Rebecca Hammad, an OTR and certified lymphedema therapist, started a lymphedema program at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA, where she used her training to modify the traditional approach to CDT for individuals experiencing acute and chronic edema after injury or illness.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, Dr. Jamie Wilcox pioneered programs and services that focused on guiding patients through their health challenges throughout the continuum of care, from hospitalization to rehabilitation to the return home.
COTAs are making a difference every day in their work and we want to recognize the COTAs whose work supports NBCOT’s mission by making an outstanding impact on the clients they serve.
Kelly Parmet, a COTA from Texas, acted quickly to implement an innovative program to create a uniform technique and protocol for turning and positioning ICU patients who were intubated due to COVID.
The Innovation and Impact Award winners have demonstrated actions that truly support NBCOT’s mission of serving the public interest by advancing client care and professional practice.
For students with special needs, entering the workforce can present new challenges and add anxiety and uncertainty to their lives. Thanks to Deborah Schwind, an innovative OTR working for Loudoun County Public Schools, students are introduced to vocational skills early in their education and use school routines to build transition skills, leading to more positive outcomes upon graduation.
As a mother with first-hand experience of having children in the NICU, Dr. Bobbi Pineda has dedicated years of research and program development to improve not only the developmental outcomes of high-risk infants but also the overall experience for families who have a child in the NICU.
Teresa Boynton, an OTR from Colorado, developed the Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool (BMAT) so nurses could better determine patients’ current mobility status and safely handle them.
While working as an occupational therapist in an outpatient dual diagnosis clinic (mental illness and substance use), Dr. Pat Precin noticed a gap in services—living skills were being taught without regard to an individual’s substance use.
Katie Blahnik, a COTA in Colorado, recognized that OT could play an important role in the implementation of the Eat, Sleep, Console protocol to help infants who are experiencing drug withdrawal.
