Independent Studies, Practicums, & Capstones

In addition to Dr. Ryan Lavalley’s MSOT Community Practice course taught each spring semester, the CPL can also host independent studies, practicums, and capstones of relevance and expertise to our team.

Students interested in completing an independent study, practicum, or capstone with Dr. Ryan Lavalley can review our mission, current partners, and areas of expertise. If you have an idea for an independent study, practicum, or capstone or would like more information, please contact us.

Independent Studies, Practicums, & Capstones

Triumph of Mutual Care: Planning for Eldercare in Northside Master’s Project

Student: Alexander Lepisto, Department of City & Regional Planning

Community Partner: Marian Cheek Jackson Center

Advisor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Fall 2025 through Spring 2026

Project Overview: Alexander is partnering with the CPL and the Marian Cheek Jackson Center to explore the possibilities of an eldercare facility and affordable housing in the Northside Neighborhood. The project will analyze case studies of other facilities, explore the building capacity allowed on the site, and meet with key community stakeholders to better understand the community’s goals for the property. This project will assist in preliminary planning and feasibility determination before moving forward with official architectural planning for the site. The focus of this project is to assist in the creation of a space that allows aging Northside residents to age in place and receive the assistance they need in the community of which they have long been a part.

Key deliverables of this project will include:

• Analysis of case study examples of other eldercare facilities that identify the physical space, community needs, and programming
• A site analysis that details the surrounding context and physical limitations
• A policy and zoning analysis that outlines the possibilities and constraints for the site
• Conceptual site and building layouts
• A summary of key findings from stakeholder interviews and how they resulted in the presented recommendations.

Building Repair Networks: Strengthening Local Coordination Among Home Repair Programs Master’s Project

Student: Megan Goyer, Department of City & Regional Planning, specialization in Housing and Community Development

Community Partner: Orange County Home Preservation Coalition and the Coalition for Home Repair

Advisor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Fall 2025 through Spring 2026

Project Overview: This project will focus on how home repair organizations can build and sustain local coalitions to increase resource sharing, access to services for homeowners, and advocacy influence. Home repair organizations (HRPs) are critical resources for low-income homeowners across the country, providing free or low-cost home repairs. HRPs are a critical part of affordable housing efforts, preserving naturally-occurring affordable units, but despite the prevalence of HRPs across the country, they tend to exist in a fragmented and highly localized ecosystem. This project will utilize case studies of three local coalitions, including the Orange County Home Preservation Coalition, to produce actionable resources for communities looking to build a network between their repair programs. By better documenting the challenges and benefits of program coordination, this project aims to produce engaged scholarship that can highlight steps towards building local coalitions, strategies for overcoming common issues, and tools for advocacy around home preservation. The priority of this project will be to serve communities that lack the time and/or resources necessary to understand what is needed to develop a strong local network of HRPs.

Key deliverables of this project will include actionable materials for organizations looking to build a local home repair coalition and a virtual event in the spring to convene HRPs from across the country to share findings.

Interprofessional Collaboration in Older Adult Care: Oral Health Education for Occupational Therapy Students Master’s Thesis

Student: Gracie Wallace, BSDH, RDH, Master’s of Science in Dental Hygiene Education student, Adams School of Dentistry

Faculty Supervisors: Drs. Ryan Lavalley and Lauren Selingo

Term: Spring 2025 through Spring 2026

Research Overview: This study will explore the interprofessional collaboration among dental hygiene and occupational therapy learners when caring for the aging population. The study further aims to provide specialized oral health education for occupational therapy students to promote oral disease prevention, awareness of the oral-systemic link and quality health care education.

Research questions include:

• What knowledge do occupational therapy students obtain about preventive oral health care?
• What are their attitudes and motivations toward providing oral care instruction to their patients?
• What are the outcomes of dental hygiene intervention for occupational therapy students?
• What effects do these outcomes have on student education and approaches to patient care?

Preserving Housing Stability in Orange County and Developing Land Bank Policy Recommendations Practicum 

Student: Isabelle (Izzy) Norman, Department of City & Regional Planning, specialization in Housing and Community Development

Community Partner: Orange County Department on Aging‘s Master Aging Plan and the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition

Preceptor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

Project Overview: Izzy is partnering with the CPL, in coordination with Orange County’s Master Aging Planning and Affordable Housing Coalition, to identify strategies that protect affordable housing and enable residents to age in place throughout Orange County. This project seeks to build upon the existing benefits of the landbank in Chapel Hill’s Northside neighborhood by identifying other communities that could similarly benefit. The focus is on preserving housing affordability and ensuring neighborhood stability, particularly for long term, middle- and low-income Black and Brown residents.

Key deliverables will include:

• Developing a methodology for assessing displacement risk in Orange County
• Preparing memos detailing key neighborhoods primed for a land bank
• Drafting policy recommendations for establishing a new land bank

Deliverables:

Strategy and Policy Professional Work Experience with Orange County Department on Aging’s Master Aging Plan

Student: Avangelyne Padilla, Master’s of Public Administration student, School of Government

Community Partner: Orange County Department on Aging‘s Master Aging Plan Housing Work Group

Professional Work Experience Instructor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Summer 2024

Work Overview: In this internship, Avangelyne conducted research and created deliverables to further the Orange County Department on Aging’s goal to create an inclusive county for older adults. Avangelyne compared indicators for inclusive design in the Orange County Department on Aging’s Master Aging Plan with best practices in other jurisdictions, particularly larger cities. Based on these findings, Avangelyne developed specific recommendations to improve accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and affordable home repair programs. Avangelyne then recommended policy changes for zoning and development and identified specific steps needed to implement these recommendations.

Avangelyne produced a number of deliverables during this work, including an ADU action plan, a home repair action plan, and a land use management ordinance report, all with recommendations for new or revamped policies and processes. Avangelyne also published a formalized development process action plan, which would help Orange County learn about new developments and zoning changes in its jurisdiction.

In this process, Avangelyne also discovered that many policies were difficult to access and understand. To make affordable housing information more accessible, she developed “cheat sheets” so residents can easily find ADUs and policies in their jurisdictions.

Intergenerational and Older Adult Housing Models Capstone

Student: Kathryn Mackey, Occupational Therapy doctoral student, University of Missouri

Community Partner: HOPE NC

Independent Study Instructor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Summer 2024

Course Overview: This capstone project seeks to understand current intergenerational and older adult housing models, specifically from the older adult perspective. Kathryn will compile literature and information on lived experiences (e.g., through focus groups and/or individual interviews with older adults). This research will inform the continued development of HOPE NC’s inclusive community, which seeks to be both accessible and affordable across generations, populations, and abilities. Kathryn will collaborate with older adults in ways that facilitate and promote their ability to age within their own context and communities while maintaining quality of life through increased social connection and shared belonging.

Learning Objectives: The learning objectives for the capstone include:

• Examine and understand current older adult and intergenerational housing models – what works, what has not worked, what should be replicated, and what has not been attempted.
• Learn in-depth the complex process of program and policy development for a large scale, long-term project that aims to be sustainable.
• Inform and assist HOPE NC with research-based strategies for the continued development of an intergenerational and inclusive housing program for older adults and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Community Arts-Based Activism Independent Study

Student: Seth Mitchell, PhD student, Department of Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Independent Study Instructor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Fall 2023

Course Overview: This study will explore the everyday processes and consequences of collective organizing, specifically within the context of arts-based activism. The study will address conceptual qualities of arts-based activism, case studies of collective movements engaging in these practices, underlying theorizations and philosophy guiding their engagement, and an exploration of the experiences and implications of these practices. Particular attention is to be paid to how occupation is enacted at the collective level for social transformation.

Learning Objectives: The learning objectives for the course include:

• Understand and describe how collectively organized, arts-based projects unfold from conception, production, distribution, and appraisal.
• Describe and reflect upon the consequences of arts-based activism for the collective and context at large.
• Identify and explore what everyday practices and material products of and by collective movements reveal about the powered structures and policies they moving within and against.
• Conduct a literature review exploring the relationships between community doing, collective action, and cultural production.

Orange County Home Preservation Coalition Program Evaluation Practicum

Student: Jen Farris, dual degree Master of City and Regional Planning (transportation planning specialization) and Master in Public Health (health behavior specialization)

Community Partner: Orange County Home Preservation Coalition (OCHPC)

CPL Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Summer 2023

Project Overview: Jen is partnering with the CPL to conduct a program evaluation for the Orange County Home Preservation Coalition (OCHPC), integrating a racial equity lens throughout the evaluation. OCHPC is made up of a group of partner organizations that work together to preserve, repair, and modify homes so homeowners can continue living in them comfortably and safely. Key deliverables will include:

• • Conduct a literature review exploring the relationship between home weatherization and health, compiling findings into a memo. The purpose of the deliverable is help the Coalition to contextualize the importance of weatherization and HVAC projects and health outcomes, especially for older adults, in relation to their home repair work and delivery of weatherization projects.
  • Develop a Data Collection methodology. The purpose of this memo is to outline the various data sources used in the data collection process and how they were applied to the program evaluation.
  • Develop a final program evaluation report. The purpose of the report is to describe the Coalition and its goals, findings of the program evaluation, and outline recommendations for the Coalition to enhance the delivery of home preservation services within Orange County.

Deliverables:

Coalition-ing and Collective Impact Independent Study

Student: Kevin Giff, Department of City & Regional Planning, specialization in Housing and Community Development

Community Partner: Orange County Home Preservation Coalition (OCHPC)

CPL Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Spring 2022

Project Overview: Out of the response to the growing need for affordable home repair among low-income older adults in Orange County, NC, a collaborative of organizations that provide home repairs and modifications formed the Orange County Home Preservation Coalition (OCHPC) in 2017. The OCHPC formed with the primary goals to “increase communication and collaboration among organizations to decrease burden on clients and service seekers, many of whom are older adults” (Orange County Gov 2021). This course will take a deeper look at the OCHPC through examining varied approaches that existing home repair coalitions are employing, researching conceptual models (such as collective impact) that facilitate and sustain coalition-building, and understand the best practices that lead to successful collaboration.

Learning Objectives: The learning objectives for the course include:

• Examine varied approaches to home repair coalitions.
• Research conceptual models that support inter-organizational coalitions.
• Understand organizational structure that facilitate effective inter-organizational coalition.

Deliverable:

Partners in Home Preservation Report Practicum

Student: Morgan Cooper, dual degree Master of City and Regional Planning (economic development specialization) & Master of Public Health (health behavior concentration)

Community Partner: Orange County Home Preservation Coalition (OCHPC)

CPL Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Ryan Lavalley

Term: Summer-Fall 2021

Project Overview: The Partners in Home Preservation Program Report evaluates the operations and core components of two home repair coalitions, which aim to preserve affordable housing, improve energy efficiency of homes, and promote aging in community. Across home repair providers, funders, and referral partners, the coalitions use streamlined intake, coordinated case management, a centralized home assessment process, collaborative data sharing mechanisms, and unified evaluation to strengthen home repair resources. This practicum enabled field research to generate evaluative findings and key recommendations as a glidepath for future implementation.