Regina F. Doherty, OTD, OT, OTR, FAOTA, FNAP
- Chair, Professor
- Occupational Therapy
Regina F. Doherty, OTD, OT, OTR, FAOTA, FNAP is a Professor of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. A respected occupational therapist and educator, Dr. Doherty has over 30 years of experience working in interprofessional teams in healthcare and higher education.
Dr. Doherty received a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences from Springfield College, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University, and a post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Tufts University. Prior to joining the Institute in 2012 as the Founding Director of the Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program, she held a full-time faculty position at Tufts University and a clinical appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she specialized in care of hospitalized adult and pediatric patients with a variety of diagnoses, including complex medical and neurological conditions.
Dr. Doherty has published and presented widely on the topics of health care ethics and interprofessional collaborative practice. She is the author of peer-reviewed articles, chapters and textbooks including the best-selling Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professionals, 7th Edition and Health Professional Patient Interaction, which will be release in its 10th Edition in 2023. Dr. Doherty has participated in several interprofessional grants and is a peer reviewer for a variety of scholarly publications and portals including the Association of American Medical Colleges MedEdPORTAL. She is an active member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and currently serves on the AOTA Academic Leadership Council. A Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and a Distinguished Fellow and Scholar of the National Academies of Practice, Doherty has been recognized with several regional and national awards including the AOTA Award for Interprofessional Collaboration in 2020 and the Catherine Trombly Award for Contributions to OT Education and Research in 2018.
- BS, Springfield College, Springfield, MA
- MS, Occupational Therapy, Tufts University, Medford, MA
- OTD, Post Professional, Tufts University, Medford, MA
Research Interests
- Professional reasoning
- Interprofessional education and practice
- Healthcare ethics
Presentations
Select Recent Presentations
Doherty, R.F. and Rotelle, O. (2022). Addressing Ethical Issues in OT Practice: Building Moral Resilience. Massachusetts Occupational Therapy Association – Acute Care Special Interest Section.
Hobbs, M., Knab, M., Doherty, R.F., Bjorkman, A. and Concordia, M. (2020). Shaping attitudes and behaviors for collaborative practice with interprofessional peer facilitators. National Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice NEXUS Summit. Minneapolis, MN.
Doherty, R.F., Cahn, P., and Knab, M. (2019). Teaching compassion: Outcomes of an interprofessional pre-matriculation common reading program. Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference. Boston, MA.
Doherty, R. F., Concordia, M., & Hardiman, K., (2018). Implementing the Doctoral Experiential Component: Student and faculty perspectives on practice and education based doctoral capstones. American Occupational Therapy Association Education Summit. Louisville, KY.
Doherty, R. F., Knab, M., & Reidy, P. (2018). Debriefing with an ethical ear: Strategies for developing moral reasoning in interprofessional learners. National Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice NEXUS Summit. Minneapolis, MN.
Select Recent Publications
Doherty, R. F., and Peterson, E. W. (2022). Responsible participation in a profession: Fostering professionalism and leading for moral action. In B. H. Braveman (Ed.), Leading and Managing Occupational Therapy Services, 3rd Edition. Philadelphia, PA: FA Davis.
Coker-Bolt, P., Doherty, R.F., Doll, J., James, L.W. Keehan, A., Piernik-Yoder, B., and Zakrajsek, A.G. (2021). Importance of Interprofessional Education for Occupational Therapy. American Occupational Therapy Association Official Document.
Doherty, R. F. (2021). Ethical dimensions in the health professions (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Doherty, R.F. (2019). Ethical Practice. In B.A. Schell & G. Gillen (Eds.) Willard and Spackman’s Occupational Therapy, 13th Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Doherty, R. F., Cahn, P. S., and Knab, M. S. (2018). Getting on the same page: An interprofessional common reading program as foundation for patient – centered care. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 32(4), 444 – 451. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2018.1433135