Congratulations to the 2017 ILOTA Award Winners !
The 2017 ILOTA Awards Ceremony at conference , “ Celebrating 100 Years of Occupational Therapy ”, was an evening to recognize and honor fellow OTs , OTAs and students that have significant contributions to OT in the state of Illinois . Three awards were presented : OT Student Recognition Award , OT Student of the Year ( 2 recipients ) and OT of the Year . Three ILOTA members were also honored as ILOTA Lifetime Members .
The OT Student Recognition Award , OT Student of the Year , recognizes an OT student that demonstrates leadership and excellence in academic and / or clinical performance ; demonstrates exceptional ability in promoting OT through his / her activities . Significant contributions at the student level in the areas of clinical practice , research , public relations , student OT associations .
The first recipient of the 2017 ILOTA Student Recognition Award , OT Student of the Year , is Marlena Mosbacher , a student at Rush University , she is passionate about increasing diversity awareness and inclusion . She serves as a member of the interprofessional executive board for the Rush University Diversity and Inclusion student group , the mission of this group is to provide Rush students and faculty a safe space to discuss topics related to inclusion and diversity , increase awareness of diverse experiences and create a campus environment that celebrates diversity . Her position on this board is Article Club Chair , organizing article discussions for students and faculty . She was also selected to participate in the Rush University Incarceration Medicine Initiative . In this role Marlena collaborates with students from other professions to create meaningful learning experiences related to health education and encourages lifestyle and behavioral changes to women at the Cook County Jail .
She has co-written two articles that have been published in the Huffington Post ; November 2016 , “ How Accessible is Medical Cannabis in Illinois ?” and in March 2017 “ Failure of Cultural Competence Training to Engage White Health Profession Students : A Call for Real Discussions on Race and Intersectionality ”.
She has also received the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and is working on group programming for women with breast cancer attending Gilda ’ s Club of Chicago .
Marlena was called to the profession of OT , when she was a caretaker to a 17-year-old girl with Rhett Syndrome , recovering from a serious car accident and witnessing when this young woman had her ‘ triumphant return ’ to engaging in everyday meaningful activities . This solidified her decision to pursue OT .
Ryan Walsh was also the recipient of the 2017 OT Student
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Susan Quinn , OTR / L
Recognition Award , OT Student of the Year . He is in the University of Illinois at Chicago ( UIC ) MS OT program . On his first day of student orientation he volunteered for leadership roles ; he was impressed by a presentation Lisa Mahaffey , ILOTA President , gave regarding the organization , and wanted to get involved by attending the next Board meeting . Ryan became the UIC student liaison to ILOTA , a position that had been vacant for many years . He regularly attended board meetings , encouraging classmates to also attend ; promoted ILOTA events ; promoted the “ call for abstracts ”; assisted with the ILOTA scholarship drive with students and faculty . He also attended the Leadership CE course offered by ILOTA ; all in his first year .
In addition to academics , Ryan is a Fellow and volunteer in the college ’ s Health and Diversity Academy . This is a voluntary program ; he participated in a service learning experience at the Barlow Center of St . Leonard ’ s Ministries , which sponsors the Sr . Jean Hughes Adult High School . This community organization serves formerly incarcerated adults that have transitioned back to the community and are trying to improve their lives through education . With a classmate , he taught in the high school certificate program , an evening program which allows the students to be eligible for technical training and employment . He also was a member of Dr . Anders Kottrop ’ s research team at UIC , studying the “ Use of Everyday Technology and e-Health Services among Older Adults with and without Functional Limitations ”. In addition , Ryan volunteers as a research reviewer with the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab ( formerly RIC ), preparing new submissions for addition to the “ Rehabilitation Measures Database ”.
Prior to pursuing a career in OT , he has experience teaching in the US and abroad .
The ILOTA 2017 OT of the Year Award was presented to Kathy Preissner . This award recognizes an Occupational Therapist that has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of Occupational Therapy in Illinois . The recipient should have sustained activity in the profession and demonstrate excellence in clinical practice ; research ; administration ; participation in clinical or academic programs ; publications , presentations , media ; and / or leadership .
Dr . Preissner has 21 years of experience as an OT , graduating from UIC in 1996 ; pursuing advanced degrees , Master of Health Science in OT and Doctor of Education in Adult and Higher Education .
She has always had a strong interest in fieldwork , early in her career she wrote “ A Collaborative Model of Fieldwork Student Supervision ”. Early in her professional career , she was the
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