University of Kansas Occupational Therapy Education

10/21/2026

🌟 Level II Fieldwork: Learning Beyond the Classroom! 🌟

Our KU Entry-Level OTD students take their learning into practice through Level II Fieldwork experiences across the Kansas City metro, throughout Kansas, and across the country! 💙 These experiences give students the opportunity to grow their clinical skills, learn from experienced occupational therapy professionals, and serve communities in a variety of practice settings.

Are you an OT interested in becoming a Fieldwork Educator and helping shape the next generation of occupational therapists? We’d love to connect with you!

📩 Reach out to Denise Sangoi at [email protected] to learn more about becoming a Fieldwork Educator.

10/05/2026

OTDE Student Spotlight! We’re proud to celebrate Jadeyn Campbell, 2nd year OTDE student, who presented at the 2026 MOTA Conference: Building Community: Harnessing the Power of OT in the Heartland.

Jadeyn presented her poster, “OT Population Health Fieldwork Pilot: Reflections on Developing a Community-Based Level I Experience.”

Developed in Spring 2026, the pilot was created in partnership with Oziel Pruneda from the Wyandotte Community Health Council and Lawrence Lewis from Youthfront/Snack and Shack, and was developed and mentored by Dr. Adriana Goncalves Queiroz, PhD, OTR/L, CHW, OTDE faculty.

The project explored social drivers of health and occupation-based program development with teenagers participating in an afterschool program in Wyandotte County. The work aligned with the Healthy People 2030 goal of reducing the burden of diabetes and improving quality of life for people who have, or are at risk for, diabetes.

We’re excited to see our students engaging in meaningful, community-based work that demonstrates the impact occupational therapy can have beyond traditional healthcare settings. 💙 Congratulations, Jadeyn, on sharing this important work and representing OTDE at the conference! 👏🎉

This experience was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR002366. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

09/29/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Tobi Zanotto on his new NIH-funded research project, "Resilience in Older Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease"!

As a Research Project Leader within the newly funded Kansas-Successful Aging and Resilience COBRE (K-SARC) (mPIs: Drs. Troen & Swerdlow), Dr. Zanotto will investigate how non-invasive measures of physiological resilience relate to kidney, physical, and cognitive function in older adults with chronic kidney disease. The project will also explore biological mechanisms linked to aging, including inflammation, epigenetic changes, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

This NIH award is one of four projects supported through K-SARC, a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence focused on advancing geroscience research on successful aging and resilience at KUMC.

09/28/2026

REMINDER! The Fall Merch Store closes THIS Wednesday, September 30th at 11:59pm! 😊 Don't miss your chance to place your order! 🛍️

Link to Order: https://kumcotfall26.itemorder.com/shop/home/

09/24/2026

Last weekend, KU Entry-Level OTD faculty, alumni, and TS Ph.D. students attended the annual KOTA Conference! 💙 The conference was a wonderful opportunity to learn from practicing occupational therapists, share knowledge, and connect with others across professions. Our students, faculty, and alumni also contributed to the OT community by presenting posters and sharing research, projects, and experiences with fellow therapists.

We were also excited to host a booth and connect with professionals while sharing opportunities within our department, including events and ways to engage with our alumni, community partners, and practicing professionals. Events like the KOTA conference continue to make a meaningful impact on the occupational therapy community. At KU OTE, we believe in lifting up and supporting all occupational therapists and other therapists—whether they graduated from our programs or not. When we support one another, share knowledge, and celebrate the work happening across our professions, we help strengthen the OT community and ensure we continue to provide meaningful, high-quality care to the people we serve.

Thank you, KOTA, for another great conference and for bringing our OT community together! 💙

09/22/2026

🎉The second wave of our Class of 2027 students headed out for their Level II Fieldwork this week! 🎉

We are incredibly excited to see our students continue to grow their skills, build confidence, and gain valuable hands-on experience across a variety of occupational therapy practice settings. From acute care and rehabilitation to pediatrics, schools, mental health, and community-based settings, our students are making an impact wherever they go! 🌟

📍 Fieldwork Placements:

* Barnes Jewish Hospital
* PEWC
* University Health Lakewood
* KUMC — Burns
* St. Luke’s Rehab Institute
* Children’s Mercy Hospital
* North Kansas City Hospital
* Flint Hills Special Education
* KCMO Schools
* Research Psych
* Ability KC — Pediatrics
* MOVE
* Ignite Medical Resort
* Kids TLC
* ANW
* KU Driving/JaySTART
* Shawnee Mission School District
* Russell Child Development Center
* North Kansas City Hospital — Acute Rehab Unit
* MSAC
* Minds Matter
* ASF
* Tallgrass Creek
* KUMC — Rehab or Acute Care
* Children’s Therapy Services

We are so proud of you, Class of 2027! 💙 Your hard work has brought you to this exciting next step, and we can’t wait to see all you accomplish during your Level II Fieldwork experience! Go make an impact, future OTs! 🖐️✨

09/18/2026

🎉 Give a BIG shoutout to Dr. Alice Zhang! 🎉

We are thrilled to celebrate Dr. Alice Zhang, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Education at KU Medical Center, for being recognized by the Kansas Board of Regents as a 2026 Staff/Faculty of the Year honoree! 💙❤️

This recognition celebrates Dr. Zhang’s outstanding contributions to teaching, student success, research, institutional excellence, and the Kansas community. We are incredibly proud to have her as part of the KU Occupational Therapy Education family!

Congratulations, Dr. Zhang! Your dedication to our students, our profession, and our program makes a lasting impact. 🥳👏

🔗 Read more about this well-deserved recognition: (https://news.ku.edu/news/article/kansas-board-of-regents-recognizes-outstanding-contributions-of-five-ku-employees?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

The five faculty and staff represent the University of Kansas campuses in Lawrence and the KU Medical Center in Kansas City. The honor recognizes contributions by state university employees.

09/14/2026

🏆 Nominate an Outstanding KU Health Professions Alumni!

Nominations are now open for three prestigious KU School of Health Professions Alumni Awards! Do you know someone who has made a meaningful impact through their profession, patient care, research, teaching, community service, or contributions to the University of Kansas?

✨ Distinguished Alumni Award
✨ Early Career Achievement Alumni Award
✨ Honorary Alumni Award

Help us recognize the KU graduates and supporters who are making a difference in health care and beyond.

📅 Nomination deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026

Nominations should include a letter from the nominator and a letter of support from another individual, submitted together as one PDF.

👉 Submit a nomination: https://t.e2ma.net/webview/e0bkrl/800111598a971cd64398f8d5c797c9c1

Questions? Contact Rachel Sherley at [email protected].

KU header with red bar and grid lines # Alumni Awards Open for Nominations Faculty and Staff, Nominations are being accepted for three prestigious alumni awards. Please consider submitting a nomination for one or more by Monday, October 5, 2026. Winners will be recognized at this year's holiday lunc...

09/08/2026

✨ Learning Through Collaboration! ✨

On Monday, August 31st students in OTDE 730 Population Health and Wellness experienced a great example of OTR and COTA collaboration in action!

Dr. Adriana Queiroz, OTR/L, introduced students to the Pizzi Health and Wellness Assessment (PHWA) and Manfred Max-Neef’s Matrix of Human Needs, encouraging students to explore these tools for themselves.

Danielle Malan, COTA/L, CEO of The Solutions Broker(focusonlovingyourself.com), then demonstrated how this knowledge can be translated into practice through a wellness intervention.

We love hands-on learning, collaboration, and seeing our students connect classroom concepts to real-world occupational therapy practice! 💙💛