Forging researcher-clinician alliances to advance interdisciplinary rehabilitation research

Mary Khetani, along with esteemed colleagues Simone Gill and Leanne Yinusa-Nyahkoon at Boston University, have been working to help advance the efforts of those in our OT profession who seek careers involving active engagement in interdisciplinary research. The inspiration for their collaboration comes from their shared experiences to date growing interdisciplinary programs of research.

They began presenting together on this topic at the American Occupational Therapy conference in 2015. This formative opportunity then guided their efforts in developing a logic model as a systematic guide.

New CPERL team members Briana and Naba, both of whom are aspiring practice-scholars and co-enrolled in the UIC MS/OTD program, helped the team update their materials to share with OT practitioners via a webinar hosted by OT.Com. Soon thereafter, the paper that they co-authored with esteemed mentors and collaborators was accepted for publication in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation -  impact factor 2.064 and ranked 11/64 among journals in rehabilitation.

As a next step, Mary, Simone, and Leanne are thrilled to be presenting a short course on this topic at the AOTA centennial conference in Philadelphia next March. This session will afford for opportunity to try out the Forging Alliances in Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Research (FAIRR) logic model firsthand. We hope to see you there!