OTD News Volume VI, Issue 1

Florida Occupational Therapy Association 2015 Page 6 OTD News, Volume VI, Issue 1 By; Erica Burke, Fieldwork Support Coordinator OTD students and faculty attended the recent Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) Conference in Orlando. Student and faculty research projects received two recognitions: the top occupational therapy poster award went to Kelly Walsh, Mara Rosen, Kim Yetman, Monica Hodge, and Dr. Gustavo Reinoso for their presentation entitled: Assessing Fine Motor Coordination in Children Using a Tablet Device: A Study on Concurrent Validity between ProSense, a Computer Tablet Program and the Beery-Buktenika Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration. The other poster award was in the category of most dynamic presentation which went to Lee Meach, Brittany Whitworth, Tara Johnson and Dr. Dennis McCarthy for their presentation entitled: The Viability of Travel Training as an Intervention to Promote Community Mobility in Older Adults through Public Transit Use. To top it all, Dr. Mirtha Whaley, Ph.D., OTR/L, received the 2015 FOTA Louise Samson Leadership Award for her leadership and advocacy for mental health services within the greater Tampa Community. This is the highest honor that FOTA, and through her advocacy and influence, Dr. Whaley has been responsible in developing programs that would eventually employ occupational therapists, such as the on at the Johnny Byrd Institute at USF. During her acceptance speech, Dr. Whaley spoke to the students in the audience, charging them to fill the shoes of those of nearing retirement, and to fulfil future leadership roles in our profession.