UIC OT Faculty

Faculty All UIC OT faculty engage in teaching, scholarship, and service, combining the three roles within a focused area of expertise. The faculty are influential in the field, leading state, national, and international work groups and committees; conducting research; publishing and presenting their work in a variety of venues.

Glen Cotton, OTD, OTR/L Christine Finnegan, OTR/L Celeste Januszewski, OTR/L Kay McGee, MS, OTR/L Kimberly Muir, MS, OTR/L Supriya Sen, OTD, OTR/

ADDITIONAL MASTER CLINICIANS from the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System and other local employers also contribute to the master’s and OTD programs.

Further details about faculty scholarship and their curriculum vitae are available on our website: www.ahs.uic.edu/ot

www.ahs.uic.edu/ot

03-14 / 200 / jh.design@rcn.com

AFFILIATED CLINICAL FACULTY who have a primary clinical role and a secondary teaching role:

Core Faculty Theresa Carroll, OTD, OTR/L Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Carroll is co-instructor for Foundations and Methods for Therapy in Early Intervention and School Based Practice, Introduction to OT Practice, and Synthesis I. She also contributes to pediatric and adolescent course content. She has clinical experience working with children and adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities in early intervention, school, and community practice settings.

Dr. Carroll’s scholarly interests include promoting selfadvocacy and meaningful participation for youth with severe disabilities, expanding occupational therapy’s role in school based practice, and the transition from school to community participation for adolescents.

Heidi Fischer, MS, OTR/L Clinical Instructor Heidi Fischer is lead instructor for OT Practice: Functional Movement and Mobility, Co-Instructor for Human Structure and Function and a facilitator for Synthesis I. She is Clinical Research Coordinator in the Hand Rehabilitation Laboratory at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and has served as Quality Consultant for AOTA. Her scholarly interests include investigating virtual reality, robotics and task-oriented treatment for the upper extremity following stroke and enhancing participation, inclusion and advocacy for people with disabilities.

Gail Fisher, MPA, OTR/L, FAOTA Clinical Associate Professor Gail Fisher teaches courses on occupational therapy theories and the health care system. She has created a theory-based assessment for group homes that is used internationally.

She also studies public policy and payment systems that affect access to therapy. She is the director of admissions for the master’s program and the Chair of the American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee.

Joy Hammel, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA Professor, Director of OTD Program, and Wade/Meyer Endowed Chair Joy Hammel directs participatory research related to community living and participation with people with disabilities and older adults, evaluating the impact of environmental barriers and supports upon participation and health, and effecting systems change and community capacity building. She teaches three courses for doctoral students, and contributes to several master’s-level courses.

Catherine Killian, MEd, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator Clinical Instructor Catherine Killian oversees fieldwork experiences for master’s and OTD students. She leads the Leadership and Management course which includes content on specific leadership and management skills, program development and evaluation, ethics and quality improvement. Research interests include the role of occupational therapy in the Primary Care practice setting as well as early patient mobility, safe patient handling and fieldwork education.

Jenica Lee, OTD, OTR/L Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Lee is the lead instructor for Occupational Performance in Adolescents and Adults and co-instructor for Therapeutic Use of Self and Psychosocial Aspects of Occupational Performance. She has scholarly interests in productive aging and the application of the Model of Human Occupation in occupational therapy practice.

Sandy Magaña, PhD, MSW Professor Sandy Magaña’s research is directed at the cultural context of families who care for persons with disabilities and mental illness.

This includes a focus on health disparities for minority caregivers and diagnosis and treatment disparities for Latino and Black children with an autism spectrum disorder. She has a joint appointment with the Department of Disability and Human Development.

Susan Magasi, PhD Assistant Professor Susan Magasi conducts research on reduction of inequities in health care access, outcomes, and quality experienced by people with disabilities; the development of valid and accessible outcome measures; and factors that contribute to health related quality of life among people with chronic medical conditions. She coteaches the research course for master’s students.

Mansha Mirza, PhD, OTR/L, MS HSOR Assistant Professor Mansha Mirza’s research addresses health and disability issues and related service disparities among low-income, underserved communities, with a special focus on immigrant and refugee newcomers. She co-teaches the research course for master’s students.

Elizabeth Walker Peterson, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA Clinical Professor, Director of the MS Program Elizabeth Peterson teaches a variety of courses in the master’s program, covering topics from adult physical disabilities to ethics in OT practice. The goal of her scholarship is to develop interventions to prevent falls and manage fear of falling among well and at-risk individuals, with special attention to people living with multiple sclerosis.

Kathy Preissner, EdD, OTR/L Clinical Associate Professor Kathy Preissner is an academic fieldwork coordinator. Her role includes overseeing fieldwork experiences for master’s and OTD students. She contributes to the first problem-based learning synthesis course and has expertise in adult neurological disabilities. Her scholarly work focuses on teaching and learning in occupational therapy education and practice, fieldwork education, and self-management educational programs for people with multiple sclerosis.

Ashley Stoffel, OTD, OTR/L Clinical Assistant Professor Ashley Stoffel teaches courses on occupational performance in children, occupational therapy intervention with children, and an advanced occupational therapy practice course. She is also a practicing clinician with young children. Her scholarship is aimed at implementing family-centered early intervention and childrens’ services in community settings to individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, PhD Professor and Department Head Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar conducts community-based participatory research evaluating health interventions for people of color and examining culturally competent outreach, research, and services for people with disabilities. She also studies rehabilitation outcomes for Latinos and African Americans. She teaches elective courses to doctoral students and contributes to master’s-level courses.

Renée Taylor, PhD Professor Renee Taylor is internationally recognized for her work on the predictors and correlates of chronic fatigue. Another line of her research is directed at clinical outcomes research and the development and testing of assessments that stem from Taylor’s Intentional Relationship Model, a model of client-therapist communication in occupational therapy. Her third line of research involves psychometric testing and outcomes research related to Kielhofner’s Model of Human Occupation. She is the Director of the Model of Human Occupational Clearinghouse.

Dr. Taylor is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at UIC.