Dr. Ryan Lavalley delivered the keynote address for the Turkish Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Conference on October 25, 2023.
In the keynote presentation, Lavalley discussed how occupational therapy can contribute to community practice in a variety of contexts. Lavalley highlighted how theory and programs rooted in community occupational therapy have been emerging in the United States and specifically at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Lavalley’s keynote address emerged from a collaboration between UNC and Turkish occupational therapists. This partnership is an example of an increase in global conversations about community practice and supporting the role occupational therapy has in population and community-level work. The Community Practice Lab at UNC works to partner with and amplify global and cross-cultural community practice networks. The CPL also manages a growing compilation of resources about global community practice, including academic publications, podcasts, and books.
This collaboration seeks to advance interest, excitement, and implementation of community practice on a global scale. The full keynote address, delivered virtually, is available below:
Lavalley is the primary lead for the Community Practice Lab and an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences’ Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also the director of UNC’s Partnerships in Aging Program.