The scholarship agenda for Keck Graduate Institute’s OTD program aims to contribute to the profession by producing quality evidence that spans the depth and breadth of the field of occupational therapy. In collaboration with OTD students, the faculty seek to advance the profession through engagement in scholarship of discovery, scholarship of application, scholarship of integration, and scholarship of teaching and learning.

Reflecting the KGI mission, OTD program mission, and contributing to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Vision 2025, the collective scholarly work of the OTD faculty will result in an innovative and collaborative environment dedicated to meeting the occupational needs of persons, groups, and populations through applied science, lifestyle medicine approaches for whole person care, innovations in practice, and a focus on health equity and occupational justice.

Scholarship will be grounded in theory and science and completed in collaboration with trusted community partners or within our program. While opportunities for scholarship exist throughout the OTD curriculum, the program’s scholarly agenda primarily coincides with the Research and Evidence in Occupational Therapy Practice (OCTH 6250, OCTH 6350, and OCTH 7450) and Capstone course series (OCTH 6150, OCTH 6390, OCTH 7590, OCTH 8890, and OCTH 8895). These course series allow for active participation in research projects, strong peer-mentor relationships, as well as facilitating the development of capstone projects, further contributing to the program’s culture of professionalism and collegiality. With a key emphasis on dissemination to professional and scientific communities, the ultimate goals of the scholarship agenda are: 1) to create pathways for students to develop as leaders and innovative scholars of practice dedicated to translating advances into a wide range of occupational therapy contexts, and 2) to create cohesion between faculty scholarly efforts and the program’s mission and strategic plan.