Janet Falk-Kessler Distinguished Lectureship and Day of Scholarship

 

Thursday December 21, 2023

Headshot of Janet Falk Kessler

1:00 PM to 5:00 PM with optional morning session

Fully virtual on the Whova Conference App.  

Join an international and diverse roster of clinicians, educators, scholars, and presenters and earn up to 6 professional development contact hours! 

Attendees can join live virtually or access all session recordings for up to 4 weeks after the conference. 

Optional attendance at our student's annual Research Day presentations from 9-12 is also included. 

The annual Dr. Janet Falk-Kessler Lectureship and Day of Scholarship honors the contributions of former Columbia program director Dr. Janet Falk-Kessler to the occupational therapy profession. 

 
 

2023 Janet Falk-Kessler Lecturer: Victoria Garcia Wilburn, DHSc, OTR, FAOTA

"Leveraging Your Healthcare Research to Advance Occupational Therapy Advocacy"

How does an occupational therapy practitioner find alignments with clinical practice, research, and political policy? What skillsets do occupational therapy practitioners possess that are applicable both in congress and in the clinic? Dr. Garcia Wilburn will present how her community engaged research principles and occupational therapy education have equipped her to be a trailblazer freshman legislator. The presentation will include effective strategies in health care advocacy, a deeper understanding of the legislative process and drafting legislation, and critical healthcare issues introduced at the federal level that will impact state funding and practice.

Dr. Garcia Wilburn is an assistant professor at Indiana University–Indianapolis. She is an advocate for promoting state and federal policies that advance health equity and advance mental and behavioral health initiatives. As a community-engaged researcher, Dr. Garcia Wilburn partners with community organizations to help solve pressing issues that impact central Indiana residents, focusing on justice. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Occupational Therapy Association and Hope Academy Recovery High School, Indiana’s only high school for teens in recovery from substance use disorder. Dr. Garcia Wilburn was recognized as Occupational Therapist of the Year by the Indiana Occupational Therapy Association in 2018, awarded Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2020 and inducted into the Indiana Latino Leadership Circle that same year. In 2021, she was awarded Fellow from the AOTA, Boston University's Alumni Association Special Recognition Award for “outstanding contributions to humanity beyond professional responsibility,” named Outstanding Woman Leader from the Indiana University Office of Women and selected as part of Hoosier Women Forward, a democratic training program for women. She is committed to educational equity, improving public health and legislating well as Indiana’s Representative for House District 32, her newest leadership endeavor. Dr. Garcia Wilburn earned her Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from Boston University (2005) and her Master of Health Science (2012) and Doctor of Health Science (2014) degrees from the University of Indianapolis

Conference Agenda

Review the full conference agenda

Registration

$40 Registration Fee includes a $20 donation to the Closing the Gap Scholarship Fund.

Registration will be close on December 18th. 

For more information, please reach out to eileen.lloyd@columbia.edu.

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Past Janet Falk-Kessler Distinguished Lecturers

2022: Amy Lynch, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, TBRI® Educator, SCFES

2021: Gary Bedell, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

2020: Danielle Butin, MS, OTR

2019: Kristie Koenig, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA