A Bittersweet Farewell: Diane Smith to Retire After Four Decades in Occupational Therapy

Diane Smith was passionate about becoming a health professional as a student at the University of Illinois but unsure which direction to take, until a life-changing encounter.

“A girl in my dorm said, ‘You seem like an occupational therapist,” Smith shared. “I had no idea what that meant.”

That moment launched a career in occupational therapy (OT) that would span four decades, including 11 deeply impactful years at the MGH Institute.

From Clinical Practice to Academia

After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, Smith began her occupational therapy career in clinical practice, first in Illinois for two years, then in Florida and later in Missouri.

“It took me a long time to figure out what I actually wanted to do in occupational therapy, and I was like the poster child for how many jobs you can do in occupational therapy,” expressed Smith. “It got to a point while I was living in Orlando, I even worked at Walt Disney World as an OT in a practice that was all physical therapy, except for me.”

Trying to find her niche in OT, Smith decided to switch gears. She stepped into the world of academe with a part-time position at Washington University in Saint Louis, before taking on a full-time role at Saint Louis University. It was there that something clicked for her.

“Working in academia made me realize that that was what I really wanted to do,” explained the now professor of occupational therapy. “And then my brother said, ‘you should stay in academe and get your Ph.D., and so I did.”

Smith completed her Ph.D.in Public Policy Analysis and spent nearly six years at the University of Missouri. While there, Smith served as the chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, associate editor for the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a research consultant for the Great Plains ADA Center, and was elected to the Roster of Fellows for the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2009.

A New Beginning

During the winter of 2014 and amidst a snowstorm, Smith arrived in Boston to interview for a position in the soon-to-be launched Occupational Therapy Department at the MGH Institute.

“I pretty much decided, with snowflakes as large as dinner plates, that I would not move to Boston, no way,” reflected Smith. “But a lot of things I said I would never do, I did do, so through a lot of consideration and advice from friends and family, I decided to take the leap.”

Motivated by her family and ready to embark on a new adventure, Smith left the Midwest to start a new life in Boston as one of the founding members of the Occupational Therapy Department.

Since her first days of teaching what would become the class of 2017 at the MGH Institute, Smith has taught everything from research sequences to an elective on disabilities in society, to leadership and policy courses. She has also led the institution’s Faculty Senate. Her contributions have been crucial to the OT department’s growth, including achieving reaccreditation for 10 years.

“Mary Hildebrand has summed it up perfectly that Diane is Superwoman,” shared Sarah McKinnon, the interim chair of the Occupational Therapy Department, during the retirement party held on May 20. “She's a woman of steel who would grade 36 papers over a weekend, respond to emails within 24 hours (or really, minutes), teach two courses a semester, author papers numerous times throughout the year, mentor at least six to seven capstone students per cohort, all while serving this institution and the profession and her teaching.”

Smith is the founding doctoral capstone coordinator, mentoring or leading at least six capstone students per cohort, and making her work a gold standard across the country. She also helped establish Scholarship Day, a culmination of three semesters’ worth of research where students and faculty come together to present their work and celebrate the excellence of IHP's scholarly activities, and what has now become one of Smith’s favorite memories at the Institute.

"Seeing the research happen and evolve and grow, seeing some of these projects get presented and some get published, is definitely something that has been near and dear to my heart,” stated Smith. “That will be interesting not to be in charge of anymore.”

What Comes Next

Leaving an inspiring legacy behind, Smith looks forward to the next chapter of her life as she plans on staying busy.

“I have four manuscripts in the work, two book chapters and two books to edit,” Smith smiled as she shared her plans for retirement. “There's a couple of organizations relating to human rights advocacy I belong to that I’ll continue working with. I’ll continue on the board of Ballot Health and continue to do my scholarship. I also want to travel more.”

While looking forward to her well-deserved retirement, Smith is also able to recognize how far she’s come in her occupational therapy career.

“Like most people on the planet, it took me a while to figure out, through lots of different jobs, what my niche was,” she shared as she reflected on her journey. “But here we are.”

From hearing for the first time about OT in college, to becoming one of the founding members of the Occupational Therapy Department at the MGH Institute, with more than 60 peer reviewed publications and book chapters, over 65 invited presentations at the state, national, and international level, and earning the department’s Faculty Excellence Award three times (2017, 2020, and 2023), Smith certainly found her place in the world of health professions.

“I don’t know how we would have been so successful without you, Diane,” said McKinnon, reflecting Smith’s lasting influence. “You are already deeply missed, but your legacy here is forever.”

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