Elizabethtown College’s occupational therapy department hosted the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) president, Virginia “Ginny” Stoffel, from Sunday, Feb. 23 to Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Joanna Davis, Pi Theta Epsilon (Occupational Therapy Honors Society) president, thought it would be academically-enriching to have the AOTA president visit campus. Davis contacted and worked with Stoffel for about six months to figure out the logistics of the visit.
The society raised money through fundraising and by requesting money from Student Senate to pay for various expenses, such as housing, transportation and meals.
Stoffel was affirmed as president-elect at AOTA’s 92nd Annual Conference and Expo in Indianapolis in April 2012. She became president on July 1, 2013, for a three-year term. As president, Stoffel will chair the association’s board of directors, serve as an ambassador for occupational therapy in the United States and internationally and work to nurture the development of the profession and its members.
Stoffel is currently an associate professor in the department of occupational science and technology at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Stoffel has co-authored the mental health text, “Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: A Vision for Participation.”
According to Davis, Etown has never hosted the AOTA president before. A few years ago, the PTE society brought Michael Iwama, an occupational therapist who created a new model of practice called the KAWA model, to campus.
Davis thought it would be a great idea to try and get Stoffel to visit and interact with the department’s students and faculty. Davis didn’t think it would be possible to get someone so important to come to Etown and was surprised when Stoffel accepted.
Students and faculty members were very excited to hear Stoffel’s views about the future of the profession. The undergraduate students looked forward to spending time with her in a small-group setting and getting to know her on a personal and professional level. As for the graduate students, they were interested to hear her views and experience regarding being a new occupational therapist.
“She is a very influential woman in the occupational therapy community, so we are very excited to have this opportunity to get to know her a little bit,” Davis said. “As a new president, she has some great ideas for the future of the profession.”
On Sunday, Stoffel attended a meet-and-greet at Davis’ house with the PTE members. On Monday, Stoffel attended several classes, initiated group discussions, attended a faculty lunch and presented at Leffler Chapel and Performance Center.
In “The Centennial Vision for the New Practitioner,” Stoffel addressed the AOTA goal, which is “to ensure that individuals, policy makers, populations and society value and promote occupational therapy’s practice of enabling people to improve their physical and mental health, secure well-being and enjoy higher quality of life through preventing and overcoming obstacles to participation in the activities they value.” The occupational therapy department invited local practitioners and other occupational therapy schools to attend the presentation. Stoffel’s presentation provided these students and clinicians with a networking opportunity, as they were able to speak with Stoffel after the presentation.
Davis believes Stoffel’s visit has had a positive affect on the occupational therapy program because it has brought more awareness to the community about occupational therapy. “I think it’s great to bring in influential people to the College, as it demonstrates Etown’s commitment toward scholarship and excellence,” Davis said. As the occupational therapy program continues to grow, the faculty and students will be able to tell prospective students about this event and explain the academic and real-world opportunities that Etown provides for its students.
