Dianna heads to Beantown

Our youngest CPERL member, Dianna Bosak, graduated with her BA in Psychology & Political Science this May! She has accepted an offer to attend the OTD program in occupational therapy at Boston University, the top-ranked OT program in the country, and will therefore transition from CPERL this August. In approximately 1.5 years, Dianna has contributed to most ongoing lab projects while being co-mentored by Jessica and Mary to complete a capstone project titled, "Caregiver creation of complete and participation-focused care plans using Participation in Environment Measure - Plus (PEM+)". She was awarded multiple awards from the UIC Honors College to travel with team members to Paris this week and present on her research project.

Dianna shares, "CPERL has helped me immensely by exposing me to concepts of client-centered care, participation, and environmental contexts. I am very grateful for the relationships I have built with both Dr. Khetani and Dr. Jarvis as well as my fellow lab members. You cannot put a price tag on the opportunities that I was given and the experiences that I have had. Without CPERL, I would have never learned about how OT is evolving and building a bridge between research and clinical practice."

Mary shares, "We thank Dianna for her deep commitment to contributing to the knowledge base of a profession before gaining entry into it. In a little over a year, she has made a lasting mark on just about every current CPERL project to advance the science of children's participation. She has grown in her ability to apply her bold and creative style to design an ambitious and authentic career path, and she has also grown in her ability to communicate effectively to advance her career vision. We are thankful for her contributions, and we look forward to lasting opportunities to connect, beginning with AOTA 2020 in her new hometown!"