Occupational Therapy Associate Professor Karin Barnes will be named a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association at the organization's annual conference and centennial celebration in Philadelphia this spring.
A specialist in pediatrics, Barnes' projects include Project Reaching More, a Department of Education grant-funded training program designed to increase the number of occupational therapists working with children in early intervention and public school settings. Now in its last year, the program is designed to provide extra support to participating scholars to make sure they are ready to work in those settings, which experience a shortage of occupational therapists, Barnes said.
Barnes, who served as department chair until this semester, is co-investigator on the Go Baby Go! research project led by Occupational Therapy Assistant Professor Ana Allegretti. That project provides modified ride-on toy cars to young children with mobility challenges to allow them to interact socially and engage with their world. Barnes assesses the children in the program to measure the impact of the mobility intervention on their development.
Occupational Therapy Associate Professor Kimatha Oxford Grice nominated Barnes. In her nomination letter, Grice cited Barnes' long record of service and contributions to the field.
Barnes will receive the honor at an awards ceremony on April 1.