By Jill Pease
The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities has selected Jessica Kramer, Ph.D., OTR/L, for a Sesqui Award. Created in honor of the organization’s 150th anniversary this year, the awards program recognizes 150 association members nominated by their peers and selected by the board of directors, based on merit, impact and contributions to the field.
Kramer, an associate professor of occupational therapy and associate chair for research at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, is one of 30 recipients recognized in the research category. Her research is focused on three primary aims: partner with youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, in the development and evaluation of rehabilitation products; develop community-based interventions for youth with IDD and their families to increase participation; and design high quality patient reported outcome measures using contemporary measurement approaches. Kramer’s work has been supported by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
“Dr. Kramer’s innovative research enables individuals with IDD to be team members who assist directly with her studies, resulting in research findings that are reflective of their needs,” said Christine Myers, Ph.D., OTR/L, a clinical professor and interim chair of the UF Department of Occupational Therapy.
Among Kramer’s contributions is the development of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient Reported Outcome, or PEDI-PRO, a clinical and research assessment tool designed to be accessible for young adults with IDD, ensuring they have a mechanism to express opinions about their needs and preferences.
“Her research on the PEDI-PRO has positively impacted the fields of occupational therapy and disability science because it is a rigorously developed assessment that provides results useful in both practice and research,” Myers said. “Where individuals with IDD have been traditionally left out of the conversations around their participation in their communities, Dr. Kramer has set an example for IDD researchers that inclusivity creates meaningful, important research.”
Kramer and fellow Sesqui Award recipients will be honored at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities annual meeting held next month in Chicago.