Members of the Class of 2025 from the Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy and Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy programs spent part of the day before graduation celebrating individual accomplishments and all of the hard work that led to completing the programs. 

The Post-Professional OTD program is designed for licensed occupational therapists who seek to deepen their leadership, scholarship, and advocacy skills while continuing to work in practice. This program allows clinicians to explore advanced topics, engage in applied scholarship, and shape the future of the profession from within their own areas of expertise. There were six graduates of the program, including Courtney Swanson, who served as the student speaker for the program. 

“Courtney is deeply passionate about occupational therapy’s role in school-based mental health—a growing area of need and opportunity in our field,” Interim Chair of the Occupational Therapy Department Sarah McKinnon told the audience in 1CW. “Her advocacy and vision for how OT can support the emotional and behavioral well-being of children and youth have been truly inspiring.”

Dr. Emily Eddy, the program director of the Entry-Level OTD Program, also welcomed those in attendance. 

"These graduates began their journey in the summer of 2022 and have grown into compassionate, skilled, and thoughtful clinicians,” said Eddy. “Over the past three years, they’ve immersed themselves in intensive didactic coursework, spent hundreds of hours in diverse clinical settings during their Level I and Level II fieldwork experiences, and recently completed innovative doctoral capstone projects that reflect their passions and leadership in emerging areas of practice. Today, we not only celebrate their degrees, but the values, commitment, and purpose they carry forward as the future of our profession.” 

Eddy introduced the student speaker for the EL-OTD, Katie McColgan. 

“Katie’s work and service throughout her education reflects a profound understanding of occupational therapy’s potential to address systemic barriers and uplift underserved communities,” explained Eddy. “Her dedication to creating more just and inclusive health systems continues to inspire those around her.

McColgan also received the Award for Student Leadership in Service, which is for students who demonstrate active involvement in professional development, leadership, and advocacy within health care and the profession of occupational therapy. This award honors an individual who has distinguished themselves as a leader in service to the occupational therapy profession at the school, local, state or national level during their time as a student at the Institute.  She was also part of a group that earned the Emerging Scholar Award, which honors a student or group of students who have distinguished themselves through significant participation in scholarly work during their time as occupational therapy students at the Institute.  McColgan, Mallory Spring, Bhumi Patel, Danielle Burnetta, and Jean Vazquez joined the Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Site Specific Project during their first year and their sustained efforts have culminated in co-authorship on a scholarly manuscript that is currently under review at JAMA Neurology. 

The Award for Student Excellence, which honors a graduating EL-OTD occupational therapy student who distinguishes themselves through academic and professional excellence, went to Kristtyan Tran. The Award for Student Innovation, honoring a student or team of students that has demonstrated excellence in the creation of a new product, program, design and/or method of applying the principles and practice of occupational therapy, was given to students in both programs. 

The EL-OTD recipient was Kate Moore and the PP-OTD recipient was Casey Rabideau.

Alumni, faculty and staff were also recognized. The Alumni Professional award goes to an alum who has distinguished themselves through significant leadership, service to the profession and/or a community or population. This commitment to excellence is demonstrated by exceptional performance in professional pursuits such as volunteer leadership, co-authoring a manuscript or disseminating the science underpinning occupational therapy, grant funding, quality improvement projects, program development and implementation, and contributions to occupational therapy education and practice. There were two winners, Lindsey Morris from the EL-OTD Class of 2019 and Dr. Ann Henshaw, PP-OTD Class of 2023.

The Faculty of Excellence honors an occupational therapy faculty member who is dedicated to enhancing the experience of OT students, demonstrating exceptional commitment through innovative teaching, thoughtful advising, and impactful mentoring, fostering both academic and professional growth. They go beyond the classroom to support and inspire students, creating a learning environment that promotes excellence, inclusivity, and lifelong learning. This year’s recipient was Dr. Diane Smith, who is retiring after a remarkable 40-year career in the field. 

The Outstanding Teaching Award honors an IHP instructor who is dedicated and committed to enhancing the educational experience of occupational therapy students. Dr. Kim Erler was given the award on behalf of the EL-OTD program and Dr. Sunny Winstead earned the award on behalf of the PP-OTD program. Jonathan Hyde and Margaret “Maggie” Flynn Greelish earned the Award for Excellence in Fieldwork, which recognizes an individual who exemplifies the qualities and skills of an outstanding fieldwork educator by demonstrating excellence in the areas of professionalism, communication/interpersonal skills, clinical teaching, and clinical practice.  This includes leadership and educator roles as level I and level II fieldwork educators.

Smith, the doctoral capstone coordinator for the EL-OTD Class of 2025, presented the Award for Capstone Excellence in recognition of the outstanding qualities and skills of an outstanding capstone educator by demonstrating excellence in the areas of professionalism, communication/interpersonal skills, leadership, and mentorship, to Dr. Mary O’Donnell and Dr. Jessica Asiello. 

Several others were recognized during the ceremony for the contributions to the program and to the field, including:

  • The Class of 2025 EL-OTD program student representatives- Alice Lee and Lindsey Stevenson
  • Evelyn Roberts, who won the Peer Facilitator award in 2024
  • American Occupational Therapy Foundation award recipients Alice Lee and Joanna McDonough.
  • Our Healthy and Equity Leadership Fellows, Tiffany Tsang and Katie McColgan
  • Alice Lee, who won the MGH Institute Student Leadership Award in 2024
  • The SOTA and COTAD executive boards
  • Members of the PTE Honor Society

McKinnon ended the celebration with some words to the soon-to-be graduates. “As we close this chapter together, I hope you carry forward the connections, lessons, and purpose you’ve found here at the Institute,” said McKinnon. “Tomorrow morning, we will come together again, this time with the entire MGH IHP community, for Commencement. It will be a joyful and meaningful moment, and I can’t wait to see you all walk across that stage. Congratulations once again, Class of 2025! We are so proud of you.”