Dr. Betty Risteen Hasselkus, Emeritus Professor of Kinesiology/Occupational Therapy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, visited UNC Chapel Hill in March as the 2013 Mitchell Symposium Scholar.
In addition to classroom visits and individual consultations with faculty members and students, Hasselkus participated in a discussion titled “The Lived Experience of Doing Research” with faculty and PhD students on March 5, and delivered a public lecture titled “Everyday Occupations: The Heart of Research and Practice” on March 6.
During her over 40 years of active participation in the profession of occupational therapy, Dr. Hasselkus has focused her research, teaching, and practice on the everyday occupational experience of people in the community, with a special emphasis on family care giving for older family members, physician-family caregiver relationships, meanings of everyday occupation to dementia day care staff, and the meaning of doing occupational therapy.
The Mitchell Symposium is named in honor of Drs. Marlys and Earl (Mitch) Mitchell and has been made possible through generous gifts from Drs. Ruth Humphry and Bruce Carney, as well as other supporters.