
The University of Florida Department of Occupational Therapy had a prominent presence at this year’s Florida Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, held January 4-5 in Clearwater.

The conference featured a range of workshops, presentations and exhibits showcasing the latest advancements in occupational therapy. The event brought together occupational therapy professionals from across the state to network and share knowledge and best practices.
UF highlights included a training for doctoral capstone site mentors presented by Linda Struckmeyer, Ph.D., OTR/L, a clinical associate professor and the doctoral capstone coordinator, as well as a presentation by Pamela Hess, O.T.D., O.T.R., a clinical assistant professor, and recent UF graduate Paige Gibson, O.T.D., entitled “Empowering Women: Occupational Therapy’s Role in Acute Gynecologic Cancer Recovery.”
Each year, the Florida Occupational Therapy Consortium, or FLOTEC, presents the Fieldwork Educator of the Year Award to a fieldwork educator from each Florida occupational therapy program. UF’s award was presented to Christa Cordero, M.O.T., OTR/L. A UF occupational therapy graduate, Cordero has worked at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital for 10 years and has supervised several UF occupational therapy students.
“It was a surprise and a gracious honor to receive the FLOTEC Fieldwork Educator Award,” Cordero said. “Being selected for this award is a testament to the great OTs who spent time mentoring me and encouraging me.”