Each year the NCOTA Annual Awards North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association (NCOTA) recognizes and honors colleagues who have made significant contributions to the profession of occupational therapy.
Cambey Mikush, OTD, OTR/L, was honored with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award at the Annual Luncheon and Awards Ceremony held Sunday, Nov. 5. Dr. Mikush is an assistant professor in orthopaedic surgery and serves as capstone coordinator and director of student affairs for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program.
"I have personally witnessed her commitment to lifelong learning and action-oriented practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion as an ally for persons from underrepresented groups and an advocate for accessibility and accommodations for students and practitioners," her nomination from Tomecio Faison, OTD, OTR/L, states.
As one of the first faculty members to join the OTD program, Dr. Mikush led the design of an occupation-centered capstone curriculum focused on carrying out the program's mission for an inclusive world where all people flourish through access to and participation in meaningful, health-supporting occupations, the activities of everyday life. Her work is making a lasting difference by shaping leaders who have a focus on eliminating human suffering caused by barriers to occupation.
Dr. Mikush was a co-mentor in developing the Coalition for Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD), which was funded by the Duke Faculty Advancement Seed Grant. She has also engaged in Duke’s School of Medicine’s Teaching for Equity Now - Dismantling Racism four-part series, and Restorative Justice Workshop. She helped to develop and implement ImpACT, a summer outreach and education program for underrepresented high-school students held in conjunction with Duke's Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
An experienced clinician, Dr. Mikush specializes in supporting children, youth, and families across a range of settings including acute care, outpatient, community, and in-home environments.
Dr. Mikush earned a B.A. in exercise and sport science and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis. For her doctoral capstone, she worked with the Worldwide Fistula Fund to explore the role of occupational therapy in helping women with obstetric fistula in Ethiopia and has since collaborated on projects in Danja, Niger.