Duke OTD Kicks Off 2026 With an Energetic Open House
The Duke Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program opened the new year with an energetic and well-attended Open House on Saturday, January 3, welcoming admitted and prospective students and their family members to campus for an immersive look at the Duke OTD program.
Initiated in January 2023 by Cami Wolff, OTD class of 2025, Open House is now offered twice each year, just ahead of the program’s fall and spring application deadlines. Tala Farah, class of 2027, directed this year’s events with strong leadership and a warm, welcoming presence. She also helped prepare Kara Stroud, class of 2028, to take the reins for next year’s Open Houses.
“We were delighted to welcome so many recently admitted students to the January Open House,” said Gair McCullough, Admissions Director. “The atmosphere was a mix of celebration and anticipation.” The door prize for the most significant distance traveled went to a prospective student from San Diego, CA.
Open House was also a fitting “welcome back” for Dr. Barb Hooper, Duke OTD’s founding director, who returns this month after a semester devoted to strategic visioning and development (while stepping away from day-to-day operations). Her opening session on occupation as the source of health and well-being and on the Duke OTD curriculum helped everyone understand and focus on the program’s key principles and values from the start.
Attendees saw the program’s strong culture of student leadership and peer support in action, as current students led tours, shared personal experiences, offered encouragement, and introduced attendees to the Duke OTD community.
Faculty members also participated throughout the day, offering insights into classes and curriculum design, research and fieldwork opportunities, and Duke’s community-engaged educational model. Their involvement helped attendees fully imagine Duke OTD’s vibrant learning environment and what makes it sing.
With the strong engagement of prospective and admitted students, their families, and current students and faculty, Saturday’s OTD Open House projected an optimistic outlook for the 2026 admissions cycle.