Three professional experiences that I had during my student years, as a licensed occupational therapist, and then as a research scientist trainee motivated me to get involved in the field of research and teaching. My first professional experience occurred when I was an undergraduate student and volunteering at a domestic violence center.
During my work at the center, I was stunned by the lack of awareness about as well as limited resources in the community to provide evidence-based care to survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). I was moved by the severity of psychosocial and somatic symptoms that many of these survivors were experiencing, and I knew that I need to understand these symptoms to fully assist the survivors with their recovery.
Second, working as an occupational therapist with pediatric and adult patients with neurological disorders (e.g., stroke and traumatic brain injury), I realized that there is a scarcity of culturally sensitive and evidence-based treatment modalities in my profession. This absence of evidence is largely due to the limited number of occupational therapists who are trained as research scientists with expertise in clinical and translational research. I knew that by obtaining such training, I could positively impact my patients and help to advance the clinical rigor within my profession.
My third experience occurred during my postdoctoral years, I worked with special populations (medically/socially vulnerable populations) of acquired brain injury, leading me to realize that evidence-based rehabilitative therapies are particularly scarce for such underserved populations.
