A Year-long Celebration
The University of Central Arkansas Occupational Therapy Department celebrates reaching the milestone of being a 50 year accredited program in the state of Arkansas. This landmark occasion demonstrates a sustained history of educating leaders, change agents, scholars, advocates and most importantly, qualified practitioners that change lives on a daily basis. To see a timeline of the history of the department click here.
Throughout this year long celebration, the University of Central Arkansas will host a variety of events to observe this monumental achievement. The calendar of events listed below is a list of each event that will occur each month throughout the year. As events unfold, we will provide information regarding dates, times and locations of each event along with updates once events have taken place, so check back frequently to stay up to date!
Support the UCA Occupational Therapy Program
Did you know that you can make a tax deductible donation through the University of Central Arkansas Foundation to show your support for our program? It’s easy, just click on the link below to help us continue the legacy of educating future occupational therapy leaders for another 50 years! We appreciate your support!
Celebration Calendar
December 2024
This March, we had the opportunity to celebrate our incredible fieldwork sites, which play a crucial role in shaping our students’ hands-on learning experiences in clinical settings. This December, we look forward to celebrating our community partners, who play a distinct but equally vital role in our curriculum. Unlike fieldwork sites, which focus on clinical training and practical experience, our community partners are integrated throughout various courses. These sites offer their support, clients, and staff to help meet specific learning objectives within courses, providing unique, immersive experiences that go beyond traditional off-site participation.
November 2024
The University of Central Arkansas Occupational Therapy Department continues its 50th Anniversary by revisiting a focus on scholarship. The department will be hosting a virtual journal club by exploring current occupational therapy literature related to Autism in part two of the event titled “Dissecting the Literature with Anatomage”. Faculty will lead a discussion on two current journal articles related to the treatment of Autism while reviewing the structures and function of the brain that are affected by the disease through the use of the Anatomage table.
Attendees are encouraged to review the related literature prior to the journal club meeting by accessing the articles here. This event will be held on November 19th at 6:00 PM. This session is a virtual Zoom session. You can join the session by clicking the link in the image below. The passcode for the meeting is 835266.
October 2024
Join us as we celebrate a Bears victory and the 50th Anniversary of the UCA OT Program at our tailgate party!
September 2024
Join UCA faculty members Dr. LaTeasha Gaither-Davis (EdD, OTR/L) and Mrs. Sara Israel (JD, OTR/L) as they unpack the game-changing impact of Artificial Intelligence on the medical field, with a special focus on occupational therapy. Discover emerging trends, exciting possibilities, and potential pitfalls in this rapidly evolving landscape. From AI-powered diagnostics to personalized treatment plans, our speakers will provide invaluable insights for healthcare professionals and tech enthusiasts alike. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in the AI healthcare revolution!
August 2024
In August, faculty and students from the 2025 cohort will present the findings from their research projects completed with the guidance from Dr. Lorrie George-Paschal and Dr. Deborah Gangluff. Join us in person or virtually on August 8th to earn up to 2 continuing education contact credits.
July 2024
In July, the University of Central Arkansas will continue the celebration of our fiftieth anniversary by celebrating the success of former students. In 2020 the department graduated its first cohort of entry-level doctoral students. As the culminating project of their doctoral education, students are required to complete a comprehensive capstone project that synthesizes the educational experience in the OT program at UCA. Students complete capstone projects in areas such as program development, research, advocacy, education, administration, and more.
Student capstone projects are centered on the idea of sustainability. Students from past cohorts have developed capstone projects that have led to future employment, development of programs that have been handed off to community partners and other projects that have been carried on by students from subsequent cohorts.
The Captivat8 virtual session will consist of progress updates from 8 students, in 8-minute segments, from previous cohorts who have completed capstone projects during their respective time as members of the 2020 through 2024 cohorts. The session will be an opportunity to revisit those projects to see where they currently stand and to describe the continuing impact that UCA OT students have made around the world.
The virtual session will be held at 4:00 PM via Zoom on Wednesday, July 17th. Please join us at that time by scanning the QR code or clicking the link below.
June 2024
In the month of June, the University of Central Arkansas Occupational Therapy Department is proud to serve as the host for the Arkansas Occupational Therapy Association (AROTA) Motivate Conference & Exhibition that will be held on the UCA campus on June 20th and 21st. The keynote speaker for the conference will be Dr. Sandra Dunbar-Smalley, DPA, OTR/L, FAOTA. The key note address is titled, “Using Our Occupation Roots for Our Future Path”.
Registration for the conference can be completed here: https://www.arota.org/Motivate-Registration
May 2024
In the month of May, University of Central Arkansas Occupational Therapy program graduate Dr. Katelynn Estes, OTR/L presents a wealth of information related to assistive technology (AT). In her webinar, Empowering Independence: The Role of Assistive Technology in Occupational Therapy, Dr. Estes discusses the role of AT in occupational therapy practice. She offers how practitioners can use the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) as a guide to prescribing AT from evaluation to intervention across a vast array of occupations and practice settings. To access her webinar, please click on the link below.
April 2024
In the month of April, the Occupational Therapy Department held an OT Month Student Celebration on the football field at Estes Stadium. Students enjoyed sweet treats from Kona Ice and cake to help send off the 2024 Cohort on their capstone experiences. The event was sponsored by the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA). At the event, two scholarships were awarded. The 2024 Marian Q. Ross Scholarship was awarded to Joniya Flowers. The 2024 Teddy Dodd Scholarship was awarded to Colton Waters.
The UCA Occupational Therapy Department congratulates the winners of this year’s scholarships and the 2024 Cohort as they begin the final leg of their occupational therapy education!
Photo Courtesy of UCA SOTA
March 2024
In the month of March, the Occupational Therapy Department will hold a symposium for fieldwork educators. The program will be led by the Academic Fieldwork Department at UCA, and members of the fieldwork team will be joined by Amy Hawkins, PhD, APR who is the Assistant Provost for Teaching and Academic Leadership for the University of Central Arkansas.
While many universities have shifted towards an adult learning approach to accommodate the needs of younger generations, fieldwork educators may still be implementing teaching and learning strategies that have been successful in the past with previous generations. As the learning styles of students continue to evolve, it is important that the teaching styles used in fieldwork education evolve with them. As occupational therapy practitioners, we value our ability to adjust our therapeutic use of self and therapeutic strategies to meet the needs of each person individually. Similarly, as fieldwork educators, we can strive to learn more about the new generation of students to enrich our teaching methods as a way to foster meaningful interactions and learning experiences of our fieldwork students. This seminar aims to equip fieldwork educators as they mentor the current generation of occupational therapy students.
Event Details
Location: In person at the University of Central Arkansas, Brewer-Hegeman Room 112/114 or virtual
This event is open to all current fieldwork educators as well as those who are interested in supervising and mentoring students in the future. Lunch will be provided for event participants.
Nominees for the annual Cynthia B. Cole Outstanding Fieldwork Educator Award will be recognized along with the announcement of the winner of the distinguished award.
February 2024
In the month of February, faculty members Dr. Kelly Hartwick and Dr. Brandy Pate, both certified brain injury specialists and low vision certificate holders will host a webinar related to occupational therapy’s role in assessing and providing interventions for those suffering from low vision. This webinar about low vision can be accessed on our YouTube channel and you viewer can take the post-test competency assessment for continuing education credit until March 31, 2024.
January 2024
The University of Central Arkansas Occupational Therapy Department kicks off its 50th Anniversary with a focus on scholarship. The department will be hosting a virtual journal club by exploring current occupational therapy literature related to dementia in an event titled “Dissecting the Literature with Anatomage”. Faculty will lead a discussion on three current journal articles related to the treatment of dementia while reviewing the structures and function of the brain that are affected by the disease through the use of the Anatomage table.
This event was held on January 23, 2024. Scan the QR code or click on the image link to view a recording of the session. A passcode is required to view the recording.
