Featured News
Every day VCU Occupational Therapy students, alumni, faculty and staff do extraordinary things. Read more about our latest achievements below.
VCU Occupational Therapy faculty recognized at CHP ceremony
Two faculty members from the VCU Department of Occupational Therapy were recognized for their outstanding contributions to teaching and student learning during the VCU College of Health Professions Awards of Excellence Ceremony on March 27 at the Hippodrome Theater.
Raising the bar – again and again
We are continually asking how we can do better – for our students, for the people they will serve and for the future of occupational therapy. I invite you to explore the stories in this issue and see how VCU OT continues to raise the bar.
Deans do research, too: College of Health Professions’ Darragh continues work on pediatric stroke rehabilitation trial
Infants and toddlers in intensive therapy are at the center of a groundbreaking national stroke study that has the potential to shape pediatric rehabilitation for children with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke.
Same class. New stories. 40 years later.
On a beautiful fall weekend, October 18–21, 2025, former Virginia Commonwealth University occupational therapy classmates—most of whom had not seen one another since graduation—returned to Richmond to celebrate the 40th anniversary of earning their Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy.
Andelin leads national sensory integration section
Lauren Andelin, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, serves as chair of AOTA’s Sensory Integration and Processing Special Interest Section (SIPSIS), leading a national community committed to advancing best practices in sensory integration and processing.
In Memoriam: Fred Sammons
We are deeply saddened to share that Dr. Fred Sammons passed away on November 17, 2025. Dr. Sammons was a graduate of the occupational therapy program at the Richmond Professional Institute (RPI) Class of 1955 (RPI and the Medical College of Virginia merged in 1968 to become Virginia Commonwealth University).
VCU OT earns full 10-year accreditation
At its December meeting, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) granted VCU's Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program a Status of Accreditation for the maximum 10-year period – with no suggestions and no areas of noncompliance.
Ukrainian delegates visit CHP to explore clinical practices
A delegation of Ukrainian health professionals visited the VCU College of Health Professions in early November as part of the Congressional Office for International Leadership’s Open World Program, a 10-day exchange that connects global leaders with American institutions.
