Allison Sullivan, DOT, MS, OTR/L
Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Lead Faculty OTD Program
Biography
Allison Sullivan, DOT, MS, OTR/L is the 2017 recipient of the Massachusetts Association of Occupational Therapists’s Catherine Trombly award for excellence in research and education. Her recent study, “Impact of a Fieldwork Experience on Attitudes Toward People with Intellectual Disabilities”, is published in the 2017 November/December issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. As an occupational therapist and educator, Dr. Sullivan has dedicated her career toward improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan, working in day habilitation services, school-based occupational therapy, and residential settings in a career spanning 24 years. She is the chair of the MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group, a certified group exercise and yoga instructor (RYT), and the co-founder and leader of #OTalk2US, a monthly Twitter chat for occupational therapists with over 60 million views of tweets carrying this tag. Please visit her website www.allisulli.com for more information on her work.
Degrees
- DOT, Occupational Therapy, 2016, Temple University
- MSOT, Occupational Therapy, 1993, Springfield College
- BA, Fine Arts, 1988, Amherst College
Certifications and Memberships
- American Occupational Therapy Association
- Massachusetts Association of Occupational Therapists
- Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education, Temple University, 2015
- Certificate in Human Subjects Research, Collaborative Institutional Training Program, 2014
- Registered Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance International, 2011
- Certified Professional Group Exercise Instructor, AFAA, 2010
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
- Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study, Springfield College, 1993
- February 2018 National Institutes of Health certification in Human Subjects Research
Awards
- November 2017: MAOT Catherine Trombly Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research and Education in Occupational Therapy
Courses
- OTR 5141 Group Dynamics (Spring 2007-present)
- OTR 5230 Psychosocial Occupations of Childhood and Adolescence (Fall 2006-present)
- OTR 5430 Psychosocial Occupations of Adulthood (Spring 2010-present)
- OTR 6031 Occupational Therapy Process: Mental Health (Fall 2007, 2010-present)
- OTR 6200 Comprehensive Exam (Fall 2015-Present)
- OTR 7100 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Occupational Therapy (Spring 2017-present)
- OTR 7500 OT Theory in Practice, Education & Research (Fall 2017-Present)
- OTR 8000 Foundations of Occupational Therapy (Summer 2012- 2016)
- OTR 692 Outcomes of Research (Spring 2009-2010)
- OTR 792 Management (Spring 2010-Spring 2013)
- OTR 881 Research Seminar (Fall 2011 and Fall 2012)
- OTR 982 Research 3 (Summer 2012)
Research Interests
- Attitudes Toward Intellectual Disabilities
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Use of Technology for Teaching in Higher Education
- Sensorimotor Interventions for Cognitive Disabilities
Publications and Presentations
Sullivan, Allison and Mendonca, Rochelle. (2017, November) Impact of a fieldwork experience on attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(6).
Sullivan, Allison (2014, April). Practitioner’s reflection 12.1: The sunshine village yoga group program. In K. Haertl (ed.), Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Bethesda, MD: AOTA, Inc.
Sullivan, A. Dowdy, T., Haddad, J., Hussain, S., Patel, A., & Smyth, K. (2013, March). Occupational therapy interventions in adult mental health across settings: a literature review. Mental Health Special Interest Section Quarterly, 36(1), 1-3.
Posters
Barlow, K., & Sullivan, A. (2018, April) Can a targeted cognitive behavioral intervention be effective for children diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder? Poster presentation at the AOTA Annual Conference. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sullivan, A. and Mendonca, R. (2017, November) Impact of a fieldwork experience on attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities. Poster presentation at the AOTA Annual Conference. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sullivan, A. and Mendonca, R. (2017, July) Impact of a fieldwork experience on attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities. Poster presentation at the RCOT Annual Conference. Birmingham, UK.
Lunsford, D., Meyers, P., Kenward, K., Sullivan, A. (2016, July). The evolution of an occupational therapy competency assignment: Learning theory meets collaboration and technology. Poster presentation at the COTEC-ENOTHE. Galway, Ireland.
Cook, B., Coolhaas, L., Hamilton, A., Penman, M., Phuah, T., & Sullivan, A. (2013, July). Social media in the contemporary CPD climate. Poster presentation at the twenty-fifth annual Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA) Conference, Adelaide, Australia.
Presentations
Sullivan, A. (2018, April). Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment: The SBIRT app. Presentation to the Annual American Occupational Therapy Association Conference. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Screening, Barlow, K. & Sullivan, A (2017, November). A proposal for a therapeutic intervention for ARFID. Presentation at MAOT Annual Conference. Norwood, MA.
Sullivan, Allison (2016, November). Impact of a Fieldwork Experience on Attitudes toward People with Intellectual Disabilities. Presentation to the Annual Massachusetts Occupational Therapy Association. Norwood, MA.
Sullivan, Allison (2016, May). Impact of a Fieldwork Experience on Attitudes toward People with Intellectual Disabilities. Presentation to the Temple University Occupational Therapy Faculty. Temple University. Philadelphia, PA.
Sullivan, Allison (2016, May). Mental Health Occupational Therapy Highlights from AOTA 2016. Presentation to MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group. Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, Holyoke, MA.
Sullivan, Allison (2016, April) Addiction, Mental Health, & Recovery Resources: Developing Your Personal Learning Network & Keeping Track of It All. Presentation to the Annual American Occupational Therapy Association. Chicago, IL
Sullivan, Allison (2016, February). An Application of Trauma-Informed Yoga Instruction to Pediatric Education and Therapy. Presentation to Springfield College Pediatric Conference. Springfield, MA
Sullivan, Allison (2015, October). Screening, Brief Interventions & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT): SAMHSA’s Evidence-based Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention & Recovery. Presentation to MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group. Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, Holyoke, MA.
Sullivan, Allison (2015, September). Advocacy & Pending Legislation Affecting Mental Health OT. Presentation to MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group. Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, Holyoke, MA.
Interviews
- October 2014 “How Busy OT Practitioners & Students Can Fit in Exercise: Tips from Busy OTs”-an interview for AOTA’s web blog on clinicians’ exercise tips
- April 15, 2014 featured guest appearance on the podcast “Beyond The 140”. https://soundcloud.com/bt140.
- April 3, 2014 guest appearance as panel participant in S. Yamkovenko, From newbie to 2.0: Finding the right mix for social media. Presentation for AOTA Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland.
- May 20, 2013 OT Practice magazine Q and A feature interview regarding clinical and educational value of Twitter
Newspaper Articles
Health Care News 9.6.2016 “Bridging the Gap: AIC Creates a New Doctoral Program for Occupational Therapists”. Retrieved 9.2013 from http://healthcarenews.com/bridging-the-gap-aic-creates-new-doctoral-program-for-occupational-therapists/
The Republican 9.18.2013 “Social Media Useful in the Classroom”
The Hampden-Wilbraham Times 9.05.2013 “AIC Professor Advocates Using Social Media for Academic Purposes”
Blogs
Sullivan, A. (2015, February). Advantages, Issues, and Troubleshooting with Response System Technology. Retrieved from http://www.allisulli.com/alli/iH/doc/1436265687AFS-1.pdf
Sullivan, A. (2015, March). The Value of Teaching Using Mobile Devices. Retrieved from http://www.allisulli.com/alli/iH/doc/1436265687AFS-3.pdf
Professional Affiliations
- Chairperson, MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group
- Massachusetts Association of Occupational Therapists (MAOT)
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Service
Human Rights Committee, Human Resources Unlimited, Springfield, MA (2017): The HRC is responsible for:
- Investigating allegations of mistreatment, and filing formal complaints when appropriate.
- Reviewing and monitoring the use of restraints and other limitations of movement in accordance with DDS and DMH regulations.
- Reviewing and monitoring the training methods and practices used to instruct the members and staff about their rights and to provide individual with opportunities to exercise their right.
- Reviewing and approving/disapproving Level II and III behavioral management plans.
#OTalk2US co-founder
(November 2012-Present)
This monthly Twitter chat promotes occupational therapy and facilitates knowledge and resource exchange regarding occupational therapy. Over 50 million unique tweet impressions with this hashtag have been viewed by twitter followers since this chat began, with over 20 million of those impressions originating from my accounts.
Website
www.allisulli.com (April 2014-Present)
I maintain a professional website to disseminate results of my research efforts, share health information and promote occupational therapy and higher education.
Office
Room: 106 Colaccino Center for Health Sciences