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Occupational Therapy: Post-Professional Doctorate

Doctorate

Overview
Application Requirements
Faculty
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Apply Request Info
Application Deadlines
Fall: Jan 15
Spring: Oct 15 (Domestic students)
Summer: N/A
School/Department

Occupational Therapy

Program Director
Margaret Morris
Format
On-campus
Commitment Options
Full-time
Part-time (Daytime)
Average Duration
3 years part-time
Credits
30
Contact

gradadmissions@tufts.edu


Overview

The Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (PPOTD) is for occupational therapists who already have a master's degree. In the 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.

Program Outcomes

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.

Application Requirements

  • Application Fee
  • Resume/CV
  • Personal Statement: Guidelines for Personal Statement (limit 3 pages double-spaced): What are your plans for graduate study as related to your future career as a leader in occupational therapy? Please address your specialty focus.
    • The Leadership Project is an important part of the OTD program (see description for 286 Leadership Project Planning). Please indicate your current ideas about your project.
    • In what ways do your academic background and recent professional experience point to your potential for success as a doctoral student and as a leader in occupational therapy? Please give specific examples of relevant coursework and/or experience.
    • Is there any further information we should consider in assessing your candidacy?
  • GRE General Test scores are not required for applicants who have a degree from an accredited U.S. institution by time of enrollment. GRE scores are required for applicants who received a degree from an institution outside of the U.S.
  • Official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, if applicable
  • Transcripts
  • Three Letters of Recommendation. Note: For Tufts Department of Occupational Therapy master's degree alumni: Only two letters of reference appraising the candidate's potential for study in the OTD program are required.
  • Certificate of Hepatitis B Vaccination upon enrollment.

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. 

Prerequisites

  • One course in Introductory Statistics and one course in graduate-level Research Methods. The prerequisite course must be passed with a grade of B- or better and taken at an accredited college.
  • Note: NBCOT credentialing before entry in the OTD is strongly recommended. Those not credentialed in occupational therapy at entry will be given provisional acceptance into the OTD Program and NBCOT credentialing must be achieved by the end of the first semester of the program. It is expected that all applicants are licensed or eligible for licensing in the United States.

Tuition and Financial Aid

See Tuition and Financial Aid information for GSAS Programs.

Faculty

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Margaret Morris

Senior Lecturer
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)
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Nancy Baker

Associate Professor
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.
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Mary Barnes

Lecturer
Group Theory & Practice; Functional Group Model; Occupational Therapy Fieldwork, Mentoring My current and ongoing scholarship focus is on development of an instrument to measure outcomes of group leader training related to common leader behaviors. I continue to participate in research projects regarding occupational therapy fieldwork and community based program evaluation.
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Gary Bedell

Professor
Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Science; Activity Performance and Participation of Children, Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities; Measurement and Intervention Development and Testing The ultimate aim of my research is to promote activity performance and participation of children, youth, and young adults with disabilities across the lifespan. I am particularly interested in assessment and intervention approaches that identify and build upon what individuals already know and do to manage their daily life routines and participate in meaningful activities. I have developed a number of measures as primary author such as the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) and as co-author such as the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY). My most recent project (Social participation And Navigation or SPAN) involves the development and testing of an app-based coaching intervention to promote social participation of teenagers and transition-age young adults with acquired brain injuries and other conditions. (See personal website for current and past work and resources).
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Meredith Grinnell

Lecturer
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.
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Jessica Harney

Associate Chair of Occupational Therapy and Senior Lecturer
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
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Ryan Whitney

Lecturer
Professional communication, fieldwork education, professional development of emerging occupational therapists, interprofessional collaboration, complex medical pediatric occupational therapy, community-based practice

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