Occupational Therapy Department at Elizabethtown College

06/02/2026

Etown's Summer Creative Arts and Research Program is in full swing. Rising seniors Kate B and Riley H are working with Dr. Marla Davis and Dr. Debbie Waltermire on a project related to student book clubs. They are conducting qualitative analyses of students' reflection papers to determine the overall impact of book clubs on student learning and how book clubs can foster understanding of social and cultural factors related to health care systems. Kate and Riley will present their findings at a conference in July.

05/31/2026

And they're off! A group of students and faculty from the OT and Social Work programs are headed to Vietnam. They are traveling with Brittany's Hope for a service trip.

05/13/2026

Our grads are making a difference. Way to go, Dr. Kambrie H.

We are blue jay proud of you!

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to all of our graduates today! This is a day to remember for several reasons (a little rain never hurt anyone, right!?). 5 post-professional OT doctoral degrees, 13 entry-level OT doctoral degrees, 28 Master's degrees in OT, and 42 bachelor's degrees in Health Science. The health science students will continue with classes this summer as they continue with their MS or OTD . Doris Gordon, founder of our OT program and alumni from the first class of OT graduates (1976) were also present at the ceremony to mark 50 years of OT at Etown.

05/08/2026

We are sending a group of students to Vietnam to serve with Brittany's Hope. Check out this interview.

Professor of Social Work Emerita Dr. Margaret “Peggy” McFarland and Occupational Therapy major Claire Grau ’27 joined abc27’s Good Day PA this week to discuss their upcoming service-learning trip to Vietnam, which will include a group of 20 students.

Taking place every two years, the trip runs from May 31 through June 16 and focuses on providing encouragement and support to children with special needs.

Watch this abc27 News segment to learn more: https://bit.ly/4wg0DsF.

04/26/2026

Congratulations to Gabbi C., a current OTD student, who presented her undergraduate honors research project at the American Occupational Therapy Association conference in Anaheim, California. Her project was titled, "From Passion to Exhaustion: Burnout in School-Based Occupational Therapy." Gabbi was joined by her project mentor, Marla Davis, OTD, OTR/L. We will add a shout-out to the three seniors in our program who also attended the conference to represent the Etown Student Occupational Therapy Association - SOTA, too.

04/20/2026

Today is the day! Join us this evening for the annual OT Graduate Research Symposium. You can join us on campus or virtually. Check out our website for additional details.
https://www.etown.edu/schools/school-of-sciences-and-health/occupational-therapy/index.aspx

04/17/2026

New things are happening in the OT dept. We are adding a new degree pathway for people who already have a bachelor's degree...while continuing to offer our first year entry BS/MS and BS/OTD options.

Elizabethtown College is offering a new pathway for students to earn their doctorate through the recently launched Post-Baccalaureate Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD)!

The program is designed for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, including , and meet admission requirements.

Students can complete the program in as few as three years of full-time study, culminating in a final year of off-campus fieldwork and capstone experiences.

“This new pathway expands access for students who are seeking to advance into a high-demand health profession,” Elizabethtown College Dean of the School of Sciences and Health Alan Utter said. “By aligning with evolving student needs and workforce demands, this model allows us to build on our 50-year legacy while providing a flexible, efficient route into our OTD program.”

Discover more: https://bit.ly/4vBKEEQ.

04/15/2026

Thank you to Gigi's Playhouse of Lancaster for recognizing the Etown OT department as its Generation G award recipient this year. Shown here is Erica Wentzel, OTD, OTR/L, who collaborates with Gigi's Playhouse for student learning in real-world settings. More than 160 OT students have been involved in some capacity at Gigi's Playhouse over the past 4 years. You can read more here: https://gigisplayhouse.org/lancaster/awards/