Specialization in Occupational Therapy

Program Coordinator: Dr. Andrew Gordon
Phone: (212) 678-3325
Fax: (212) 678-3322
Email:

In a combined effort with the Occupational Therapy Programs at Columbia University 's College of Physicians and Surgeons , we now offer a doctoral (Ed.D.)specialization in Occupational Therapy (OT). Columbia University 's Programs in Occupational Therapy is one of the oldest yet exceptionally progressive programs to educate occupational therapists. The program's roots began in 1916, and the academic degree program began in 1941. Since that time, Columbia University has been at the forefront of occupational therapy education. The program is committed to educating and preparing therapists to impact health care as superior clinicians, administrators, educators, and researchers. Today, the OT Program is also a top-ten ranked program, and the combined expertise with movement science and education/kinesiology faculty further adds expertise to both areas. Students take core and research preparation course work in the Movement Science program, and coursework in the Occupational Therapy Program. The research would be carried out largely under the supervision of Occupational Therapy faculty, with the additional support of Movement Science faculty.

This specialization is a unique opportunity for Occupational Therapists that incorporates the study of neuromotor and physiological function as it relates to participation in daily life. Prospective students should already have a Masters degree and be licensed in occupational therapy. Students enrolled in the Ed.D. Program will have an opportunity to advance basic and applied science as it relates to occupational therapy and movement science.  Broad areas of research fall under the following categories: 

• How movement and posture support participation in daily living.
• Movement impairment and its impact on functional daily living skills
• Development and testing of real world / ecologically valid assessments of motor function
• Development and testing of occupation based practice guidelines

Current and potential areas of specific research foci include:

• The role of perception, motor, and cognition in the context of daily living.
• How mental imagery and practice affects recovery after central nervous system dysfunction.
• Vestibular, sensory and motor impairment as manifested in patients with psychiatric disorders, and its affect on participation in daily living.

Degree:

The Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) with a specialization in Occupational Therapy is directed toward preparing the current and the next generation of leaders in Occupational Therapy (OT) with interests in movement-based areas of education. These leaders will assume professorial roles in Universities and Colleges within departments of Occupational Therapy. The degree may lead to: 

• Tenure-track faculty position in Occupational Therapy departments emphasizing teaching and applied research.
• Research Coordinator (university, hospital, clinic)
• Director/Administrator (university, teaching hospital)

For more info, see our brochure:  4724_OT-EdD-Brochure.pdf

Dr Carol Ewing Garber is a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist and an Associate Professor of Movement Science and Education (Applied Physiology).  She received a B.S with distinction in Education, and the M.A. and Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.  Her research focuses on the role of physical activity and exercise in preventing and treating chronic diseases and in promoting successful aging.  She has served in leadership positions in many professional and community organizations, currently serving on the Board of Directors for the American College of Sports Medicine and on the Editorial Board of the journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.  Previously, she was the president of the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine and of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Heart Association, chairperson of the National Clinical Exercise Physiology Registry and the Rhode Island Governor’s Council on Exercise and Health,. Dr. Garber was an associate editor of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, a contributing author to the ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, and section editor the ACSM Resource Manual to accompany the Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Dr. Garber has published over 55 articles in peer-reviewed journals and peer-reviewed book chapters, and other publications, Prior to joining the faculty at TC in 2007, she served on the faculty at the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and at the Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI.