Johnna Belkiewitz, OTD, MAT, OTR, never thought she would see her post-nominal titles next to her printed name or find herself in an occupational therapy profession. Yet, Belkiewitz knew her overall life goal was to create more equitable access to opportunities for all people—from helping them with skill building to breaking down the barriers. This speaks to the heart of occupational therapy.
Originally from La Porte, Ind., Belkiewitz began her IU Indianapolis journey with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. While this achievement usually marks the end of many students’ run with higher education, it was only the beginning for Belkiewitz, as a teaching experience with Teach For America and a master’s degree in teaching from Marian University helped draw her back to IU Indianapolis for the IU Occupational Therapy program.
“I felt that this role would allow me to better help students struggling to access their education for a variety of trauma-related challenges or neurodiversity differences,” Belkiewitz said. “IU Indianapolis’ socially responsive curricular threads really attracted me to the program, and I appreciate the program’s emphasis on community-based practice.”
As her new educational journey began, Belkiewitz remembers feeling recognized and respected for her outside credentials by faculty she refers to as remarkable. As part of a small cohort, Belkiewitz also notes the benefits of having smaller class sizes, allowing her to develop professional relationships with people she leans on frequently for clinical perspectives.
Along with being a scholarship award recipient and AOTA National Conference presenter, among other experiences, Belkiewitz was found spearheading two research projects with faculty members, one project examining the effectiveness of the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in teens at Hope Academy. This connection led Belkiewitz to landing a part-time job with the recovery high school, utilizing EMA to provide responsive care for students and to educate their staff members.
Victoria Garcia-Wilburn, D.H.Sc., OTR, CLT, FAOTA, the faculty member overseeing this initiative with Hope Academy, shared that Belkiewitz grew exponentially and became a team leader.
“I have seen her grow from a cautious collaborator to an independent leader, venturing out as a new grad into bold new areas of practice,” Garcia-Wilburn said.
Belkiewitz also shared her experience working under faculty member Sally Wasmuth, Ph.D., OTR, through her narrative theater-based research that addresses stigma in diverse groups. Belkiewitz’s contributions to Wasmuth’s research led to her current part-time job at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. In her research health science specialist role, she studies the effectiveness of a theater-based stigma reduction training program for transgender and gender diverse veterans.
In addition to her current roles, Belkiewitz launched her business OT TranslatED, LLC plus serves as an adjunct professor with IU’s occupational therapy program and the Department of the Sciences of Rehabilitation of Léogâne at the Episcopal University of Haiti. With her large-scale resume as a clinician, researcher, and adjunct professor, Belkiewitz finds that this profession allows her to accomplish vast, valuable work in the work field.
“I feel like in each of my roles, I am able to promote more equitable access to opportunities, whether that’s helping a toddler achieve a developmental milestone or teaching a future occupational therapist how to incorporate evidence-based practices into their future care,” Belkiewitz said.
Looking back at her accomplishments within the occupational therapy program, Belkiewitz encourages students interested in medicine to consider doctoral-level allied health professions because of the room for opportunity and potential career paths they can offer.
“I think that it can be intimidating to enter a doctoral-level program, but it was in achieving this level of education that I am now able to open more doors of opportunity for others through research and teaching,” Belkiewitz said.