News

The Society for the Study of Occupation:USA (SSO:USA) annual conference is always a highlight of the year in the profession, and UNC’s Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy will have multiple faculty, students and alumni presenting at this year’s event in St. Louis. Those attending hope to connect with...

Susan Coppola, MS, OT/L, OTD, FAOTA and Professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, was one of twenty-five UNC faculty members and graduate teaching assistants recognized with 2023 University Teaching Awards.

Overview World Occupational Therapy (OT) Day is observed annually on October 27 to celebrate and increase awareness of occupational therapy. The World Federation of Occupational Therapists provides the framework for World OT Day observances each year. The theme selected for 2022 was “Opportunity + Choice = Justice.” OT and OTA...

Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor within the division of OSOT. The Hortense K. McClinton Outstanding Faculty Award honors a faculty or staff member, past or present, who has made outstanding contributions to the Carolina community. The award is given by UNC’s Black Alumni Reunion.

Ryan Lavalley (PhD ’19), is an assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy who places focus on applying OT skills and interventions in community settings. A 2019 graduate of the PhD in Occupational Science program here at UNC-Chapel Hill, Lavalley has been quick to make deep...

Dr. Khalilah Johnson has received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Scholars for Action award. Johnson is an assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the UNC School of Medicine. The $250,000 grant will support her project,...

In the fall of 2017, Amanda Carroll ’09 (’12 MS, ’21 PhD) returned to UNC to pursue a PhD in occupational science with a goal of better understanding the relationships between military service, occupational participation, resilience and successful aging for older U.S. military veterans. “I’ve always been interested in military...

At the annual Public Service Awards event held on April 15, Ryan Lavalley, post-doctoral research associate in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, was among 11 individuals and one organization honored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for outstanding contributions to the campus and broader...

Khalilah Johnson has received a 2021 MLK Unsung Hero Award from the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, an initiative of the Office of the Provost at UNC-Chapel Hill. The awards, given annually, recognize those who have exemplified a commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Johnson, an assistant professor in...

It is with sadness that the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy shares news of Jane Davis Rourk’s recent death. It is with appreciation that we say goodbye to this extraordinary and humble leader and friend. Rourk, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA, was an associate professor of occupational therapy at UNC-Chapel...