The occupational therapy program in the School of Medicine & Health Sciences graduated its inaugural cohort over Commencement weekend.
Joyce Maring, the executive associate dean for health sciences at SMHS, said officials launched the doctorate program for occupational therapy students in 2022 after regional clinical partners expressed a need for qualified occupational therapists. Over the last three years, the program obtained a No. 30 national ranking among occupational therapy programs, enrolled more than 70 students and counts this year’s Commencement student speaker among its 26 graduates.
Occupational therapy is a wide-ranging field that provides support for people, ranging from helping patients recovering from an injury perform daily activities to assisting patients with adaptive equipment, like shower chairs, according to the American Occupational Therapy Association. GW, Howard University and Trinity Washington University are the only universities in the District with occupational therapy programs.
Roger Ideishi, the program’s director, said the program takes a “unique” approach to occupational therapy education by centering the curriculum around health equity and focusing on advocacy, like requiring a systems and advocacy course that prepares students to lobby for occupational therapy on Capitol Hill. He said on the disability justice-focused “Down to the Struts” podcast last month that while his time as the occupational therapy program director at Temple University was “wonderful,” he was “retrofitting” the curriculum to focus more on advocacy, while coming to GW gave him the opportunity to build an innovative curriculum focused on advocacy and equity.
“Observing and recognizing the GW OT students develop and live the mission and vision we set out is the greatest lesson learned from our students; that we can build a successful OT education with a health equity lens,” Ideishi said in an email.
Ideishi said the disabled community faces challenges not always because of their disability but because society isn’t “physically and socially” designed in inclusive ways. A document on the program’s themes provided to The Hatchet states that students and faculty promote equity by advocating for “an inclusive society.”
“Our mission is to prepare health care practitioners who work to close the equity and disparities gaps and support those who are excluded or do not get opportunities to engage in the community,” Ideishi said.
Ideishi said the program works with GW Hospital and the GW Medical Faculty Associates on upper extremity rehabilitation research, which helps patients restore mobility to their hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder after an injury. He added that the program partners with organizations in the DMV region, along with Pittsburgh and Houston, to expand arts education and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
“We are expanding by deepening the relationship we have with our community partners,” he said.
Ideishi said officials plan to expand the cohort size, which currently sits at 22 to 26 students, in the coming years as the program becomes more established and visible in the profession.
Students take 32 courses with their cohort, totaling 104 credits spread out over eight semesters. The first five semesters focus on instruction in the classroom, which includes courses on neuroscience, human development and leadership and management, with a part-time fieldwork rotation meant to give students an early look into clinic work before their last three semesters, which focus on full-time clinic fieldwork and a capstone project, according to the program’s website.
Maring said SMHS previously offered a post-professional program for occupational therapists with degrees at the master’s level who were seeking “advanced” qualifications but moved the program to an entry-level doctorate program, citing decreased need for a post-professional degree in the profession.
Sarah Doerrer, an assistant professor in the occupational therapy program, said the program passed its accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education “with flying colors” in December. The process, which began in 2018, included an application, a self-study report and an “intensive” three-day on-site evaluation in October 2024, according to the program’s website.
“Accreditation went really well,” she said. “We didn’t have many things to work on.”
The program operates in a hybrid format that meets on campus every other week, and during virtual weeks, students completed mostly asynchronous work, though they met on Zoom on Thursdays for live classes. Natalie Anzaldúa, a new graduate and Commencement student speaker, said officials changed the schedule for future cohorts to meet every other week instead of one week per month because of the level of in-person, hands-on learning students needed.
Anzaldúa said she chose to study at GW over other schools because of the program’s focus on advocacy and acknowledgment of inequities in healthcare.
“People are asking you questions and make you reflect on, ‘Hmm, what do I think about this? What are my biases?’” she said. “Other programs, they don’t really talk about that.”
Anzaldúa added that Ideishi told her it’s what he “dreamt of” that the program is graduating its first cohort and celebrating its student commencement speaker.
Anzaldúa said in her Commencement speech that during her interview for the program, she was asked what she had seen in her clinical experiences that she disagreed with, which she said showed GW’s focus on advocacy.
“For the first time in my life, someone wanted to hear me ask ‘Why?’” she said. “My question was not labeled as trouble — it was seen as potential.”
Students complete a 14-week capstone project of their choice after completing all coursework and fieldwork, according to the program website. Recent graduate Emma Tober worked with Spectrum Sailing, a South Carolina organization that teaches sailing to people with autism, for her capstone. She attended three camps and sailed with autistic youth as part of her research on nontraditional treatment settings, like nature-based therapy.
“It was definitely a very strong interest of mine, just to kind of show the impact that we can have in community settings and the importance of inclusion and recreation,” Tober said.
Victoria Leger, a program graduate, said she chose GW for occupational therapy because of opportunities like volunteering at the White House and advocating for occupational therapy on Capitol Hill.
“After I heard all of that, then I was completely sold on the program,” Leger said.
Students, including Anzaldúa and fellow graduate Natalie Sipes, have worked at clinics including the MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Northwest D.C. and the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Students said they practiced their advocacy on Hill Day, when they met with congressional offices to discuss legislation to expand access to occupational therapy, including for those with mental health disorders.
Natalie Harper, a second-year student in the program, said she ran into Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), her hometown representative, during the day and said he was receptive to her support for occupational therapy.
“It was just cool to go and feel like my voice was actually being heard,” Harper said.
Students in the first cohort participated in the first ever sensory-friendly White House Easter Egg Roll in 2023. Sipes said the egg roll included beeping eggs, which made the tradition accessible for children with vision impairments, and quiet areas and accessible walkways for attendees.
“It was just really special and definitely something that you can’t find anywhere else,” she said.
Doerrer said the group has given faculty “a lot of grace” and praised them for their patience as professors worked to ensure their curriculum is working and matching the vision of the program.
“They kind of built such a great relationship with each other and support system for each other,” Doerrer said.
