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Our Faculty
Joyce Salls, OTD, OTR/L
Program Director
Dr. Salls is Program Director of the Master and Doctor of Occupational Therapy Programs at Chatham University. She received her doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in 2006 and her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University in 1982. Dr. Salls is a board certified pediatric specialist and is certified in the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. She has worked in a variety of practice settings including school districts, early intervention centers, private practice and home care. Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of evidence-based practice and school based services. Dr. Salls has participated as a co-leader in international fieldwork experiences in Haiti and as a team member with Project Helping Hands in La Paz, Bolivia. She has published and presented at numerous state and national conferences on a variety of topics including infant development, school based practice, and autism. Dr. Salls continues to maintain a private practice in school-based services.
Douglas Simmons, PhD, OTR/L
OTD 740: Occupational Science
Dr. Simmons received his Bachelors of Science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After graduation he worked for several years in both in and out patient services for individuals surviving brain injury, stroke and other neurological issues. He also managed several subacute programs in the New England seacoast area. He received his Masters of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire. His thesis explored integrating more client centered assessments into acute/subacute rehabilitation settings to compliment the FIM. This work was published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2000. Dr.Simmons received his doctorate from Nova Southeastern University (2005, his dissertation explored the relationship of occupational performance, occupational satisfaction, social participation and quality of life for survivors of brain injury and stroke. Currently he assists with the continued growth of a community-based empowerment model program for survivors of brain injury and stroke called SteppingStones; this allows him to continue to explore areas of occupational deprivation and injustice associated with these individuals in the domain of social participation and the effect that barriers have on participation and quality of life. He is also an assistant professor in the occupational therapy department at the University of New Hampshire.
Linda Hunt, PhD. OTR/L
OTD 742 Advanced Practice Concepts and Skills
OTD 750 Occupational Therapist as Entrepreneur
Dr. Hunt is an associate professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Pacific University. She received her doctoral degree from the School of Optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2001. Hunt received her BS in Occupational Therapy from the University of Kansas in 1983 and a MHS from Washington University in St. Louis. Her area of research is in aging, dementia, driving and community mobility. Her practice is in community health, driving and community mobility, and Parkinson’s disease. She has received grants from the National Institute on Aging, General Motors Corporation, and the State of Missouri to explore the effects of cognition and aging on driving ability. She has published numerous book chapters, papers in peer reviewed journals, and her latest publication is Driving and Community Mobility for Older Adults: Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines by AOTA Press, 2007. In addition to teaching online courses for Chatham University, she currently teaches the following courses for Pacific University: Scholarship & Evidence-Based Practice, Therapeutic Groups, and OT Practice with Older Adults.
Angela Hissong, PhD. OTR/L
OTD 741 Evidence-based Practice
OTD 751 Applied Evidence-based Practice
OTD 770 Capstone I: Design and Implementation
OTD 771 Capstone II: Evaluation and Presentation
Dr. Hissong is a community-based occupational therapist practicing in the areas of pediatrics, women’s wellness, and agriculture-related disabilities. She received her doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University in 2005. Prior to her doctoral studies in adult education, Angela earned a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy from the Medical College of Virginia in 1989. She also earned a baccalaureate degree in biology focusing on health sciences and a master’s degree in special education from Shippensburg University. Angela’s passion for practice, education, and research is related to gleaning insight into the occupational performance, challenges, and adaptations of children, women living in rural communities, and agriculture workers with disabilities. Currently, she is the Occupational Therapy Education Specialist with the AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians Project at Penn State University, is adjunct faculty at two other universities, and does private consulting within her community.
Valerie J. Knotts, EdD., OTR, FAOTA
OTD 752 Education Theory and Technology
Dr. Knotts earned her BS in Occupational Therapy from the University of New Hampshire; an MS in Public Relations with Health Care Concentration from Boston University; and a doctorate in Higher Education from Texas Tech University. Her research is in Gerontology, Older Women, Home Health and Distance Education. She has served on the AOTA panel which developed criteria for Board Certification in Gerontology and is writing a chapter on Transitions for Older Adults for a textbook to be published by AOTA. She has presented at local, state, national and international conferences. She was head of the Sargent Clinic at Boston University and on the faculty at Sargent College. In 1997, Dr. Knotts was elected to the prestigious AOTA Roster of Fellows. For the past ten years she has been at Texas Tech as an associate professor of OT teaching via distance education including online teaching for practicing OT’s and PT’s the last three years.
Wendy Wood, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA
OTD 760 Ethics and Leadership
Dr. Wood received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1975 from Tufts University, her post-professional Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1988 and a Ph.D. in Occupational Science in 1995. To support her doctoral studies, Wendy was awarded USC’s Jane Goodall Fellowship, which led to a series of research publications exploring environmental influences on daily patterns of time-use and psychological well-being among captive primates. Dr. Wood joined the Occupational Therapy Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995, where she remained for 9 years. Reflecting lessons from her clinical experiences and primate research, Dr. Wood’s research at UNC-Chapel Hill explored interrelationships among environmental factors and the daily quality of life of older adults with dementia. Presently, Dr. Wood is a Research Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Program on Aging at the University of New Mexico. Her current research involves promotion of culture change reforms, through education, in a nursing home setting and development of a culturally appropriate program of long term care for Hopi elders. Dr. Wood maintains an active clinical practice in home health care, and is currently an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Additional interests include the meaning of professionalism in occupational therapy, occupation-centered graduate education, and the historical evolution of occupational therapy and occupational science. Dr. Wood has presented numerous papers related to her research and professional interests at state, national, and international meetings and is a recognized author in occupational science and occupational therapy.
Mary A. Hansen, Ph.D.
OTD 766 Methods of Evaluation
Dr. Hansen is an assistant professor in the School of Education and Social Sciences at Robert Morris University. Dr. Hansen’s expertise is in measurement, data analysis and research design. Her research focus is on educational measurement and testing, including design and technical issues related to large-scale test development, and classroom assessment practices. She also serves as a consultant in the areas of program evaluation and statistical analysis. She received an M.A. degree in Statistics, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Research Methodology from the University of Pittsburgh.
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