Ph.D. 1983; Neurosciences; University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
M.S.1973; Education/Learning Disabilities; University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
B.S.1972; Occupational Therapy, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
In addition to her role of departmental Chair, serving on numerous professional advisory boards, and being actively involved in research, Dr. Dunn was awarded a W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in September 2004!
Research Interests:
Dr. Dunn's research is directed toward study of how persons understand and use the sensory input they received, and how their sensory processing abilities affect that individual's performance in daily life. For more details, you may want to visit Dr. Dunn's website about Sensory Processing in Everyday Life.
O.T. Practice:
Dr. Dunn's practice expertise is with children and families in community settings, such as public schools, early intervention programs, day care centers, and families' homes.
Curriculum Vitae | Lab: Virginia Gore Neuro-occupation Laboratory
Research Interests:
Developmental neuroscience, Stereology, Degenerative and Acute Neurological Disease, Light Imaging, Multiple Unit Activity, In vivo Voltammetry, Integrating Therapeutic Science and Neuroscience, Educational Research
O.T. Practice:
Areas of occupational therapy practice experience include acute care, neurological injuries, burns, and psycho-social occupational therapy. Research interests include exploration of the form and function of the dorsal and ventral basal ganglia as it relates to Parkinson's Disease, Stereological research in proteopathies (including P.D. and AlzheimerÕs Disease), neural mechanisms of learning and program evaluation. The primary method used in the lab is immunohistochemistry and mathematically unbiased stereology. Dr. Ahmad is the P.I. in the Virginia Gore Neuro-occupation Lab and currently an Assistant Professor teaching neuroscience, and rehabilitation in the Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Kansas Medical Center. Enjoy some images from the Lab!
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
B.A. 2000; Pyschology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
O.T.D. 2004; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
Research Interests:
I am interested in promoting physical, psychosocial, and spiritual wellness among community-dwelling older adults and empowering them to age-in-place. I have participated in conducting research regarding health educational materials for older adults living in a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community in St. Louis. Currently, I am conceptualizing clinical research project with the aging population in the community.
O.T. Practice:
In addition to my academic responsibilities, I am a clinician at John Knox Home Health Agency working with clients in their own home environment. Prior to JKHH, I worked at Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health as a community occupational therapist seeing people with chronic severe mental illness in the community. Apart from aging and mental health issues, I am also interested in cultural competency in health care for minority population and have done program evaluation and development in this area for an agency in San Francisco, CA.
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
B.S. Occupational Therapy; University of Kansas Medical Center
M.S. Post professional pediatric occupational therapy; University of Kansas Medical Center
Clinical Interests:
Community based pediatrics with an emphasis on sensory processing and natural environment
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
Ph.D., 2001; Developmental and Child Psychology; University of Kansas
M.A., 1996; Developmental and Child Psychology; University of Kansas
B.A., 1992; Psychology and American Literature; George Washington University, Washington, DC
Research Interests:
Disability and health promotion, Disability and independent living
Research interests encompass issues related to health promotion for people with physical disabilities. Specific areas of interest related to health include: access to healthcare, receipt of preventive health services, how people with disabilities define health, and promoting participation in physical activity for people with disabilities. Over the past several years I have been involved in understanding barriers to physical activity faced by women with disabilities and conducting research to increase the participation of women with mobility impairments in physical activity. My goal is to develop a systematic line of research to more fully explore issues that facilitate and hinder the participation of people with disabilities in health-promoting activities.
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
B.S. Occupational Therapy, University of Kansas
M.P.H. 2002; Departments of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Public Administration, University of Kansas
Research Interests:
Research interests are developing through exploration of the intersection between occupational therapy, public health and public administration. Current interests are in the area of the impact of policy and decision making on occupational performance and life satisfaction and in the area of organizational change/development, specifically the effect of organizational administration vs professional leadership in successful transition and the impact of electronic communication on professional relationships. Presently, I continue as Co-PI and Faculty Advisor for the Community Health Project, a 14 year community based and interdisciplinary experience designed to enhance the education experience of health professional students by immersing them in a public health or social service setting.
O.T. Practice:
After 8 years working in mental health and two years in public schools, I continue to have a special place in my heart for troubled adolescents as well as adults with severe and persistent mental illness. My interest in public health stems from understanding occupation as central to health and wellness and recognizing the confines and supports due to systems and policy. We are missing public health opportunities every day! In addition to professional practice, I am committed to professional leadership as indicated by continuous involvement with my state and/or national association, most recently serving AOTA as the Speaker of the Representative Assembly (2004-07).
Curriculum Vitae | Lab: Grayhawk Research Laboratory
Ph.D. 1986; Psychology; University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Research Interests: Aging and cognition; Aging and selective attention; Aging and memory
The Grayhawk Research Laboratory is dedicated to study of aging and cognition. Research interests focus on age-related changes in cognitive functioning. More specifically, I am interested in attention as a fundamental aspect of information processing, and in how attention develops and changes with advancing age. There is some evidence to suggest that older adults are more susceptible to distraction than are young adults, and this distractibility could underlie a number of age- related cognitive deficits. My research is intended to describe the characteristics of attentional function in later adulthood.
Goals of this line of work include: documenting age-related changes in cognitive processes; identifying the contexts in which age-related performance differences: are present or absent; allow understanding of the changing abilities of older adults in order to maximize their potential for successful interaction with the environment.
Recent clinical interests include the role of cognition in functional impairments in aging and the diseases of aging (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke).
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
Ph.D., Therapeutic Sciences; University of Kansas Medical Center
M.Ed., Therapeutic Recreation; Temple University
B.S., Therapeutic Recreation; University of Missouri
Research Interests:
Research interests focus on sensory processing and play. More specifically I am interested in the relationship between preschool-aged children's sensory processing patterns and play preferences. My research is conducted in the preschoolers' natural school environment.
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
Curriculum Vitae | Lab: Visual Neuroscience Laboratory
Ph.D. 1987; Experimental Psychology; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
M.A. 1982; Experimental Psychology; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
B.A. 1979; Psychobiology, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, USA
Research Interests:
Developmental neuroscience; Neuronal plasticity; Anatomy & function of the visual system
Research efforts address issues of neural plasticity and function by investigating how anatomic relations and functional capacities of the visual system are altered following perturbations during development. Determining how neural information from multiple sources is integrated, how functional behaviors are influenced by that integration pattern, and how neural processing may be enhanced are factors fundamental to understanding the process of neural development. A wide range of techniques are used to address these issues, including microsurgery and transplantation of neural tissue, a variety of histological procedures at the light microscopic and ultrastructural levels, behavioral and electrophysiological assessments of function, and systems analysis methodology.
Curriculum Vitae | Lab
Ph.D. 1997 Family Studies and Disability, University of Kansas
M.S.W. 1985 Social Work and Administration, Boston College
B.A. 1982 Social Work and Humanities, Providence College
O.T. Practice:
My primary practice interest is optimizing independent living for those with brain injury. My other interests include the relation of families and disability, women and disability, disability and health policy, and community services.
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