the night!

Team 5 won "Most Functional" for their “paint pour tilt board” designed to help an artist who currently uses a switch adapted pouring tool to pour paint but needed something to tilt the canvas.

"Most Marketable" was awarded to Team 4 for their “Focus Board,” designed to aid in navigation for someone with vision and movement challenges.

There was also a Judges' Choice Award, given to Team 6, for their waterproof vest designed to house a Bluetooth speaker so their Co-Designer, Matteo, can enjoy music safely during water activities.

Congratulations to all the teams for their incredible work!

WashU McKelvey Engineering
MO Better Foundation
Cecropia Strong

02/11/2026

We are celebrating the success of the 2026 Assistive Tech (AT) Make-A-Thon! This year, ten student teams had nine days to go from AT device pitch to prototype! Last week's Wrap-Up event was a celebration of participation and innovation as teams of students from engineering, occupational therapy, and design presented their projects to the judges and an audience filled with students, faculty, staff and many of this year's AT co-designers. Thanks to our two sponsors, Cecropia Strong and the MO Better Foundation, for making this event possible and congratulations to all the teams for a job well done!

WashU Sam Fox School, WashU McKelvey Engineering MO Better Foundation

02/09/2026

Congratulations to Märit Watson, OTD, OTR/L, PMH-C, for tying for third place at Teachfest Royale 2026! Hosted by the Academy of Educators, the event highlighted exceptional teaching across WashU Medicine. The theme for the competition was “Lessons Learned from Left Field – Teaching Pearls from Unexpected Places.”

Märit's presentation, "POTTY Talk: An Unexpected Life Lesson," focused on promoting self-efficacy, a lesson she learned while working with a patient in an inpatient rehabilitation bathroom. Watch it here, starting at 31:23: https://ow.ly/rEuE50YbNE8.

We are proud of Märit's innovative teaching and dedication to our students. Well done! 🎉👏

02/04/2026

Congratulations to Yejin Lee, PhD, postdoctoral research associate in the Community Reintegration After Stroke Lab, who was recently awarded an Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Journal of Occupational Therapy! This award is presented to a select number of reviewers each year and is based upon the number of reviews completed, the quality of the review, and the timeliness of their reviews during the calendar year. Great work, Dr. Lee!

02/02/2026

Congratulations to Professor Emeritus Dr. Carolyn Baum who is this year's recipient of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) Lifetime Achievement Award! This award is given by the Foundation to an individual who has significantly impacted OT research and made significant contributions to the Foundation. The award will be presented at the AOTA/AOTF Awards ceremony at the AOTA INSPIRE Conference held in Anaheim, CA this April. Join us in congratulating Dr. Baum!

01/30/2026

🎉 Join us in celebrating three outstanding members of our community who have each been honored with a Drum Major Award from WashU Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI). Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Furman, Abby King and Dr. Duana Russell Thomas who were all recognized in an awards ceremony that capped off the Office of DEI’s MLK Commemoration Week events this year.

Duana and Abby attended the ceremony and receive their award from Dr. Sherree Wilson, Associate Vice Chancellor and Associate Dean of ODEI. Michelle was unable to attend that day, but her colleagues in our clinical offices celebrated her this week!

Dr. King's 1968 "Drum Major Instinct" sermon inspired the Office of DEI to recognize those who lead by example, often without fanfare. They designed these awards to uplift members of the WashU Medicine community who embody what it is to be an upstander. We are proud of Duana, Michelle, and Abby for their dedication and impactful work in the Program and across the broader WashU community.

📸: WashU Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

01/28/2026

We love seeing our research featured in the WashU Record! The "AI CHEF" project, led by Dr. Lisa Connor’s Community Reintegration After Stroke Lab in partnership with the AI for Health Institute led by Dr. Chenyang Lu, aims to assist individuals with cognitive decline in completing tasks and maintaining their independence. This innovative AI assistant integrates two novel vision-language models to help people cook meals without the need for a human caregiver.

Learn more about this groundbreaking work at the full article here:

A team of Washington University in St. Louis researchers has integrated two novel vision-language models that create a potential AI assistant that may help people with cognitive decline cook meals and remain independent.

01/27/2026

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research recently published a Q&A with Dr. Erin Foster, PI of the Cognitive and Occupational Performance Laboratory, to highlight the important work her team is doing to increase understanding of Parkinson’s in Black and African American communities through the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) study. Read the full piece below to learn more about the impact the Foster Lab lab is making!

01/26/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Kerri Morgan who is joining the Board of Directors for the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH)! The MFH board governs with a focus on advancing the Foundation’s mission to eliminate the underlying causes of health inequities, transform systems, and enable individuals and communities to thrive.

A decorated Paralympian, recent inductee to the MO Board of Governor’s Disability Hall of Fame, Director of Research for WashU's Program in OT and Associate Professor of OT and Neurology, Dr. Morgan brings a wealth of expertise to this role. Her research, focused on improving the participation of people with mobility disabilities in their everyday life activities after discharge from rehabilitation will be a powerful addition to the work of the Board.

Please join us in congratulating Kerri on this achievement!

MFH welcomes Dr. Kerri Morgan, Dave Dillon, and Leann Chilton to its Board of Directors.

01/16/2026

We are still accepting nominations for our 2026 Outstanding Alumni Awards! Know a WashU OT alum who has made exceptional contributions in research, education, leadership, community participation or more? Nominate them at ot.wustl.edu/OTalumniaward or email Robin Hattori at rhattori@wustl.edu. All nominations due January 31!

01/09/2026

Honoring a Legacy - We are proud to share that Dr. Macy Stonner published a groundbreaking paper this week on behalf of the late Ellen King, longtime hand therapist at the Milliken Hand Rehabilitation Center. Published in the Journal of Hand Therapy, this study is the first to highlight rehabilitation guidelines following a complex innovative nerve surgery known as free functional muscle transfer.

The article focuses on one of Ellen's patients, showcasing her lasting impact on the field.

Read the full piece online here:
https://ow.ly/uPCJ50XUbZA.
Read more about Ellen’s career and impact here: https://ow.ly/K91750XUbZB

01/05/2026

We are proud to share the following faculty promotions, which went into effect on January 1:

Dr. Wanda Mahoney, promoted to Professor of Occupational Therapy and Medicine.

Dr. Salma Bachelani, promoted to Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Pediatrics.

Dr. Sarah Cheatham Oberle, promoted to Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Pediatrics.

Congratulations!