WashU Medicine Occupational Therapy Program

05/28/2026

We are proud to introduce our 19th PhD graduate! Samah Gassass, defended her dissertation “Cortical Plasticity following Peripheral Nerve Injury in the Upper Extremity” on May 14. She was mentored by Ben Philip, PhD, and Lisa Tabor Connor, PhD, MSOT, OTR/L. Congratulations, Samah!

05/21/2026

Celebrating the 108th graduating class of the Program in Occupational Therapy! 🎓
We are so proud of our MSOT, OTD, and PP-OTD graduates!

We were also thrilled to recognize two 50-year alumni, William Gielow, BSOT ‘76 and Cindy Bonskowski, BSOT ’76, who joined the festivities. 💚

Thanks to all for a joyful and memorable celebration at Graham Chapel, especially to our commencement speaker, alumna Jill Cigliana, MSOT '00, OTR/L for her inspiring message of service through compassion, purpose and leadership.

Congratulations, class of 2026!

WashU Alumni

05/14/2026

Attention Class of 2026! We will be live streaming Commencement tomorrow, Friday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m. CST. Here is the link to share with family and friends: https://ow.ly/eZT650YZMpO Let the celebrations begin!

WashU Occupational Therapy 2025 Commencement Ceremony

05/11/2026

WashU Medicine's Program in OT is proud to be hosting the 2026 OT Summit of Scholars. This annual research conference was established to bring OT scholars together to share their research, network and formulate innovative ideas to advance the science of occupational therapy. This year's program kick offs with a welcome reception at the beautiful Missouri Botanical Gardens the evening of June 11. Conference sessions will be held on the WashU Medical campus on June 12 & 13. Registration is open! Email [email protected] for more information. Thanks to our sponsors, NBCOT and AOTF for their generous support!
📸: Huy Mach and Matt Miller, WashU Medicine



NBCOT® - OTR® & COTA® Certification
American Occupational Therapy Foundation

The University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions Department of Occupational Therapy June 6-8, 2024 HPNP Complex, UF Campus Gainesville, Florida

05/08/2026

At the recent AOTA Inspire Conference, several WashU Faculty were recognized for their service to AOTA and AOTF. Congratulations especially to Dr. Lenin Grajo, Dr. Kerri Morgan and Dr. Quinn Tyminski who all received the Roster of Fellows award from AOTA and to Dr. Carolyn Baum who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from AOTF. We are proud of the outstanding service our faculty pour into their profession!

American Occupational Therapy Association - AOTA
American Occupational Therapy Foundation

04/18/2026

Let's take a second to highlight two of our recent alums! MaKayla Todd (MSOT '21) and Mario Millsap (MSOT '20, PP-OTD '25) were both among the presenters at the 2026 Brain Injury Association of Missouri's Survivor and Family Seminar. MaKayla presented on managing sensory sensitivity and Mario facilitated a survivor discussion group. We love to see our alums making an impact. Thanks to faculty member Jessica Kersey for sharing this photo!

04/15/2026

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Kerri Morgan is a recipient of the 2026 Provost Impact Award!

Dr. Morgan's winning project, Wheelchair user physical activity training intervention to enhance cardiometabolic health (WATCH), is a community-based randomized control trial which examines the impact of tailored, intensity-controlled physical activity training on cardiometabolic health in wheelchair users.

Kerri will be recognized tonight at the William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award Research Showcase, which elevates and recognizes WashU faculty and their community partners for their innovative and impactful research and for their deep engagement with the region.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Morgan!

04/14/2026

We are proud of OT students Romary Cardenas Rifka (MSOT ’26) and Brianna Grant (OTD ’27) and OT staff member Robin Hattori who were all selected to present at “In Our Words: Gratitude” on March 26.

This event brings the WashU community together to foster connection and promote well-being through storytelling. Brianna presented a quilt she made titled “Let Gratitude Be Your Attitude.” Romary and Robin each read pieces they wrote, “Threads of Gratitude” (Romary) and “In Jean’s Memory” (Robin). Visit inourwords.wustl.edu to learn more and see photos more photos.

Thanks to the WashU Medicine Office of Education and the Bernard Becker Medical Library for organizing this powerful community event!

A website by WashU Sites

04/08/2026

April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month! We are proud of our clinical team, the excellence they bring to their practice and the impact they make with each patient visit.

💚 Happy Occupational Therapy Month! 💚

This April, we are proud to celebrate the incredible clinicians across our Clinical Division who make a meaningful impact every single day. Through compassion, innovation, and evidence-based care, you help individuals of all ages participate in the activities that matter most and live life to the fullest.

Your dedication to patients, families, and our community does not go unnoticed. We are so grateful for the difference you make.

💬 Let’s celebrate together!
Drop a comment below to:
• Recognize a clinician who has made an impact
• Share a favorite OT moment
• Or tell us what occupational therapy means to you

👏 Help us show our appreciation for this amazing team!

03/23/2026

Dr. Carolyn Baum, Professor Emerita of Occupational Therapy, delivered the first Historia Medica lecture of 2026 on Wednesday, March 18. Dr. Baum’s talk, ‘From Principles to Methods: Linking Neuroscience to Everyday Life’, detailed how she helped develop the science-driven practice of occupational therapy and did pioneering work that linked neuroscience and daily wellness.

Following the lecture, the celebration continued in the Glaser Gallery of the Bernard Becker Medical Library, where attendees enjoyed the latest exhibit: ‘Compounding Potential: A History of the Neurosciences at WashU.’ Dr. Baum’s work is highlighted in the exhibit as well.

Special thanks to the Becker Library Archives team for making this collaboration possible. It was a wonderful evening of history, science and community!

WashU Medicine Becker Library