Quick Reference Dictionary for Occupational Therapy - Softcover

Karen Jacobs, EdD, OTR/L, CPE, FAOTA is a past president and vice president of the American Occupational Therapy Association, received the 2011 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, and was a 2005 recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri in Akureyri, Iceland. Karen is a clinical professor and the program director of the On-Line Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) program at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. She earned a doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Science in occupational therapy at Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Karen’s research examines the interface between the environment and human capabilities. In particular, she examines the individual factors and environmental demands associated with increased risk of functional limitations among populations of university and middle school-aged students, particularly in notebook computing, use of tablets, and backpack use. She is also part of a 5-year study entitled, Project Career: Development of an Interprofessional Demonstration to Support the Transition of Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries From Postsecondary Education to Employment.

In addition to being an occupational therapist, Karen is also a certified professional ergonomist and the founding editor of the international, interprofessional journal WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation (http://blogs.bu.edu/kjacobs/).

Karen is a faculty-in-residence and lives in an apartment in one of the dormitories at Boston University. She is the mother of three children—Laela, Joshua, and Ariel—and the amma (grandma in Icelandic) to Sophie, Zachary, Liberty, and Zane. She balances work with occupations such as cross-country skiing, kayaking, photography, and travel.

Laela Simon, OTR/L received her degree in occupational therapy from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Florida. She practiced for more than 10 years as a rehabilitation coordinator/manager with expertise in vestibular, neurological, and orthopedic rehabilitation. Currently, Laela is a school-based occupational therapist in Connecticut, where she provides services to children with a variety of different diagnoses; she also has a consulting practice.

Laela is passionate about teaching handwriting to children and spends time volunteering her expertise at local preschools and elementary schools. Laela and her husband, Craig, are the proud parents of Sophie and Zachary. Laela balances work with occupations such as music, art, travel, and spending time with her family.