Featured News
Every day VCU Occupational Therapy students, alumni, faculty and staff do extraordinary things. Read more about our latest achievements below.
VCU OT leads hands-on lymphedema training for practitioners across Virginia
Nearly 1 in 30 people worldwide live with lymphedema, a chronic and often debilitating condition that can complicate daily activities and increase risks for infection. Yet few occupational and physical therapists receive specialized training to identify and address it early.
OT researcher earns pilot grant to uncover how the brain adapts movement
When Brooke Dexheimer, Ph.D., OTD, OTR/L, joined VCU Occupational Therapy, she built her research program around a deceptively simple question: How do we learn to move? Her newest grant – a $75,000 pilot award from the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center – takes that question deeper than ever before, quite literally.
Mader receives VCU Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Award
Kerry Mader, OTD, OTR/L, CLA, c/NDT, assistant professor in the VCU Department of Occupational Therapy, was named among the inaugural recipients of the university’s Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Award (EPIA) on September 10.
Bringing new insight to how the brain sees the world
When Timothy Rich, Ph.D., OTR/L, describes spatial neglect — the complex, often hidden cognitive condition he studies — he starts with a simple statement: “Imagine ignoring half your world without realizing it.”
‘I can still do the things I want to do’
How VCU OT students helped a young man return to the water
CHP simulation lab upgrades raise the bar for OT and PT training
When they step into the simulation lab on the second floor of the College of Health Professions this fall, students will find it has undergone considerable changes. Thanks to a $108,000 allocation from the Higher Education Equipment Trust Fund, it now features a more immersive, hands-on training environment that reflects the evolving demands of modern health care.
VCU Alumni 10 Under 10 award recipients to be honored for noteworthy achievements
Distinguished graduates from throughout the university will be recognized at a private ceremony Oct. 25. Caitlyn Berry earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from the VCU College of Health Professions in 2015. Berry, one of this year’s 10 Under 10 honorees, has built her career in disability services. (VCU News)
‘Tiny dinosaur moments’ mark 2025 OT Vesting Ceremony
Sometimes, the smallest things can make the biggest difference. For Caitlyn Berry, a handful of tiny dinosaur erasers – symbols of encouragement she once handed to struggling marathoners – became a metaphor for the power of occupational therapy.
