Carol Lambdin-Pattavina delivers keynote address at national OT conference

Carol Lambdin-Pattavina, M.S.O.T., OTD, OTR/L, associate professor of occupational therapy at the University of New England, presented the keynote address as the 2023 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Education Summit, held in Denver from Nov. 10-11, 2023.

The annual summit is one of the largest gatherings designed specifically for occupational therapy professionals and assistant educators. In her address, “Professionalism: What Does It Really Mean?,” Lambdin-Pattavina invited attendees to reflect on professionalism, a construct largely situated in White, Western, and typically male-dominated perspectives.

With growing diversity in health care professions, including occupational therapy, Lamdin-Pattavina contended that faculty must be poised to create inclusive educational environments by embracing diverse ways of embodying professionalism, which she said is arguably an outward manifestation of professional identity.

“Delivering the AOTA Education Summit keynote address was quite an honor,” Lambdin-Pattavina remarked. “More importantly, it was an opportunity to disseminate my work and to potentially effect change in both academic and professional settings related to how we conceptualize professionalism and professional identity.”

Lambdin-Pattavina additionally shared research that she spearheaded in the Department of Occupational Therapy at UNE around the topic and offered the audience insights that were well received.