The Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (PPOTD) is for occupational therapists who already have a master's degree. In the online Post-Professional Doctoral program, you'll prepare to fulfill leadership roles that will make an impact on individuals and groups in such areas as health, functioning, wellness, and quality of life.
As a student in the PPOTD, you'll build your skills in leadership and evidence-based assessment in your area of practice specialization. You will develop critical thinking to address advanced practice, policy, and professional issues. In addition, you'll work on communicating, interpreting, and disseminating the results of your learning and research to both internal and external audiences. Under the advisement of faculty sponsors, you'll plan and develop a comprehensive leadership project in an area of specialty that can be either community or clinically based.
Note: Applicants to the post-professional and certificate programs apply through Tufts' application.
Please contact Jill Rocca, Occupational Therapy Admissions Coordinator, if you have any questions about the application process.
See Tuition and Financial Aid information for GSAS Programs. Note: This program is eligible for federal loans and Tufts tuition scholarships.
Research/Areas of Interest: Board Certification in Pediatrics (BCP) 2012-2022, American Occupational Therapy Association Occupational therapy evaluation and intervention in pediatrics, particularly contextual and strengths-based services Pediatrics Evaluation, including strengths-based evaluation, occupation-based evaluation, context & environment Intervention, including models of occupation-based service provision, contextual services, collaboration, strengths-based, least restrictive environment Program development, including systems approaches, strengths-based, mindfulness, social-emotional regulation, physical literacy Teaching and Learning Models of professional development, andragogy, self-regulated learning Project-based learning, technology in teaching and learning, using visual analog scales in course evaluation, concept mapping Online teaching and learning, course design (F2F, hybrid, online)
Research/Areas of Interest: Chronic Pain, Virtual Reality, Musculoskeletal Health, Ergonomics Nancy Baker's research focuses on ways to mitigate musculoskeletal pain, so people with chronic pain can increase their participation in everyday life. She focuses on three pain mitigation pathways: 1) workstation ergonomics to address work environment properties that propagate pain; 2) improving care delivery in CTS; and 3) virtual reality (VR) as a therapeutic medium for pain. Baker's research is eclectic and uses a variety of tools and techniques to answer her research questions. A new area for her, her current research examines how to implement VR into clinical practice. Here pilot work has looked at what types and dosages of VR are most effective, how different diagnoses, such as chronic back pain or osteoarthritis, respond to VR, and she has partnered with rehabilitation centers to trial different implementation practices. So far, her research consistently demonstrates that VR has a significant effect on pain and that it can be feasibly done by practicing therapists. Some results found a carryover of effect past the immediate VR session. Baker is also working with colleagues to examine new paradigms in carpal tunnel treatment and is completing a trial looking at dosage for standing desk use.
Research/Areas of Interest: Group Theory & Practice; Functional Group Model; Occupational Therapy Fieldwork, Mentoring My scholarship has focussed on development of an instrument to measure outcomes of group leader training related to common leader skills and functions and occupational therapy fieldwork. I currently participate in research projects regarding professional development, occupational therapy education, and community based program evaluation.
Research/Areas of Interest: Current research interests include the use of tele-health technologies and patient participation in healthcare outcomes. Other interests include the use of social media to enhance engagement and communication within the profession as well as with patients.
Research/Areas of Interest: Rehabilitation Management, Evaluation and Treatment of physical dysfunctions, Evaluation and Treatment of Orthopedic Dysfunctions in the Athlete, Concussion Management and Education, Adaptive Sports as a Rehabilitation Tool Adaptive Sports, Concussion Management of the Athlete and Student, Professional development of the Health-Care Manager
Research/Areas of Interest: Professional communication, fieldwork education, professional development of emerging occupational therapists, interprofessional collaboration, complex medical pediatric occupational therapy, community-based practice