The Indiana University Occupational Therapy (IU OT) program, previously ranked number 42 in the nation, has jumped to number 27 in the latest U.S. News & World Report Rankings of Best Graduate Schools. In addition to transitioning from a master’s degree to a doctoral program, in recent years IU Occupational Therapy has added new state-of-the-art facilities and reinvented its program combining excellence in teaching and learning with a focus on community-engaged research and service.
Quickly becoming the hallmark of IU’s 36-month doctor of occupational therapy (OTD) program, a unique capstone curriculum gives students real-world experience in occupational therapy while serving the community. After completing three capstone-related courses, students engage with community organizations for individual projects that include a needs assessment to identify gaps in service. From there, students work alongside their organizations to design and implement human-centered interventions to address specific needs.
“Through the self-directed capstone project, students gain the leadership, communication, and professional skills they need to become leaders in occupational therapy,” said Julie Bednarski, OTD, MHS, OTR, clinical associate professor and director of the IU OT program. “The program is a distinguishing factor that sets our students apart from others entering the field with a master’s degree.”
The first and longest-standing occupational therapy program in Indiana, IU OT graduated its first entry-level OTD class in 2021. Since that time, the program has moved into a new Health Sciences building on the IU Indianapolis campus. The modern facilities include a fully equipped “Activities of Daily Living Apartment,” a pediatric laboratory with sensorimotor equipment, a lab featuring electrical stimulation and ultrasound equipment, a virtual reality platform, and 3D printing for developing adaptive devices.
“The OTD program is doing very well, and that’s partly due to the new facilities but also to the commitment of our faculty to engage in high-quality research,” said Rafael Bahamonde, Ph.D., FACSM, FISBS, founding dean and professor, IU School of Health & Human Sciences. “They not only conduct excellent research, but they are also a great teaching faculty that prepare students very well.”
Recipients of American Occupational Therapy Foundation grants, IU OT faculty members Sally Wasmuth, Ph.D., OTR, and Victoria Garcia-Wilburn, D.H.Sc., OTR, CLT, FAOTA, are leading groundbreaking behavioral health research with marginalized populations. Wasmuth’s one-act play “Do No Harm: Working in Post-Roe Indiana” was presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association national meeting in March 2024. Wilburn earned grant funding for her research and occupation-based programming for adolescents in addiction recovery.
“We offer a very well-rounded learning experience for our students—faculty with clinical expertise and also those with expertise and interest on the research side,” said Wilburn. “And then to align with our campus’ community engagement mission, we’ve been able to expand on what was once primarily a medically based curriculum to include opportunities for students to contribute, and for our community to benefit as well.”
Another IU OT faculty member, Tony Chase, Ph.D., was instrumental in launching Skills on Wheels, the nation’s first evidence-based training program that teaches essential wheelchair skills to children in wheelchairs. All these research and programming efforts provide opportunities for OT students to get involved.
“The IU OT program has so many amazing programs that students can be a part of to prepare for successful careers in the field,” said Dara Grove, a first-year student. “Programs such as Skills on Wheels and the IU Student Outreach Clinic give us an opportunity to expand our knowledge and gain real-life experiences.”
Madison Butcher, who just completed her second year in the OTD program, agrees.
“We are offered numerous activities to bring the OT lens into the Indianapolis community,” Butcher said. “IU OT goes above and beyond in providing ways for us to apply our education to real-world scenarios to prepare us for our future as clinicians.”