March 23, 2024
Dr. Lindsey Morris and Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) students Nia Monteiro, Palma Foschi Walko, and Chapin Graham presented "Tech-Ready Therapists: Embracing Mainstream Technology for Enhanced Occupational Engagement" at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) 2024 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.
The AOTA Conference poster session provided the OTD students, mentored by Dr. Andrea Fairman-Laferrier at Johnson & Wales University, an opportunity to showcase their doctoral capstone project efforts.
Palma Foschi-Walko has been working on the ASSIST Project for her doctoral capstone project. She also worked as a Research Assistant for the University of Pittsburgh’s Rehabilitation Science & Technology Department to help conduct reliability testing on the AFPI (Fairman et al, 2023).
Nia Monteiro also worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Pittsburgh through the Health Information Management (HIM) Department on the development and testing on the Wireless RERC D2 project - MoDAT (Mobile Device Assessment Tool). She is presently working with persons with disabilities in the community who were referred from Ocean State Center for Independent Living, located in Warwick, RI. Nia’s capstone project is intended to help persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities learn how to use and apply various accessibility features on their smartphones for her doctoral capstone project. Palma and Nia will be graduating this coming May 2024.
Chapin Graham will continue to apply the skills she is developing as a Research Assistant on the MoDAT Project to assist homeless veterans in developing increased digital literacy skills at the Veterans Administration (VA)HUD VASH Program located in Providence, RI, next spring. Chapin is scheduled to graduate in May 2025.